How to Reupholster a Chair

Learn how to reupholster a chair with this easy step-by-step and video tutorial.  No sewing machine required. All you need is some fabric and a few tools to complete this easy DIY project.

When you know how to reupholster a chair, paint furniture, or sew, it’s like having a decorating magic wand in your back pocket.

Even when some part of a piece is ugly, if there is anything beautiful about it at all, you have the skills to bring out that beauty.

Any little fabric/color/pattern combination you can dream up, you can make in real life. I love that.

Fabric can really transform an old piece – You can see How to Sew a Slipcover for a Wingback Chair here.

This little antique chair was found for $23 at my favorite local thrift shop last week. I did not hesitate to snag it up and throw it in the back of our van.

As fate would have it, I found two pieces of vintage ticking fabric for $4 the week before.

I do believe the two were most certainly meant to be together.

This project was very simple. No sewing required! And just goes to show you can have a beautiful home without spending much money.

Tips For Reupholstering A Chair:

• Antique chairs are usually worn, and less comfortable than they once were. To remedy this, add batting to the seat of the chair.
• Remove the old fabric panels as carefully as possible so you can reuse the pieces of fabric as a pattern for the new fabric.
• Be careful when removing the old fabric, they usually contain upholstery tacks or tack strips. They can hurt.
• Look for fabric at antique stores, sale sections at the fabric store, or Amazon for the best deals.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Supplies needed to reupholster a chair

Staple gun and staples

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Gimp trim

Fabric

Upholstery Batting

Scissors

Needle nose pliers

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How To Reupholster A Chair Video Tutorial

Find more farmhouse DIY projects:

• DIY Ticking Stripe Curtain Sewing Tutorial
• DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table Plans
• How to Make a Lavender Wreath DIY Farmhouse Decor
• Farmhouse Porch Curb Appeal Makeover Reveal
• How to Strip Paint Off an Antique Wood Farmhouse Front Door

The process to reupholster a chair

1. Remove the original fabric from the chair. I did this by pulling at the edges with a pair of needle nose pliers.
2. Next, I added a little extra cushion to the seat and stapled the fleece (or batting) a little higher than where I was planning to staple the new fabric. Pull the fleece or batting tight before stapling.
   • I wanted to get this project done ASAP, so I improvised and used stuffing and fleece instead of the batting. You can watch how I did this on the video.
3. Next, I used the original fabric pieces as patterns to cut new pieces from my vintage ticking stripe fabric.
   • Take into consideration how the original pieces were attached. On my piece, they hid the raw edges with the trim and only folded the fabric over around the arms, so that is what I also did.
4. I stapled the new fabric on pulling the fabric tightly so it fits snug. I used the original fabric as my guide to determine how to fold it around the arms. Watch the video above for more specifics on this.
5. Finally, I hot glued the trim on in all the places it originally was.
   • Start the gluing the trim from behind the chair for the seat or in the corner of the back so you don’t have any seems.

All Finished!

The whole process was super simple and took less than two hours from start to finish.

I think it made a pretty dramatic difference. Now, the chair fits right in here at the farmhouse.

I hope I have given you the confidence you need to reupholster a chair.

Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse!

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This post was updated October 24, 2019.