How to Upholster an Accent Chair

Accent chairs come in all shapes and sizes. They need not match the major furniture pieces in a room and are meant to give character and definition to a room's setting. You can reupholstering an accent chair when the original fabric wears out and needs replacing, or when changes in a room's decor warrant a different color or style of upholstery. A common type of accent chair is built with a wooden frame and a padded seat cushion.

Instructions

Preparing the Cushion

1

Measure the existing cushion to estimate the amount of fabric you will need to reupholster it. Decide on the color and style of fabric and purchase 1/2 yard more fabric than you will need.

2

Turn the chair upside down and locate the screws holding the cushion in place on the bottom of seat frame. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws and place them in a plastic bag so you don't lose them.

3

Remove the cushion from the chair seat frame. If it does not shake free easily, knock on the bottom of the cushion with a hammer to loosen it. Place the cushion on a table top at a convenient working height. If there a paper layer covers the bottom of the cushion, remove it. This reveals the tacks or staples holding the edges of the fabric in place on the cushion frame. Remove the staples or tacks using a screwdriver, fine-nose pliers or tack puller. Save the tacks for reuse in the same plastic bag used to store the screws in Step 1.

4

Remove the old fabric and set it aside. Look at the padding material to see if it needs replacing. If it is soiled or wadded up, it needs replacement. If it looks and feels clean, vacuum it well to ready it for the new fabric. Also vacuum the chair frame where the cushion was seated to remove any debris.

5

Remove the padding if necessary. Note how it was installed and measure it. Purchase 1/4 yard more new padding than needed. Choose padding made of foam, polyester, cotton batting or polyurethane. Install it in the same fashion as the old padding.

Installing New Fabric

6

Place a piece of brown paper or butcher paper on the table. Tape two lengths together if necessary to get a piece of paper larger than the cushion measurements. Lay the old upholstery fabric over the paper and straighten it out. Use a marker to trace around the edges of the fabric to create a paper pattern. Remove the fabric and cut out the piece of paper.

7

Put the piece of new upholstery fabric face down on the table. If the fabric has a nap, determine which way you want the nap to face when it is on the chair before you put it down, marking nap direction with chalk. Place the paper pattern on the back side of the fabric, pinning it in place along the sides. Center any prominent fabric motifs. Cut out the new fabric and remove the paper.

8

Place the cushion in its frame upside down on the upholstery fabric. Center it on the new fabric, which is still face down. Bring the edges of the fabric to the back of the cushion frame, tacking it temporarily in place along one side at a time, smoothing out any wrinkles in the fabric. Fit within 3 inches of each corner. Turn the cushion over and check for any wrinkles. Adjust by untacking, smoothing, and retacking the fabric. Then tack or staple it permanently in place along the sides of the cushion.

9

Follow the pattern of the old fabric for the corner treatment. Some cushions have a notch cut out of the corner to accommodate chair legs, others have a 90 degree angle. Carefully adjust the corner fabric, one corner at a time, clipping notched corners if needed to allow the fabric to fit smoothly. Tack corner fittings in place temporarily and check from the front to see if the fabric lies smoothly on the cushion. Tack or staple down corners.

10

Turn the chair upside down over the finished cushion and press the cushion firmly into place. Replace the screws on the bottom of the chair frame to hold the cushion in place. Cut a new piece of brown paper to glue or staple to the bottom.