Reupholstering chairs with your own hands: step-by-step master class

The benefits of making it yourself

Have you decided to reupholster an old chair yourself and not buy a new one? Let us present a number of advantages, and you will understand why it is worth doing this work yourself.

• Significantly save your budget. A new chair of good quality is expensive.
• It may be that the chair does not fit the interior, and you will only be wasting your money.
• You can completely cope with the work on your own. But if in doubt, it is better to invite a specialist.

Upholstering chairs with your own hands is quite doable.

You yourself, according to your taste and color, will choose accessories and high-quality fabric.

All that remains is to find a design idea and bring it to life.

Use your imagination, since now there is a wide variety of materials - from expensive to cheap.

Even low-priced upholstery will allow your furniture to look absolutely respectable.

Currently, furniture manufacturers produce products that are not as strong and high-quality as before. Especially if it is inexpensive, it can quickly become unusable.

You will benefit from being able to save your old furniture.

What to choose as a filler?

Most often this is sheet foam rubber. It comes in different thicknesses, the optimal thickness being 4-5 cm. You can use padding polyester as a lining between the fabric and foam rubber.

This method will simplify further stretching of the fabric and eliminate unnecessary folds.

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Why do you need a constriction?

First of all, this will save you money. New furniture of good quality is not cheap. And furniture from the last century, if you work with it well, will easily outlast inexpensive modern furniture. This is also an opportunity to choose the color and texture of the upholstery material that best suits your interior.

And again, any work with your own hands is a creative process that brings pleasure. This is an opportunity to create something unique, to put warmth and love into your home environment.

Another plus is that you don’t have to go shopping to find the right chairs that will match the rest of the furniture in your home. This is especially true for kitchen and dining sets, where chairs and a table come from one set.

What to choose as a filler?

Most often this is sheet foam rubber. It comes in different thicknesses, the optimal thickness being 4-5 cm. You can use padding polyester as a lining between the fabric and foam rubber.

This method will simplify further stretching of the fabric and eliminate unnecessary folds.

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• DIY folding chair: 110 photos, drawings, diagrams and sketches of convenient and easy options for creating portable chairs
• Do-it-yourself pouf: step-by-step instructions on how to build a stylish and original interior element with your own hands (105 photos)

Procedure for reupholstering a chair

The restoration of chairs can be divided into a sequence of actions. Each of the points requires explanation, but the general algorithm of actions can be summarized in a few dozen words:

1. Remove the upholstery and soft part.
2. Disassemble the frame into its components.
3. Assess the condition of the frame, check the connections. Unstable connections should be disassembled, cleaned, and re-glued.

4. If necessary, remove the old coating (paint or varnish) from the legs, back, frame and apply a new one.
5. Update the seat base.
6. Lay and secure elastic materials that provide softness.
7. Cover with fabric.

Now you know in general terms how to reupholster a chair. But there is something to be said for each point - there are many different tricks that will make the job easier and the result more attractive.

Soft pie: materials, thickness

Before reupholstering a chair, you will have to study some information about what exactly to use when restoring a chair or armchair. Please note that you can use not only the materials listed in this paragraph. We have described the most common, synthetic, inexpensive, with acceptable characteristics. If desired or necessary, you can use natural analogues - copra in mats or rolls, batting, dried sea grass, horsehair, burlap and other materials that are exotic today and once traditional.

Most common materials

What materials are needed to reupholster a chair?

When restoring a chair or armchair, foam rubber or polyurethane foam (PPU) is used for the soft part. We are talking about foamed polyurethane foam, not sheet. There is also furniture latex. It and polyurethane foam differ from foam rubber to the touch. They are more like rubber (latex is generally like rubber); when stretched/compressed, they tend to return to their previous shape.

To be soft enough, the density of these materials should be 30-35 kg/m³. Foam rubber and polyurethane foam are sold in large sheets - the minimum size is 1*2 meters. So that's enough for more than one chair. Latex is usually available in some standard sizes, but is most often made to order.

Different thickness, density, rigidity, different manufacturing technologies

What is better to use for upholstering chairs - foam rubber, latex or polyurethane foam (PPU)? If we talk about quality and durability, then latex or polyurethane foam is better. They will last up to ten years or more without signs of wear, they absorb better and wear out less. The best of this pair is latex, but it is much more expensive than even polyurethane foam, not to mention foam rubber. Therefore, if you are on a limited budget, choose foam rubber. If durability is important - polyurethane foam or latex.

