How to Upholster a Recliner & Remove Fabric

Disassemble the moving parts of the chair. Set up a table where you can lay the nuts and bolts from the recliner mechanism in order and label them so you know where they go when you put the recliner back together.

Carefully remove the old fabric from each piece of the chair. Use a screwdriver, the small pry bar, pliers and chisel to pull tacks, staples and nails and take apart the pieces of fabric without tearing it. Keep the pieces of each segment of the chair together.

Cut out new pieces of upholstery fabric using the old pieces as templates. Mark the outline of the old pieces and cut the new pieces very carefully to match. Special tabs or hidden attachment pieces will be transferred to the new pieces if you are careful to preserve all the old material.

Replace any worn foam padding, cotton batting or stuffing with new material and staple it in place. Next, lay the new pieces of fabric over the chair segments one by one, and tack or staple them in place.

Stitch together more complex elements of the fabric, like arms and backs that are stitched together, before replacing them on the chair. Stitched pieces can be fitted together and temporarily pinned and glued with fabric glue to hold the pieces in place. Stitch over the seams with the sewing machine using matching color thread.

Reassemble the chair, once all the pieces are recovered, working backwards from the way you disassembled it. Test fit each piece and make sure it moves like it's supposed to before you add the next piece. Recover the arms first, then the back and seat, then the foot rest. While you have it apart, it's a good time to lubricate joints and hinges with a little machine oil.