In this article, we will teach you how to reupholster a desk chair by disassembling the chair, changing its fabric, and reassembling it after. We thought this was necessary because home offices are necessary these days, and so are desk chairs.
This reupholstery guide is for situations wherein you want to spice up your otherwise dull desk chair into something which reflects you more. Read on to find out about desk chair upholstery, what kind of fabric would be perfect for your upholstery project, and more!
Steps In Reupholstering A Desk Chair
Step #1. Prepare materials
First, prepare the following materials:
- One yard of fabric
- Staple gun
- Spray paint
- Screwdriver
Step #2. Disassemble the desk chair
After securing your materials:
- Take the chair apart.
- Unscrew the base of the chair, then the seat plate to free the seat cushion.
- Remove the back part of the chair as well.
If your chair is complicated, take pictures or label the parts so it would not be hard for you to assemble it again later.
Desk chairs typically have a black covering on their cushions, and to remove them, you can pop them off. However, if it has screws, unscrew those first before detaching the cushions from the cover.
Step #3. Paint on the chair
After disassembling your desk chair, spray-paint the seat plate and the chair’s back that will contain the cushions. Painting your chair is optional, but if you want to match your chair to your room’s aesthetic, we recommend you do this.
Before painting the chair, sand them thoroughly first, especially if the chair has scratches. Then, dust the chair off.
Lay the chair parts on a newspaper outside and spray paint over them. While they are drying, you can proceed to upholster your cushions.
Step #4. Upholster the cushions
Measure first how much of the fabric you will need, then cut accordingly. Afterward, lay the upholstery fabric on your desk with the right side facing down.
Then, place one of the cushions on the top, with the backside facing you. Staple the fabric in the middle of one side.
Then, pull the stapled side and fasten the opposite side. Repeat the steps on the remaining sides.
Continue stapling until you reach the corners. When you get to the corners, gather the fabric as you fasten it.
This is to ensure that the cushion’s front side looks smooth. Repeat this on all corners.
Afterward, cut the excess fabric, especially those that cover the screw holes. Repeat these steps with the other cushion.
Step #5. Reassemble the chair
After putting the new fabric on your cushions, put the chair back together. However, make sure that the paint has completely dried off before placing the seat on it.
Follow your labels or your picture while you’re assembling. After correctly reassembling the chair, you are done! You have a reupholstered desk chair now.
What is the best fabric for a desk chair?
There are various upholstery fabrics for desk chairs in the market. However, the most common one that is being used is a woven fabric. While woven fabrics vary in texture and appearance, most of them have high abrasion ratings, which makes them durable.
Nowadays, mesh seats are popular, and you can use them as upholstery fabric now, too. The airflow of this fabric is excellent, and it’s very durable. However, it can be abrasive and does not distribute body weight well.
You can also choose between ultraleather or genuine leather if you want your desk chair to have a sophisticated feel to it. Ultra Leathers are synthetic and are more breathable than genuine leather, and they are also cheaper.
However, genuine leather still has this luxurious and elegant feel to it that cannot be matched. They are comfortable to sit on as well.
How much does it cost to reupholster a desk chair?
Since you are going to do the upholstery by yourself, you only need to spend on the fabric. Woven fabrics and mesh seats do not cost more than $20 per yard.
Ultra Leathers are more expensive than the two mentioned above and can cost up to $75 per yard. In comparison, authentic leathers can cost up to $100. The prices are based on the site fabric.com, an Amazon company.
Is it worth it to reupholster your desk chair?
Upholstering your desk chair is not difficult to do, especially if the chair is not structurally damaged. Hence, it is worth reupholstering your desk chair rather than buying a new one.
It is also good to use your belongings up to the point wherein you cannot repair or reupholster them anymore. This is to get your money’s worth on your investment and to not have to adjust to new chairs every time you feel like changing your chair. Not to mention, repairing and reupholstering is an environmentally conscious choice.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed or at least learned well about how to reupholster a desk chair and what fabric to use in upholstery because of our article. We wish you luck with your project!