Now on the thickness of these materials. For the back, a thickness of 3-5 cm of foam rubber/PPU/latex is sufficient, depending on the degree of desired softness/hardness, but for the seat it is better to use materials with a thickness of 7-8 cm or more. If the base is solid - made of plywood, without springs or tapes - a thickness of 10 cm is needed. Otherwise the base will be felt.

The three most common materials are foam rubber, polyurethane foam and latex.

A padding polyester is laid on top of the foam rubber. Its thickness is small - 1 cm in a free state or so. It’s easier to navigate by density: 150-200 g/m². This layer is needed so that the foam/PPU/latex rubs less. This way, restored upholstered furniture will last longer.

If you want the chair or armchair you have reupholstered to last longer, another layer of spunbond is stretched over the padding polyester - this is a non-woven material made from a polymer melt using a spunbond method. Spunbond costs very little, but significantly extends the life of the seat. This layer is found in expensive furniture and increases durability (foam rubber/sintepon does not rub) and comfort of use (upholstery fabric does not fidget). A possible disadvantage is the accumulation of static electricity. But this is observed only when natural wool or silk is used in upholstery.

How to cut and fasten

The foam is cut to fit the size of the seat. The easiest way is to make a template at the initial stage: attach a sheet of cardboard to the seat, trace it and cut it out. This template will be needed more than once, so it’s better to make it.

It’s better to make a template right away, especially if you will be dragging several identical chairs

We cut out foam rubber and padding polyester strictly according to the template. In some cases, it is worth making it wider and longer by 3-5 mm so as not to feel the edges of the base. The cut foam rubber is glued to the base using furniture glue. There is a special glue in a can for foam rubber. It is more convenient to use, but it is not easy to find everywhere.

The padding polyester is laid on top - one side is more “rough”, so we place it on the foam rubber/PPU/latex, level it and smooth it with our hands. After this, it is problematic to separate the laid layers (you can try). If this method does not seem reliable enough to you, you can glue the connection by applying a mesh of suitable universal glue or the same glue for foam rubber.

Latex is usually made to order, so the edges are rounded for greater convenience.

One point: if the base of the chair is not rigid - springs, tapes, a snake - the glue you should use is not the one that forms a hard crust after drying, but the one that remains elastic.

If you decide to also use spunbond, it must be cut out with a margin, attached with staples to the base, evenly straightened and stretched. You should not pull too hard - the material is non-woven and is easily damaged. It just needs to lie without folds. Carefully trim the excess to the level of the chair/chair frame.

Where to begin

First, you need to get rid of the old upholstery and filling once and for all. Only the springs, if any, should remain.

Secondly, carefully inspect the product to be remade. Its frame must be strong and stable, otherwise all the work will be done in vain. It is recommended that along with changing the upholstery fabric, you also change the entire chair.

To do this, you need to sand the surface to eliminate all scratches and unevenness, rinse the product thoroughly, tighten up loose parts, replace fittings, apply a primer (putty or white paint), paint and seal the result with varnish.

Thirdly, all the necessary tools and materials are prepared, which include:

• Fabric for reupholstery;
• Seat filler;
• PVA glue;
• Centimeter or long ruler;
• Cardboard pattern or plywood base for seating;
• Furniture stapler or small nails;
• Screwdriver, screws;
• Scissors or stationery knife;
• Pencil, soap or crayons (for measuring fabric).

An important point is the choice of suitable upholstery for upholstering the chair, which should be as dense and strong as possible. Also, upholstery fabric should be easy to clean from various types of dirt using a sponge or brush.

So, you can choose from tapestry, wool, chenille, artificial and natural leather, jacquard, satin. The required size is calculated by the formula: area of ​​the upholstered area + 15-20 cm around the entire perimeter on the bends.

As for the filler, it should have a density of 30-50 kg/m3 and a thickness of at least 4 cm. Foam rubber, a soft, durable, non-creasing and non-deformable material, is considered optimal. Sheet polyurethane foam and latex are also used.

Batting and padding polyester are used extremely rarely, as they do not hold their shape and quickly sag. Under no circumstances should you stuff the seat with bulk materials (polyurethane balls, buckwheat husks, etc.).

Tips and tricks

It is not difficult to reupholster a chair with new upholstery fabric yourself. The proposed algorithm will help even a novice master cope with the task.

Some recommendations will help in your work:

• Another way to tighten the fabric sequentially is to fasten the staples in the middle of each side, starting from opposite sides. Then the seat rotates, and the fabric is fixed further in a similar way, gradually shifting in one direction or the other.
• Springs are much more durable than upholstery fabric, so there is no need to remove the metal filling.
• The seat for a chair without springs can be leather straps stretched in strips or crosswise.
• Threaded fittings should not peek out from under the upholstery, but they should also not be covered with too thick a layer of fabric.
• The stapler must have enough power to penetrate the wood.
• If you buy more fabric than you need to cover an upholstered chair, you can make additional pillows or bolsters to match the item.
• Rapid wear of the fabric from the edges will be prevented by special tape glued to dangerous areas.

