How to Put Fabric on Furniture

Decide on how much fabric you will need. 3/4 yard of 54 inch wide fabric will cover 2 standard chair seats. You will need around 5 to 7 yards of fabric to cover a wing chair and 5 to 6 yards to cover a club chair and 3 yards for a traditional chair. You will need 6 to 7 yards of fabric for a love seat, 7 to 9 yards for a chaise lounge and 2 to 3 yards for an ottoman. For couches you will need 10 yards of fabric for a 6 foot sofa, 11 yards for a 7 foot sofa and 13 yards for a 7 foot sofa.

Remove the old fabric by pulling out the upholstery staples. This can be done by wedging the point of a case knife underneath the staple and using leverage to lift out the staple. You can also use a staple remover. To remove a staple with a staple remover lower the jaws of the tool over the staple and squeeze the jaws together. Pull the tool to remove the staple.

Re-upholster one section of the furniture item at a time. Cut a square of fabric that is slightly larger than the area you are about to add fabric to. For example, if you are about to cover the back of a chair, cut a square of fabric that is two inches larger in length and width. You can also use your old fabric as a pattern. Simply lay the old fabric on top of the new fabric, trace the shape of the old fabric onto the new fabric and cut out the shape.

Fold the fabric around the area and staple it down to the wooden structure of the furniture. Make sure the staples are in a nice, straight line so that trim can be hot glued over the staples for a clean finish.

Trim the excess fabric. Try to stay as close to the staples as possible.

Continue repeating Steps 3 to 5 until the entire piece of furniture is covered.