I'm a woodworker and love to give old things a second chance. We recently brought back an old chair from the dacha, which was clearly worth showing off in our living room. True, for this it needed to be completely updated and restored. We did it with our own hands quickly and simply; anyone can repeat this “feat” with their own used furniture using our instructions.
Materials and tools:
- stapler and staples;
- sharp scissors;
- 3 cm wood screws;
- 5 cm wood screws;
- high density foam rubber;
- cotton or polyethylene batting;
- elastic upholstery;
- 3 meters of upholstery fabric;
- a large piece of cardboard;
- cardboard potholder;
- 2 metal strips for fastening;
- hammer or mallet;
- upholstery nails;
- cambric fabric (black lining);
- 4 finished legs;
- 4 mounting plates for legs.
Work order
Having dealt with the preparation, let's get down to business.
Take a screwdriver and unscrew the existing bolts. Then remove the seat from the base.
Remove the old upholstery by straightening and removing the staples.
Measure the seat around the perimeter, add 3-5 centimeters to the obtained values for the hem (depending on the height of the seat), and measure these parameters on the fabric. Another, simpler way: place the seat on a piece of fabric and trace the outline with a pencil. Add 3-5 centimeters. And you will get the same result.
Then you need to cut the fabric according to the marked marks.
We fix the material on the seat. For this you will need a stapler. Gradually place the fabric on the back of the chair and secure with staples. You can pre-fix it to the base so that it does not move while working with the stapler.
Measure the back of the seat (where we attached the material) and cut out the corresponding silhouette from the fabric for the lining.
Using the same technique, secure the lining, covering the attachment points of the upholstery.
Final step: Screw the seat back to the base of the chair. Ready!
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What to do with an old chair
You can update an old chair in various ways. Even if the springs are broken or the upholstery is damaged, everything can be fixed. The main thing is that a strong frame is preserved, and with the help of special tools and available materials you can transform any furniture.
An old chair can be transformed.
- Padding. The old upholstery material is replaced with a new one, and the internal filling is also changed. If necessary, replace the springs and restore the wooden elements.
- Repainting the upholstery. They are used if the material is well preserved, there are no serious damages or tears, but the fabric has faded, there are irremovable stains on it, or there is simply a desire to renew it. Then it is enough to repaint the fabric using fabric paint or acrylic.
- Repair. A complete restoration of the chair, in particular the frame, is expected. In addition, if necessary, replace legs, sliding mechanisms, and hinges. Finally, the internal filling and upholstery are changed.
You can simply change the upholstery of the chair and it will look different.
Additional Information. In addition to the methods listed, there is chair restoration. It is usually carried out to restore the original appearance of antique furniture. The process requires certain professional skills; it is carried out without disassembling the chair, using materials and parts identical to the original ones.
Where can I put a chair
The times when a chair was placed exclusively under a wall or next to a sofa are long gone. Nowadays, non-standard solutions are in trend both in the choice of upholstery and decor, and in the location of its installation. At the same time, the layout of the room is taken into account; depending on it, circular placement, symmetrical or asymmetrical, can be used.
The chair can be placed at the coffee table, near the fireplace, bookcase or near the TV. The main thing is to determine the central element and plan the furniture arrangement from there.