You can always put your favorite silk or soft velor of the most intense and enchanting colors on top of a dense material, and the frame of the chair can be decorated with fabric scraps or amazing paintings.

You cannot say goodbye to a chair with worn or torn upholstery right away, since a strong and stable frame can last for many years. New finishes can give furniture a second life, refreshing the familiar interior without breaking the bank.

To do this, just think about the design of the chair, choose the fabric for the upholstery, prepare the necessary tools and get to work in a creative mood.

How to decide on color

It is important to carefully approach the choice of shade and texture of the future product. Here photographs of chairs from furniture catalogs, where you can find hundreds of upholstery options, will help you in your search. You also shouldn’t lose sight of your own wishes, the interior of the room, and the design of other pieces of furniture.

The color of the upholstery of a restored chair is usually dark. The most commonly chosen colors are brown, blue and burgundy. However, for light frames, fabric of a golden or beige tone is selected. Often preference is given to more intense colors, especially if the furniture is intended for children's rooms or living rooms in the pop art or city style.

An interesting solution would be to use several materials on one product: for fabric mosaics in one place or for upholstering different areas of a chair.

Constriction algorithm

When the frame is prepared and the color is chosen, the actual reupholstery begins. In general, the procedure is as follows:

• Remove old upholstery.
• Make the necessary repairs to the frame.
• Cut out pieces using a plywood seat base or old upholstery.
• If there are springs on the chair, then they must be tied vertically, horizontally and diagonally with a strong rope, making 8 knots on each spring.
• Place a piece of burlap over the springs to reduce the mechanical impact of metal objects.
• Cut out the filling and fabric using scissors or a utility knife. Pay close attention to the existing print: the pattern, stripes or ornament must match.
• Install and glue the filler. Fold the edges over the frame and secure with staples. Remove excess.
• Place the fabric on the workpiece, stretch it and secure it with a stapler. Work begins from the central part and continues along the entire perimeter. The step between staples should be 1-2 cm.
• Additionally, secure the upholstery with small nails. You can hide staples or nail heads with decorative elements.
• Cut off excess pieces of fabric.
• Cover the product with a protective coating: spray with a special spray and leave in a ventilated area for several hours.
• Install the seat into place using a screwdriver and screws.
• Glue a thin black fabric underneath the seat to give the chair a finished look.
• If necessary, repeat the steps to reupholster the upholstery of the back and armrests of the chair.

Preparatory work

First of all, you need to get rid of the old upholstery and filling. The tools you will need are an anti-staple gun or a flat-head screwdriver or pliers.

We unscrew the seat, if there is a backrest, then that too. We take out staples, nails, screws. We clean the surface of the chair from everything unnecessary, from glue residues, from old foam rubber.

If there is a need for minor repairs to the chair frame or springs, these need to be done. Cracks should be filled with glue or sealant and puttied.

If you wish, you can update the color of your chair. First, go over its surface with sandpaper. Next, the surface needs to be degreased, and after painting, varnished.

It is very important to be careful when dismantling so as not to damage individual parts of the chair. The old upholstery can be used as a pattern. Or take new measurements using a measuring tape.

You will also need a furniture stapler and staples, or a hammer and nails, tailor's scissors, a utility knife, a long ruler, a chalk or something similar.

Required Tools

What is the best way to heat a stove to clean the chimney?

Before you reupholster the chairs with your own hands step by step, you should take care of the tools. To work with textiles you will need a sewing machine. To remove old upholstery you need an anti-stapler. The frame is dismantled using screwdrivers of different diameters and pliers. The home handyman should also prepare in advance:

• thick cardboard;
• glue and a brush for it;
• furniture stapler with staples;
• nails and hammer;
• measuring instruments - tape measure, square, measuring tape.

Reupholstering a chair with your own hands can be done in different ways. If you don't have a furniture stapler, you can use wallpaper nails (with flared heads) instead. They fit smoothly into the upholstery and hold it well. Some craftsmen also use an attracting strip with screws, which reliably hides the seams (in this case, you need to pull the fabric simultaneously along the entire perimeter). However, special staples still last longer. A hammer can be successfully replaced with a rubber mallet, since reupholstering furniture does not require much physical effort.

