How to Cover a Tabletop With Leather or Vinyl

Covering a table with leather or vinyl protects the table surface. This option is used widely in the restaurant industry--mainly by covering tables with vinyl--to keep the tables free from wear and tear, and to reduce the costs of purchasing or building new tables. Homeowners often cover their tables with a decorative fabric such as leather or vinyl for both tabletop protection and as a touch of decor. Covering a wooden tabletop is a basic upholstery project that can be done without professional experience.

Leather or vinyl upholstery fabric
Staple gun
Scissors
Tape measure

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the surface area of the tabletop with a tape measure. Cut the vinyl or leather to the shape of the table and add 6 to 8 additional inches of length and width that will drape down all sides of the tabletop. Cut square tabletop material into a square pattern, a rectangular pattern for long tables, and a circle for a round table.
- 2
  Center the leather or vinyl over the table's surface so an equal amount of material hangs from all sides. If you measured for 6 inches of overhang, ensure that 6 inches hangs evenly around the table, measuring and adjusting as needed.
- 3
  Fold the material under one side of the table, stapling the fabric to the underside of the tabletop every few inches. Stretch the material taut and fold under the opposite side of the table, then staple again. Repeat for the remaining sides of the table. Space staples out every 2 inches.
- 4
  Fold the corners and overlap them onto the stapled material--if you're working with a square table--and staple the material down tightly. Round tables should be stapled evenly all around the table without having to fold the material, other than an occasional tuck to gather up slack.

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