Step-By-Step: Re-Upholstering a Chair

Sometimes the best way to overcome grief is to distract yourself from it temporarily. At least that's what works for me.

So, to distract myself from the fact that my crazy freckle-nosed furball has passed on to the afterlife, I drowned my sorrows into reupholstering a chair that we got as part of a set we bought off of Craigslist awhile ago (it included a desk, this chair, and what eventually became Owen's dresser).

I loved the distressed look of the paint/wood, so I didn't want to change that. However, the cushion left much to be desired.

Yeah, it was pretty blaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.

I ran out to my local craft store and after perusing many yards of fabric, I ultimately decided on a navy blue with a white classic pattern.

And because actually re-upholstering the chair took all of 20 minutes (seriously, one of the easiest design fixes ever), to prolong the distraction I spent two hours on Photoshop creating this handy step-by-step guide. Ain't it snazzy?


WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1-2 yards of fabric (I only needed a yard, but if you're prone to mistakes or if having only 1-yard cuts it close you may want to get two or more)
• Scissors
• A screwdriver
• A ruler or a tape measure
• A staple gun and a package of staples (these run anywhere from $10 - $20 at your local hardware store)

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. First, turn over the chair and unscrew the base of the cushion.

2. So, turns out this wasn't the first time this chair was re-upholstered. I gotta give credit to the former owners - it was a step up from a pink flower nightmare, that's for sure.

3. Lay out your fabric, and set the cushion on it upside down.

4. Measure 3-inches away from the edge of the cushion on all sides. For ones that are not perfect squares and that bow out toward the end, make sure you measure three inches all the way down. Cut the fabric at these marks.

5. Fold the two longer ends over the edge of the cushion. Break out that staple gun and begin stapling, keeping staples about 1-inch apart and stapling about a quarter inch from the edge of the fabric.

6. When you're done with the two long sides, fold the bottom/top ends into triangles. This is similar to folding wrapping paper for presents.

7. Fold the fabric over the edge and continue stapling as described in Step 5.

8. This is about how the bottom of the cushion should look when it's all stapled up. Almost there!!

9. Lay the chair upside down on a flat, even surface with the newly re-upholstered cushion in place. Screw the cushion back into the body of the chair. Note: you may have to drill pilot holes for these, but luckily I had some mad skillz and mine just went right in, no pre-drilling necessary.

10. Place the chair right-side-up and admire your snazzy new(ish) chair.

-------------------------

Here's a final photo with the chair in its final place (until I decide to move it, that is). For the time being, we're using it as a phone charging station and extra seating.

Any other re-upholstering peeps out there? Tell me about your projects!