Selection of materials

It is important to take into account the density of the fabric; it should hold its shape well. And easy to clean. The most commonly used are tapestry, flock, chenille, and jacquard. They are quite strong compared to other fabrics. The list of materials also includes leather and leatherette.

It is important to take correct measurements before purchasing. Don't forget to take into account the width of the hem and the height of the filler, this is approximately plus 15-20 cm to the original length of the fabric.

The color of the upholstery plays a big role. It should fit harmoniously into the interior. Dark colors are considered more practical, while light upholstery is more demanding to maintain. You can combine different materials in color and texture.

How to choose the right material

Before reupholstering a chair with your own hands, it is important to choose the right material to replace the old one. Upholstery should take into account:

• Suitable strength. After all, the soft elements of the chair - the seat and back - are subject to increased wear due to friction and mechanical load.
• Use only fabrics that hold their shape well. Otherwise, after a short period of time they will stretch and the furniture will begin to look unpresentable.
• Another necessary parameter is the ability to cleanse. The best choice in this case is canvases that can be washed, sanded, vacuumed or cleaned in some other way.
• Don't forget the basics. The material in this part of the furniture, when pulled, acts as a kind of softener. It creates a soft, somewhat springy substrate, which creates comfort when covering.

You'll love this quick method for restoring your favorite items.

For soft substrate

In order for the upholstery to be complete, the following materials are used for the soft substrate:

• Foam rubber has the advantage of being cheap. But after some time of use, it tends to flatten.
• Sintepon has the best characteristics. But the price is higher.
• Batting, copra, burlap and horsehair are good because they are quite environmentally friendly.

Before reupholstering furniture, you should consider the basic rule for the underlay. Its thickness should range from 3 to 5 cm. Only in this case will the covering be quite comfortable during use.

Another important detail is the choice of filler. Sintepon, latex, batting are suitable, but the best option is sheet foam rubber.

For upholstery

It is best to purchase fabrics and leather materials such as:

• Jacquard fabrics are characterized by a long service life due to their complex weaving structure and sufficient thickness.
• Leather – it is worth taking dense, but at the same time elastic, as too rough can crack. Since natural materials of animal origin are a rather expensive class, they can be replaced with dermantine.
• This type of chair repair is ideal for the kitchen, since this type of fabric material with imitation leather can be cleaned quite well with a damp cloth.
• Flock allows furniture to wear out slowly, but is quite expensive.
• Velvet is suitable for decorating an armchair or chair for the living room. Due to the fact that the fabric quickly begins to shine, it is better to cover it with furniture that is not used daily.
• The tapestry is quite wear-resistant and reliable. It is easy to clean and at the same time has an attractive appearance.
• Microvelor is well suited for living rooms.
• Chenille - due to its rough structure creates interesting light and shadow effects. And the special weave, which forms 3 layers, allows you to create a fairly durable surface during restoration.

How to reupholster chairs at home with your own hands

If you decide to upholster the chairs yourself, then be prepared for the fact that in addition to the planned work, additional measures will be required.
Often there are breakdowns under the upholstery or there is a need to replace the filling. Therefore, taking this opportunity, you can not only reupholster the chairs, but also repair them. If necessary, make changes to the design or construction. If the upholstery looks faded or is torn in some places, reupholstering will save the situation.

Conventionally, the process can be divided into several successive stages:

1. Before starting work, you should decide on the future design and construction, assess the condition of the chair and the amount of work to be done.
2. Based on the planned activities, prepare the necessary materials and parts for replacement, as well as tools.
3. Direct reupholstery and reconstruction.

If some parts are badly damaged, you will have to make new ones according to the previous samples.

Preparing materials and chairs

The list of materials for each specific case will be different. But there is a basic list of raw materials that will be needed in any case:

• upper fabric, upholstery - selected by color and quality in accordance with your desires and apartment design;
• filler - this can be an independent spring block or soft padding;
• sheet of cardboard for patterns;
• BF or PVA glue.

If you have already decided what color the upholstery will be, you can paint the frame to match it.

Preliminary preparation of the chair itself is also necessary:

1. Dismantling - carefully open and remove the old staples that secure the upholstery.
2. We check the integrity of the frame, tighten loose connections, and glue cracks.
3. Based on the configuration of the seat (back), we cut out a pattern from cardboard and cut out the upholstery material for covering.

To reupholster a chair efficiently and then use it for a long time, you need to take all the measurements correctly, choose the right fabric, and decide how thick the filling layer should be.

Filler selection

The padding for the seats of an upholstered chair is divided into two types according to its characteristics:

1. Spring - consists of independent spring blocks with layers of soft raw materials. The blocks help maintain the shape of the seat.
2. Springless - does not contain additional metal elements.

