Learning how to reupholster dining room chairs is a great project for anyone looking to add a pop of color to their home decor! And while it’s not the easiest project (at least on your hands), the hard work is well worth it.
I purchased this set of dining room chairs from Marketplace over two years ago. They’ve been part of our everyday decor since, even though I never really liked the original fabric. The goal was to always reupholster them, and yet they sat for so long.
But that’s life isn’t it? The project list is never ending and there’s never enough time or money to do everything you want. So even if this project took me way too long to complete, I’m so happy to stuck with it! I finally reupholstered the chairs!
Here’s how I did it:
Watch how I reupholstered my dining room chairs over on my Youtube channel or keep reading for more! The full dining room makeover (with help from Megan Hopp Design) will be finished soon, so be sure to subscribe to see how it all comes together!
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Materials
Material Notes
Finding a fabric with multi color ways was a bit of a challenge! Thankfully when we were back in NYC, I was able to pop into Mood Fabrics and find a Chenille upholstery woven fabric that came in a variety of colors. Etsy also has options, though I always suggest ordering a sample to see the fabric in person first.
I grabbed a yard of each fabric, but only because that was the only way to order it. If doing a similar project of one color per chair, you could use half a yard.
How to Upholster a Round Chair Seat
There’s a few ways you can go about reupholstering a chair seat. You can leave the original foam if the seat was comfortable before. You could also take the shortcut and reupholster right over the fabric.
For this project I decided to give the chairs completely new life and ended up replacing the foam and the fabric. Here’s the step by step for how I reupholstered my chairs:
1. I started by removing the chair from the seat, then pulling out all of the staples. This was one of the harder aspects of the project, because if the staple didn’t easily come out, I had to use pliers to wiggle it free.
Once all of the staples were removed, I was able to access the foam and fabric. A huge reason of why I decided to remove the staples was because I could then use the foam and fabric as a size guide for the new material!
2. I traced the foam onto new foam and cut out. For the cushion wrap and fabric, I used the original template then added 2.5″ on to that to give me more to work with.
You can always trim excess at the end! It’s easier to reupholster when you have fabric to hold and pull so my advice is to always have a bit more than you think you’ll need, just to be safe.
3. To secure my cushion in place and to smooth everything out, I added cushion wrap. I stapled everything into place, pulling tightly as I worked.
Any bumps or imperfections in this stage will show at the end, so it’s important to take your time. You can always remove staples to get out any bumps.
Lastly it was time to add the fabric. This was a hard part of the project for me because trying to get the fabric to lay flay on a round surface was a bit tricky! Here’s what actually helped me:
- Add 1-2 staples on the top, the bottom, and sides to start. Try this approach instead of just stapling around the circle.
- From there, staple and smooth down between the two points (so the top and right side for example).
- Continue to pull and manipulate the fabric until it lays flat.
Staples can be used just as placeholders. If you run into any issues, it helps to remove staples and rework the fabric as you continue around your seat.
Once I made my way all the way around the seat, I screwed them back into place, and that was it!
Here’s how the chairs turned out! I love all of the different colors and think they add such a joyful element to our dining room table. I’d love to know, which one is your favorite?!
I can’t wait to show them to you when they’re in place and the full dining room makeover is done!
If you have a project on your list taking you a lot of time, don’t give up! Stick with it. Step by step you’ll be making your home a happier place. Design doesn’t have to happen overnight. Each project to finish is a step closer to your dream home, no matter how long it takes you to get here!
