Are you aiming for a change of aesthetics? Learning how to recover chair cushions is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do it. It is very convenient!
Reupholstering your old chair cushions wouldn’t require you a lot of tools. You wouldn’t even have to sew — staplers can do the work! Just get your crafty hands ready and start giving your home a fresh look.
Supplies You Need to Prepare
The most crucial decision you need to make when reupholstering your chair cushions is deciding on the type of fabric you will use. It would be best if you considered where you’d put the cushioned chair when choosing.
If the chairs will go in areas that are often dirty, like in the kitchen or dining area, think about types of fabric that are easy to clean. They are referred to as performance fabrics. You better choose the ones with “high performance” so stains and dirt will never be a hassle.
Aside from the fabric, prepare the following:
- Scissors
- A staple gun and a lot of staples
- Screwdrivers
- Hammer (in case your chair’s wood structure is too dense)
- Tape
How much fabric will you need?
Preparing too much is costly, but preparing less would be risky either. Before starting with your project, you must first determine the amount of materials you will need.
To decide on the yards of fabric you’ll buy, you need to measure the length and width of your cushions. Add 4 inches to each side, so it will be enough to wrap and staple the material around your cushions. If the pads are too thick, add a few more inches just to be sure.
Recovering Your Old Chair Cushions
Now that all the supplies are ready, begin to reupholster your chair cushions.
Step #1. Usually, cushions are screwed into the chair base, so you might have to unscrew them first. Turn your chairs upside down, grab the screwdriver, and remove the screws one by one.
Step #2. If you are thinking of completely replacing the old covers with new ones, you have to remove the boring fabric. Be careful not to ruin the whole thing as it may be of some use later.
Step #3. With the fabric you removed from the cushions, pattern out the new fabric for cutting. Lay flat the astounding fabric on a surface and place the worn-out material on top. Cut the new one as big as the other.
When dealing with patterns, make sure that the design is even and runs in the direction you want before you cut. You wouldn’t want it to look messed up, right?
Step #4. Now, temporarily attach the new fabric to your chair cushions by using tape. The tape doesn’t have to be the most adhesive one, as you will remove it later on. It doesn’t have to be long-lasting, so a scotch tape will do.
When straightening the fabric out, you need to see if the pattern runs in the right direction. This is important to do prior to stapling.
Step #5. Start with the stapling. It is better to have two pairs of hands to do the work—one can hold the fabric tight in place and the other will staple.
You can place a minimum of two staples on each side first, then go back to add a few more. If the staples don’t go all the way, you might need to hammer them into the wood.
The corners may be tricky. You might need to cut some excess fabric before you staple, just like how you do when wrapping a package. You just have to pull, fold, and staple as you reach the desired position.
Step #6. Finally, attach the freshly reupholstered cushions back to your chairs. You may want to mark them first before screwing to make the job easier. Some chairs have different base patterns, so it might be hard to identify which cushion belongs to which chair.
If you find it hard to follow written instructions, you may watch videos of reupholstering chair cushions.
Is reupholstering your chair worth it?
Recovering old things is never a waste of time. It is always nice to save some money and make use of every investment, no matter how small it is.
Restoring the glory of your old gives off a feeling of satisfaction. Just like wrapping a gift, giving your chair cushion a new cover is a pleasant surprise. You won’t expect the beauty it can show, so give it a try.
It is such a great way to kill time and upgrade your homes. It is cheap, exciting, and it trains your creativity, so why not?
Conclusion
Well done! Giving your chairs a whole new kind of beauty doesn’t have to be expensive. Who would have thought that those old and worn out chairs can look so brand new, right?
Getting to know how to recover chair cushions is a piece of cake. It is such a nice project to freshen up the vibes of your home.