Another important detail is the choice of filler. Sintepon, latex, batting are suitable, but the best option is sheet foam rubber.

The most popular materials for packing today are:

• polyurethane foam;
• natural latex;
• holofiber;
• expanded polystyrene;
• Periotec;
• felt;
• padding polyester

When choosing a filler, you should not focus solely on the cost of the material, if you do not want to end up with dented chairs that have lost their attractiveness in the near future.

The most common upholstery is made of textiles, and there is a wide choice here: chenille, flock, jacquard, microfiber, tapestry.

Re-upholstery process

All preparatory stages have been completed, you can start reupholstering. Let's start with the seat. We glue the filler to its upper side. After the glue has dried, cover the upholstery material with the wrong side up and cover it with the seat, padding down. Align with the drawing or pattern.

It is better to cut the fabric with a margin; if the piece turns out to be smaller than needed, it will not be possible to correct the situation.

Consistently fold the edges of the upholstery onto the back side of the seat and staple it in increments of 1-2 cm. The fabric must be stretched evenly, avoiding folds. The tightness of the tension should not cause deformation of the filler. We trim off the excess upholstery. The back, if it is soft, needs to be tightened in the same way. After this, all that remains is to assemble the chair and make the decor. The bottom of the seat and the back side of the back can be covered with fabric by sewing it along the edge.

The seams can be decorated with braid, lace, beads or furniture nails with decorative caps.

As you can see, with a little diligence, imagination, desire, even the most ordinary chair can turn from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. The main thing is to approach the selection of the necessary materials correctly, think through everything in advance and without fuss, slowly turn what you want into reality.

You can come up with your own original and beautiful way to change the design of the chairs.

Tips for choosing upholstery fabric

To reupholster chairs, you need high-quality upholstery fabric. Only furniture fabric is recommended, since decorative fabrics will not withstand constant loads and will wear out quickly. The material must be durable and retain its shape. Important requirements for the composition are ease of cleaning with a brush and soapy water and washing.

The most common types of dense fabrics for upholstering furniture are: flock, jacquard, chenille, tapestry, velor, boucle, etc. Interior items are also finished with leather, eco-leather, etc.

How to update an old chair with a backrest with your own hands? Before you update an old chair with a backrest with your own hands, you need to examine the condition of the furniture. Before restoration...

Flock is a popular material for finishing upholstered furniture. The fabric consists of cotton (35%) and polyester (65%). The material has a fine pile, is comfortable to use, durable, high quality, and wear-resistant. Caring for flock is simple; the fabric can be easily cleaned with a brush and soapy water, since a thin layer of adhesive is applied to the base of the fabric during production.

Jacquard is often used for upholstery of furniture, because the material is dense and has a textured surface. Fabric is produced in 2 ways: the fabric is woven from threads of different colors or created using single-color fibers of a neutral shade. Monochrome canvases are additionally decorated with prints from colored paper using a hot press. The advantages of jacquard are strength and wear resistance. However, caring for the canvas is difficult.

The advantages of velor are the smooth surface of the front part and the strength of the composition. The material has a small pile. The canvas is characterized by low creasing, so it is optimal for finishing pieces of furniture.

Chenille is similar in quality and texture to velor. Chenille fabric is made by weaving pile between two threads, which are connected in a spiral. The advantages of the canvas are high strength, affordable price, practicality.

Bouclé fabric is also used in furniture decoration. The fabric is practical, light, soft and elastic. The material drapes well, has water-repellent properties, and is resistant to deformation. Threads for creating fabric can be colored or plain. The material is easy to finish and allows you to correct defects and uneven seams.

Tapestry fabric is often used to upholster a chair. The material is heavy, consists of 3 layers, the weave of the threads is dense. To make a tapestry, synthetic fibers or natural yarn are used. Artificial threads are added to improve the performance characteristics of the material. Patterns and geometric patterns on the canvas are created by connecting threads and yarn of different shades. It is necessary to take into account that tapestry upholstery will not suit high-tech and modern styles.

Classification of upholstery materials and their composition

The modern textile industry offers many fabrics that are suitable for upholstery of upholstered furniture. Conventionally, they are divided into two groups:

• woven materials - obtained by longitudinal and transverse weaving of threads. To add fluffiness, pile fibers are introduced into them;
• non-woven fabrics - they are made using gluing, felting, pouring or other methods. The fluffy cover on them is formed by spraying or by applying an adhesive composition.

The first group includes jacquard, tapestry, chenille, velor, and the second group includes flock, arpatek, and alcantara.

Fibers of various origins are used to produce furniture fabrics. The main characteristics of the materials depend on their percentage.

