How to Measure a Recliner to Reupholster

Over time, recliner upholstery will get stained, ripped and worn-down. Reupholstering can make your chair look like new, without the cost of a new chair. You can have this done by a professional, but it will cost you significantly more than doing it yourself. When reupholstering, the first step in the process is to measure your fabric. Because recliners are made up of several smaller sections (for example, the seat, back and the footstool), you must take several different measurements.

Measuring tape

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the width of the inside back of the chair from left to right. Get the measurement from one edge of the fabric to the other. Then, measure the height of the inside back of the chair. This should be from the tip top of the inside back, down to where it meets the seat. Always measure the widest part of every area. If the inside back is wider at the bottom than the top, use this wider measurement for the width.
- 2
  Measure the length and width of the outside back. To get this width measurement, put your measuring tape along the top of the back of the chair, and measure from left to right. To get the height of the outside back, measure along the side of the back, vertically from top to bottom (the bottom being where the fabric meets the leg of the chair).
- 3
  Measure the length and width of the outside of an arm. This is the area of the recliner that's on the side, but does not include the arm itself (the reclining lever should be located on one outside arm).
- 4
  Measure the length and width of the inside of an arm. To get the length, measure the widest part of the inside of the arm (near the area where it meets the seat). To get the width, measure around the entire arm, from the area where it meets the seat, to the area where it wraps around and touches the outside of the arm.
- 5
  Measure the seat's length and width by measuring the widest parts of the seat. The measurement going from arm to arm is the width, and the measurement going from the edge of the seat to the inside back is the length.
- 6
  Measure the length and width of the fabric on the reclining footstool, remembering to measure at the widest parts. When measuring the width, be sure to include the fabric that wraps around the bottom portion.
- 7
  Multiply each section to get area measurements. For instance, if your inside back measurement was 36 inches long by 24 inches wide, then your surface area is 864 inches.
- 8
  Add up each measurement for a single grand total. Divide this grand total by 36 to figure out your yardage. Upholstery fabric is often dispensed in yards, so order this amount when purchasing your fabric from the store.

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