Ten-Step Plan to Reupholstering a Chair

I bought this 1960's Cocktail Chair as one of a pair and, as you can see, they were covered in a brown vinyl. The chair was completely stripped back to the frame, the original materials and springs were not in good condition and could not be re-used so it was a case of starting from scratch. These are the steps I to when reupholstering a chair.

How to Reupholster a Chair

Step One:

The first job was to add webbing to the bottom of the seat to provide a base for the new springs.

Step Two:

Once the springs were attached and tied down they were covered in hessian and 2 layers of coir and hessian added to build up a comfortable seat.

Step Three:

The seat was then stitched to form an edge that would keep its shape.

Step Four:

A similar process was done to the back of the chair; webbing, Hessian and coir. The back and seat of the chair was then covered in calico ready for the top cloth.

Step Five:

The calico was topped with a layer of polyester wadding and then the top fabric was added.

Step Six:

Due to the curved shape of the back, buttons were put in to ensure the fabric sits nicely against the curve.

Step Seven:

A piping was then made which was tacked and sewn to the back edge of the chair.

Step Eight:

The rear of the chair was then covered in calico, polyester wadding and the top fabric was sewn on.

Step Nine:

A bottom cloth was tacked on to the underneath of the chair to hide the webbing, the legs were cleaned and polished and finally the chair was finished.