1. Natural: linen, cotton, jute, wool. Fabrics containing a lot of natural raw materials are the safest and most environmentally friendly. They do not emit harmful substances and do not cause allergies, have excellent hygroscopicity and breathability. The disadvantages are low strength, creasing and relative fragility.
2. Artificial: viscose, acetate. The materials obtained through chemical transformations from wood cellulose are also safe and hypoallergenic. They do not wear out for a long time, allow air to pass through and are inexpensive.
3. Synthetic: polyester, acrylic, nylon, nylon. They are based on polyamide or polyester fibers, which give the fabrics greater strength and resistance to damage, ultraviolet radiation and chemicals. But these fabrics can accumulate static electricity and provoke allergic reactions.

Complex or mixed fabrics allow you to combine the advantages of fibers of different origins. The optimal ratio for upholstery fabrics is 65% artificial and synthetic threads and 35% natural ones.

Most popular upholstery fabrics

Fabric for upholstery of chairs, which one is better is difficult to determine right away. There are a lot of options, each of which is distinguished by the originality of the external plan and the properties of wear resistance and moisture resistance.

Chenille

Chenille means "caterpillar" in French. The fabric received this name because of its unusual appearance - the fibers are tightly twisted, with additional fibers woven into them. The canvas turns out textured and looks very rich.

You can cover chairs with fabric of this quality in the kitchen and living room, since the composition contains synthetic and natural fibers in varying proportions. Additional advantages of the fabric are:

• Long-lasting color that does not wash out or fade in the sun.
• The texture is soft, elastic, pliable and easy to work with.
• Thanks to its composition and density, it retains its attractive appearance for a long time.

Chenille for upholstery

There is also a drawback - chenille strongly absorbs moisture and liquid, while it takes a long time to dry.

Jacquard

Jacquard is a relatively inexpensive material that has many advantages:

• The fiber weave is dense.
• The fabric contains synthetic and natural fibers.
• Textiles do not deform, do not fade in the sun, and do not wear out over a long period of time.

Note! Jacquard is a premium fabric. Especially if the composition includes a lot of natural raw materials.

Jacquard for furniture

Jacquard is easy to clean from dirt, so it is considered a fairly hygienic textile. Unfortunately, it is difficult to choose truly high-quality material.

Thermo-Jacquard

A “beginner” market absorber of fabrics for arranging the surfaces of diverse furniture. Material Features:

• Does not absorb moisture.
• Easy to clean from dirt;
• Can be used for a long time.

A unique pattern that is applied in several layers, creating unique visual effects.

Scotchgard

Special impregnation for various types of textiles. Thanks to this protective layer, the fabric does not absorb moisture and greasy substances. This type of layer is relevant on fabrics that will cover furniture in the kitchen or in the kitchen.

Flock

Flock is an ideal option for a home with children. The fabric is easy to clean even from difficult types of dirt. At the same time, the pattern is made simply, since the fibers do not crumble on the cuts.

Flock to update

A short soft pile is glued to the sweaty fabric, which gives the appearance of the flock an aesthetic appeal. You cannot clean flock with products that contain solvent, bleach, or chlorine—the fluff will come off.

You might be interested in this All about satin jacquard, fabric for bed linen

Velours

Velor chairs have several properties:

• The soft texture of the material does not crush after use.
• Huge variety of prints and colors.
• An inexpensive option for an aristocratic type of upholstery for furniture.

The disadvantage is the rapid loss of lint, which then remains on the clothes. Do not use many cleaning products as the textiles may fade.

Microfiber

Microfiber is considered a new generation textile. This type of furniture finishing is used due to its resistance to mechanical stress of varying degrees. In this case, weaving is carried out by combining ultra-thin threads of synthetic origin. Ideally combined with natural expensive materials.

Microfiber for furniture finishing

Alcantara

Chair upholstery made of Alcantara is becoming more and more common, since the material is an artificial analogue of suede. At the same time, the material is more effective:

• Keeps warm in winter, does not heat up in summer.
• Maintains an attractive appearance for a long time.
• Affordable price.
• Various colors.

If you go online, you can find a lot of designer furniture that is upholstered with Alcantara.

Arpatek

Arpatek is the highest quality leather substitute, which displaces many other textile analogues. There are many varieties of arpatek: python, varnish, crocodile and so on. You can choose the right option for any interior. Additional features:

• hypoallergenic;
• strength;
• low cost;
• does not get dirty.

Arpatek for furniture

If you upholster a chair with arpatek, it will immediately make the furniture more elegant. An ideal option for a high-tech interior.

