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How to reupholster a chair

Breathe new life into a loved piece of furniture by learning how to reupholster an armchair with fresh new fabric.

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Sophie Tarrant

Rachel Nott

Published: March 8, 2024 at 7:02 pm

Most of us have a favourite chair that is so comfy it wraps you in a warm embrace every time you sit in it. You love it so much it can do no wrong. But perhaps it's looking just a little tatty and threadbare in places. Or maybe the fabric doesn't totally fit with your living room scheme since you've redecorated.

Well, in this article we are going to show you, step by step, how to upholster a chair and have it looking good as new.

I found this comfy old chair in a charity shop years ago and bought it for £50. The fabric covering it was thin and it soon started to show signs of wear.

Luckily, the chair was still in good condition underneath the ripped outer fabric. So, rather than send it to landfill, I decided to reupholster it using simple upholstery techniques that can be completed in just a few days at home.

My efforts paid off and I now have a bespoke, luxurious chair for a fraction of the cost of buying new.

How to recover an armchair step 1

How do you choose upholstery material for chairs?

When choosing your new fabric, make sure it is robust. As you're browsing online for suitable material, make sure you select fabric that is specifically for upholstery.

A medium-weight dress material simply won't be up to the job. Upholstery fabric is woven in a special way to make it thicker, stiffer and heavier, so it can withstand years of daily use.

10 classic upholstery fabrics

1. Truffle by Sanderson

Truffle by Sanderson

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2. Ribbon Stripe by Harlequin

Ribbon Stripe by Harlequin

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3. Basket Weave by Harlequin

Basket Weave by Harlequin

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4. Bhutan by Clarke & Clarke

Bhutan fabric by Clarke & Clarke

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5. Lani by Molly Mahon

Lani fabric

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6. Swim Swam Swan by Scion

Swim Swam Swan by Scion

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7. Grand Milo in Majorelle by Liberty

Grand Milo in Majorelle by Liberty

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8. Primula by Warner House

Primula by Warner House

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9. Leopard Dots by Scion

Leopard Dots by Scion

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10. Bower by William Morris

Bower by William Morris

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You’ll need

  • Armchair
  • Staple remover
  • Seam ripper
  • Scissors
  • Material. We used 3m each of Alvar Velvet in the colours Teal and Charcoal, £28 per m, Clarke & Clarke
  • Dressmaker’s chalk
  • Sewing machine and strong thread suitable for upholstery
  • Staple gun and staples
  • Upholstery tacks
  • Hammer

How to upholster a chair

Prep the chair

Step 1

Begin by turning the chair upside down and removing the legs, if possible. Next, remove the dust cover – the fabric that covers the bottom of the chair. If you can, keep it intact, using a staple remover to gently ease out the staples without ripping the fabric.

Step 2

Take a look at how the chair is constructed and carefully remove each fabric piece, keeping them intact and making a note of where each one went, and how it was attached to the fabric around it. Use a seam ripper to unpick stitches without damaging or ripping the edges.

Create templates of each piece of fabric

Step 1

Lay out the fabric pieces that you have removed onto sheets of paper and draw around them to create templates. Lay each of your templates out onto the new fabric and draw round them with chalk, then cut them out carefully.

Using paper templates rather than the old fabric will stop any transfer of dust or other mess that might be ingrained in the old fabric onto the new.

Step 2

Some of our fabric pieces needed hemming and others needed sewing together before they could be attached to the chair. We used a double-folded hem on the pieces that needed finishing and stitched French seams along the joined pieces, to strengthen the joins and conceal the raw fabric edges.

Re-cover the chair with new fabric

Step 1

Begin to re-cover your chair. If the wadding or foam layers are damaged, now is the time to replace them. Ours were in good condition, so we just needed to reattach the new fabric over the top of them.

Start with the last piece you removed from the chair, easing it into place and using pins to check that it sits properly. Then carefully secure it in place with a staple gun. Continue to re-cover the main body of the chair.

Step 2

We decided to cut the sides and back pieces of our chair from a contrasting colour of velvet, and attached them last, as was dictated by the design of the chair. We pinned them into position and then hammered upholstery tacks (available in a variety of finishes – we used brass ones) around the edge of each fabric piece to further secure and decorate the design.

 

Re-cover the seat cushion

Step 1

Now the main body of the chair is finished, it’s time to re-cover the seat cushion. Make a paper template for the cushion as before, then lay the fabric out and use the template to cut two pieces. Cut a strip to size to fit around the edge of the cushion, then stitch together, adding a zip to the back of the cushion to allow for easy removal.

Step 2

With everything else complete, turn the chair upside down and re-attach the dust cover, or cut and staple a new one into place if the original was too damaged. Screw in the legs, then stand the chair up and pop the cushion into position.

This article first appeared in YourHomeStyle and HomeStyle magazine.

Learning how to reupholster a chair is a valuable skill

Give a much-loved chair a new lease of life with fresh fabric and you'll enjoy it even more. Use these new-found skills to give any number of fabric pieces a lift. You could create a matching set of padded dining chairs, or re-cover a stool with a new design that really sings. 

When choosing upholstery material for chairs, remember to go for fabrics that are specifically designed for homewares rather than clothing. This way you'll ensure your furniture is hardy enough to withstand plenty of daily use.

The good news is that there's a huge range of suitable designs out there in myriad colours to suit your style.

Give your bedroom a refresh 

Once you've mastered how to upholster a chair, you'll find making a smart headboard a piece of cake! Follow our guide to how to upholster a headboard and you'll quickly turn your boudoir into a stylish sanctuary.

Giving your home little refreshes like these is one of life's joys! Find all the inspiration and practical help you need to make your home a haven with Gathered.

 

 

 

 

Sophie Tarrant

Writer and sewing pro

Sophie is a Colchester-based writer and lifelong craft enthusiast with over 15 years' experience in the UK publishing industry. She worked on the launch of Let's Knit and Sew magazines, where she ran the sewing machine reviews section during her time as Deputy Editor. She gets gloriously geeky about craft tech. She loves dressmaking, embroidery and collecting way too much fabric and also worked for 6 years as Craft Editor for Hubert Burda Media, on titles including Your Home, Wedding, Wedding Flowers, Christmas Made Easy and HomeStyle magazine. You can follow her latest creations in needlework at @SeeSophieStitch on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Rachel Nott

Senior Production Editor, Homes & Antiques

Rachel is Senior Production Editor at Homes & Antiques magazine. She started her career in publishing longer ago than she cares to remember... Rachel cut her teeth on Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, before moving to Cardmaking & Papercraft as editor. She has written for various UK publications including The Simple Things, Italia! and Perfect Wedding. She has a passion for decorating – her home is always in a state of colourful flux – and she can never resist an antique ceramic, especially if it has birds on it. Her party trick, meanwhile, is reciting the Farrow & Ball paint chart! At Gathered she will help you create a home that's bursting with personality and fun, with clever DIY hacks.
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