How to Reseat a Dining Chair

Flip the chair upside-down and remove the screws holding the seat onto the chair frame. Place the screws in a safe place so you have them to reattach the seat.

Place the seat on a table with the bottom facing you. Pull out the staples around the perimeter with a screwdriver and throw them away. Pull off the fabric covering and set it aside.

Look closely at the foam pad to make sure it is usable. Remove the pad if there are tears or it is compressed.

Flatten the fabric cover and lay it on top of the new upholstery fabric and cut out a new piece of fabric in the same size.

Lay the wood seat on top of a piece of upholstery foam and trace around it with a marker if the foam pad requires replacing. Cut out the foam and glue it to the chair seat with wood glue.

Set the new upholstery fabric on the table so the backside is facing upward. Lay the seat in the center of the fabric so the foam is facing down.

Grab the fabric edge in the center back and fold it to the bottom of the seat. Secure the fabric with a staple placed about 1 inch from the edge. Secure the fabric on the remaining three sides in the same manner. Flip the seat over each time you pull fabric to secure to make sure you are not pulling it too tightly and making puckers on the top of the seat.

Secure the remaining fabric edges on each side of the seat using the same process. Secure the corners by folding and stapling one side first and then repeating with the other side of the corner.

Cut away excess fabric about 1/2 inch from the staples to reduce bulk under the chair.

Replace the finished seat cushion on the chair, using the screws that you had set aside.