Tapestry

Tapestry is an ideal upholstery material that is produced on the same principle as jacquard. But the weaving fiber contains a larger number of threads. The textiles are the most natural in composition, although acrylic threads are woven into the fabric to increase density. Sometimes you can find round weaving.

Gozhka

Matting is a good analogue of chenille. Covering with matting is most often done, since the material has a lot of positive properties:

• The weave is coarse and large compared to chenille.
• Usually 2 types of fibers of similar shade are intertwined in a checkerboard pattern.
• Does not absorb odor and does not fade in the sun.
• You can clean the surface with a vacuum cleaner or soapy water - dirt does not eat into the threads.

Chair matting

It recreates the effect of a natural surface, therefore it is often used for finishing furniture that will be part of an eco-style interior. It is not advisable to upholster chairs in a house where there are cats - pets love to sharpen their claws on such textured fabric.

Velveteen

The corduroy finish looks aristocratic and expensive. The fabric is soft to the touch with a variety of rib types. The color scheme is different, and various prints are often found. It retains its original appearance for a long time, but reupholstering such material involves a lot of inconvenience - small debris clings to the pile, it is difficult to clean from dirt, and dust quickly accumulates.

Artificial and natural leather

Leatherette and genuine leather are the most popular options for transforming furniture. There are many analogues of genuine leather that are of good quality and attractive appearance.

Leather for upholstery

artificial and genuine leather

Nuances of backrest restoration

To change the back upholstery, it should be dismantled, putty or seal the existing cracks, and chips should be cleaned. After this, you need to install the backing, cover it with fabric, apply paint and varnish. The process then consists of the following steps:

1. Cut the rough fabric according to the pattern with a margin of up to 3 cm to make pulling more convenient. Pet her.
2. Pull the upholstery over the backrest on one side.
3. Secure the fabric with a stapler, moving from the center to the ends.
4. Glue the soft backing to the front.
5. Fasten the fabric tightly to the edges.
6. Repeat the same with the finishing cloth.

Making your own baby high chair and stool

The excess should be carefully trimmed and the edges should be coated with glue. Staples or nails will not be visible if the chair is decorated with braid, which should be secured to the edges. It is convenient to do this by attaching them with pins, which can be removed about two hours after gluing. Then the product remains to be painted (acrylic paint is optimal, since the water-based composition will quickly wear off) and varnished. A chair with a back should look neat both in front and behind, and on the sides. You need to remember about the underside; it should also be stretched with fabric.

Let's start re-upholstering

For convenience, you can make a stencil from thick cardboard and use a utility knife to cut out the foam rubber for the seat to the required size. Afterwards we glue the filling to the plane of the seat.

You can use PVA glue or other glue suitable for furniture work. Give the glue time to dry. Using the same template, we cut out the blank from the upholstery material. Don't forget to leave a hem allowance of 7-10 cm around the entire perimeter.

Now let's move on to the actual upholstery. Lay the material face down on a flat surface. Then a layer of padding polyester, if you decide to use it, and then the seat itself with foam down.

We carefully bend the material, do not stretch it too much, and nail it with staples or nails. Try to make a more or less even line. It is better to start fastening from the center and spread evenly to the sides.

Having finished on one side, go to the opposite, do the necessary stretch, smooth out wrinkles if they suddenly appear. The distance between staples is 1.5-2 cm. But if shaped waves form on the side surface, then in this case you can hammer in staples or nails more often.

Pay special attention to the corners to make sure they are as neat as possible. If necessary, tap the staples with a hammer. The back is tightened in the same way.

You can use thinner foam for it than for the seat.

Then we attach the resulting parts to the chair frame. Your updated chair is ready. As you have seen, reupholstering a chair at home is quite feasible.

Removing old upholstery

Chair upholstery

Furniture restoration begins with dismantling. How to properly remove old fabric? First of all, we unscrew the seat - we use a screwdriver to hook up the fasteners, remove the nails, unscrew the screws, and remove the metal pads. Use an anti-stapler or a flat-head screwdriver to remove the old staples.

We put the fasteners in a container, it may come in handy.

Remove the remaining foam and glue from the seat frame.

The initial stage of reupholstering a chair is its disassembly. When dismantling each part, remember and mark what was where, this will make it easier to assemble the finished product. The first step is to remove the seat; to do this, you need to remove all the fasteners (bolts, nails, staples, metal plates). The backrest is disassembled in the same way, if there is one.

After this, you should inspect the frame of the chair for hidden damage, cracks, loose joints, check the condition of the springs; those that have become unusable can be easily replaced with jute tape. Next is the disassembly of the seat and back: removing the staples and carefully removing the finishing fabric and filling. You shouldn’t throw them away right away, as it’s easy to make a pattern using them and measure the approximate fabric consumption.

