Directions For Chair Upholstery

Remove screws from the seat cushion and set aside. Lift the cushion away from the frame and lay upside down on the work surface. Locate the staples on the underside of the seat and remove with pliers.

Remove the fabric completely from the seat and discard. Peel away the layer of batting that was underneath the fabric and discard.

Lay the new fabric face down on the work surface. Place the piece of wood from the seat on top of the fabric. Trace the wood onto the fabric with the pen. Cut out the traced fabric with scissors, adding a 3-inch overhang outside of the traced line. Set fabric aside.

Lay the new batting down on the work surface. Place the piece of wood from the seat on top of the batting. Grasp one side of the batting and pull it tightly to the center of the wood. Hold the batting tightly in place with one hand and use the staple gun to staple it down onto the wood board with your free hand. Repeat on the opposite side. Cut off any extra batting.

Lay the fabric face down on the work surface. Repeat batting steps above with the fabric on all four sides. Pay special attention to the corner pieces making sure they are even. Remove staples and adjust accordingly if necessary. Cut away any extra fabric. Set the seat board aside.

Locate any staples on the base of the chair and remove. Delicately remove all fabric completely from the chair base and set aside to use later as the template. Peel away the layer of batting that was underneath the fabric and discard.

Lay the new fabric face down on the work surface. Place the original fabric on top of the new fabric. Trace around the new fabric onto the original fabric with the pen. Leave a three inch fabric overhang on each side of the traced line and cut out the new fabric.

Place pieces of new batting along the wood on the chair base and staple down. Pay special attention to the seat base, the back of the chair and the arm rests.

Drape the new fabric over the chair back. Tuck away the fabric into the side pockets on the inside of the chair. Stand behind the chair, reach your hands through the side pockets from the back and grab the fabric. Pull the fabric tightly through the back of the chair. Pull fabric taut and staple onto back of chair frame.

Grab the bottom of the fabric and pull it up the inside of the back of the chair. Secure it in place with one hand and use your free hand to staple it to the bar located on the top of the wooden frame. Grab the side pieces on the outside back of the chair and pull them tight towards the inside of the chair. Pull taut and staple to the inside back of the chair frame.

Lay the new fabric over the chair seat base. Push the fabric down through the sides of the base of the chair. Reach under the chair and pull the fabric all the way down through the sides along the frame. Pull the fabric taut and staple it along the underside of the chair seat base. Repeat for all fabric on the seat base until covered completely.

Drape the new fabric over the arm of the chair. Grasp the fabric nearest the back of the chair and fold one-third of it forward. Pull the fabric tightly on the side of the arm and hold in place. Use your free hand to staple the fabric to the inside frame of the chair. In the center of the folded fabric, slice a slit into the middle of the fold and continue slicing until you reach the end of the fold. Wrap the sliced end of the fabric over the edges of the arm and secure on the underside with staples.

Place the seat cushion back on the chair base. Secure with the screws that you removed.