Upholstery Jobs You Can Do Yourself
Kitchen chairs that have just the seat upholstered are the easiest. Most kitchen chairs have the fabric stapled to the bottom then a cover that hides the fabric’s raw edges. The cover can be cardboard or a dust cover – dark fabric used by upholsterers under couches and chairs.
The first order of business is to disassemble the chair. Usually there are four screws which hold the chair to the frame and they can be easily removed by turning the chair over to access them. Depending upon how the chair is made it may not be necessary to take the seat off of the frame. If the chair is wooden, for instance, the upholstery may be designed to go over the seat and staple to the bottom. If the chair is metal it’s usually impossible to upholstery it without disassembling.
Upholsterers use a special tool that removes staples. If you have no way to remove the staples use a razor blade to cut the fabric, right in front of the staples, then simply pull the cover and old fabric off of the chair. The problem with using the old fabric as a pattern for the new is that it’s often stretched out of shape particularly if the original material was vinyl.
To make the pattern measure the chair seat and draw the measurements onto the fabric or lay a piece of material on the chair and cut a piece slightly larger than the chair. Start upholstering by putting a staple in the center of each side of the chair, stretching the fabric taut as you do. Place the first staple then go to the opposite side, pull taut, and staple. Then go to one side and insert a staple, go to the opposite side and pull, then insert a staple. This secures the fabric to the seat while you do the detailed work.
Work from one center staple over to the corner then back to the center staple and over to the opposite corner. Perform this method on each side making small tucks, if necessary, as you go along. Make sure that any tucks you make are not seen from the top view of the seat. When the cover is on screw the seat back to the chair.
If the chair has a back that is also upholstered disassemble the chair, if necessary, and prepare to make the pattern. Measure the chair back and draw the measurements onto the fabric. Or, cut a piece slightly larger than the chair back and then trim to size. Many metal chair backs have a welt piece that goes from the bottom side of the chair back to the opposite bottom side, crossing over the top. The welt can be purchased by the yard at some fabric centers or most any upholstery shop.
To insert the welt start at the bottom corner of either the front or the back piece of fabric. Sew around to the opposite bottom corner staying very close to the welt as you sew. A zipper foot comes in real handy for sewing close to the welt. After the welt is in place on one piece align the other piece and sew it to the welted first piece. This leaves the bottom open for sliding onto the back of the chair. That’s fine for chairs made with the back slid onto it but other designs may staple directly to the chair.
Another easy furniture piece to recover is a footstool. Many footstools are made with a cover over the top then a skirt hanging to the floor. Remove the skirt then the top panel. Measure the panel and cut the new one. For the skirt it’s best if you use the old pattern since it shouldn’t be stretched and will show you where to make your folds if the skirt is made with folds.
After stapling the new top onto the footstool, sew the welt onto the skirt, making the proper tucks in the skirt as you sew. The two ends of the skirt should be left open; do not sew them together. Start by stapling the end of the skirt onto one side of the footstool. To do this the skirt must be upside down and pointing upwards.
To keep the edge of the skirt looking crisp and straight most upholsterers use what is called tacking strip. The tacking strip is available in several different styles. One style is a simple strip of cardboard without staples or tacks. The cardboard strip is placed next to the welt and stapled into position. A different type of tacking strip actually has the tacks already in it so you simply hammer the strip into place. The tacking strip is a big help for skirts. You’ll probably find it easiest to work with the type that has the tacks already in it. When you reach the end of the skirt fold it over an inch and overlap it a couple inches where you began. Use a needle and thread or even fabric glue to tack the hems together on the two ends.
Some other easy upholstery jobs are the padded rails on a waterbed, bar stools, children’s chairs, some rocking chairs or a straight back living room chair. Keep in mind that you’ll need a heavy duty machine when working with thick fabrics and use staples instead of tacks for speedier results.