Features of re-tensioning the base with belts or a snake spring

To restore old chairs on canvas, you will need synthetic rubberized belts of approximately the same width. They are fixed in the center of the bar towards the frame. The new strip is secured with staples, rotated and fixed again. Then it is secured and tensioned on the opposite side. A soft substrate is placed on top. The tools you will need are a steelyard and a furniture stapler with staples.

You need to pull with a force of 1 kg on the seat, 8 kg on the back. When one side of the belt is already secured, a steelyard is hooked to the other end and pulled until the desired number appears. The desired length is marked with a marker.

To replace the snake spring, it must be fixed to the frame using special fasteners, and they, in turn, must be mounted using brackets on long legs. When positioned correctly, this part has a slightly curved shape. If you want the upholstery to last longer, place a fabric layer between the twisted wire and the pillow. This is done so that the foam rubber does not fray over time.

If the reupholstery of the chair is successful, you can try restoring other, larger upholstered furniture: an armchair, a sofa, a kitchen corner. The work is carried out according to the same principle, only the dimensions and shape of the product change. Restoring old broken things will help you save on buying new ones, and will also become a fun hobby for people who love to make things.

Stages of reupholstery

After the tools and materials are prepared, you can proceed directly to the reupholstery.

Removing old upholstery and disassembling the frame

First, remove the old upholstery. An anti-stapler is useful for this:

• turn the chair upside down;
• use an anti-stapler to pick up the staple on the fabric;
• pull it towards you while pressing on the chair;
• one side of the staple will come out, then pull it out completely with pliers;
• repeat for all staples.

If there is no anti-stapler, the staples are picked up with scissors.

Next, they disassemble the frame by gently tapping it with a hammer. If it is fastened with screws or nails, they are removed. All parts are inspected for damage and fungus. Cracked or broken parts are replaced, the rest are cleaned and varnished as necessary.

Creating a soft substrate

The soft backing is cut out of padding polyester or foam rubber. First, make a pattern on cardboard in accordance with the dimensions of the seat. Then, according to the pattern, a part is cut out from the material for the backing.

Next, the cut foam rubber is glued to the seat using PVA glue. The synthetic winterizer is laid in one or several layers depending on the desired thickness of the substrate.

The optimal thickness for the back is 3–5 cm, for the seat — 7–10 cm. Each layer must be glued to the underlying one so that they do not move. It is recommended to add burlap or horsehair to the middle - this will prevent dust mites from getting into the upholstery.

Fastening the upholstery

The upholstery fabric is pulled tightly so that it does not slip and wrinkle. They also attach it step by step:

• secure with staples from the front edge of the seat;
• pull the fabric and secure it from the back edge;
• fasten sequentially on the left, right, stretching the fabric;
• trim off excess material.

Instead of staples, you can use thin short nails. After securing the upholstery, assemble the chair. The same technique is suitable for upholstering chairs.

Some chairs, instead of a solid seat, are made of a wooden frame with elastic bands attached to it. To restore the chair, you will need to find tape of the same width - they are sold in furniture stores.

The tape is fastened with staples to the base of the chair, spreading it evenly. First attach to one side, then stretch and attach to the opposite. After this, the tape is passed under the seat and secured again.

The tapes need to be tightened with reinforcement; the tensile force on the chair seat should be 12 kg. This is measured with a steelyard. Pulling the tape is quite difficult. You will have to buy a special device for tensioning the tapes at a hardware store.

The peculiarity of the “pie with ribbons” is that a piece of any dense fabric is placed between the ribbons and the foam rubber. It is needed to protect the foam from rapid abrasion.

See how the workflow happens:

It is not difficult to properly cover a chair with fabric even at home. The fabric for making a chair cover is sold at a fabric store. Most tools are available in any home; in addition, you will need a furniture stapler. But if it is not found, the staples are replaced with small nails.

What determines the cost of reupholstery?

The cost of reupholstery services depends on various factors, but the main one is the cost of materials. Upholstering a pouf, chair, or sofa with furniture fabric is relatively inexpensive. But working with leather, tapestry, velor, jacquard requires large expenses.

Additionally, the price depends on the need to replace the packing and its material. Horsehair or seaweed, as well as working with them, are more expensive than foam rubber and cotton wool. However, price does not matter if it is necessary to reupholster an armchair or chair that belonged to a famous public figure, writer, or has historical value.

Photo of the process of reupholstering chairs

Photos of chair upholstery options