Having a well-decorated and comfortable home is important for everyone. But one of the most important rooms of the house is the dining room. It’s the perfect place to showcase your style and have family time with your loved ones.
A well-designed home should be furnished with many chairs, so that you can seat everyone comfortably. But there are times where you need to recover a chair. Here are some helpful tips on how to recover a dining room chair.
What Materials Do I Need?
You will need some fabric (choose a durable fabric that is easy to clean), a large needle, and some strong thread.
How Do I Distress The Fabric?
As you recover a chair, one of the most important steps is distressing. You will want to pre-wash your fabric and then use sandpaper on it to give it that worn, patched look.
You can also use a comb with teeth similar to a wire brush to create that distressed look. This will help you get rid of any extra fabric that might be on the chair and make it more comfortable.
How Do I Measure The New Fabric?
To measure for the new fabric, you will need to measure the height, width and depth of your chair. You will then need to add one inch to each side for a seam allowance.
When measuring the height of your chair, you should measure from the floor to the top of the seat. When measuring the width of your chair, you should measure from arm-to-arm across the front or back of it. Lastly, when measuring the depth of your chair, you should measure from bottom of the seat to top.
How Do I Cut My Fabric?
The first step to recovering a chair is to cut the fabric. To do this, lay the fabric over the chair seat and use a pen to trace around the edges. Next, cut out the shape you traced to create your fabric pattern.
For this project, you’ll need to remove any staples or tacks on the frame. If there are nails, then you’ll need to be careful and use a hammer and pliers. Slide the old fabric out of the chair’s frame.
You don’t have to remove it completely if you want to save it for another project later on. It’s also a good idea to remove any tacks or staples that remain in the chair’s frame before covering it with new fabric.
Putting On The New Fabric For Recover A Dining Room Chair
Before you start to recover the chair, you need to remove the old fabric. Start by measuring the chair’s seat and backrest. From there, cut out your new fabric from a larger piece of fabric.
Next, measure and cut out two pieces for the frame of the chair, and one for the front. Use an iron to keep everything smooth before you start to sew down all four corners of the front piece on both sides of the armrests.
Start with attaching one side of the frame at a time. Roll over every seam with a hot iron to make sure that they’re completely sealed shut. Then attach it to the other side of the frame and seal off any open seams with an iron again.
For extra reinforcement, add a strip of Velcro across each seam on top of your stitches.
Next, attach your fabric onto the backrest in a similar manner as you did for attaching it to the seat. You’ll want to tuck under any excess fabric so that it doesn’t show when it’s finished because this will give it a more polished look when you’re done recovering your chair.
Finally, measure and cut matching pieces for both armrests and attach them in place as well as reinforcing them with Velcro strips if necessary.
Completing Your Project
The first thing you’ll need to do is measure the height, width and depth of your chair. Once you have these measurements, it will be easier to cut your fabric.
You can use a cut-off wheel or scissors. It’s important to note that the color and texture of your fabric should match the type of fabric that was originally used in the chair.
Conclusion
You’ve got the fabric, you’ve got the tools–now it’s time to put them all to use!
Now that you know all about the materials you need and how to measure for the new fabric, it’s time to get to work.
First, you need to prep your chair. Remove the old fabric from the frame, and take off any staples.
Measure your fabric so that it’s exactly the same length and width as the old fabric. Cut it using your fabric shears.
Next, take your chair frame, and attach the new fabric to it. You can either staple or pin it in place.
After you have attached the new fabric, make sure that everything is where it needs to be.
Finally, do a happy dance because you’re done.