I’ve been wanting to share my DIY Reupholstered Dining Room Chairs tutorial for a while and I finally have a moment to do so!
I am back after a MUCH needed Christmas & New Years break! It was wonderful to spend time with the family and unplug for a bit!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday as well!
Like most of my projects, these chairs have a bit of a backstory! If you read my DIY Farmhouse Dining Room Table post, you’ll know how we got our table and chairs.
In the post, I described how our dining room furniture has gone through several styles and phases.
The original stain was a blonde or honey oak color. Back in 2013, we painted a black gel stain over the original blonde stain. It looked alright for a while.
Down the road, we went to more of a lighter, neutral color pallet. So we decided to paint more of our furniture white or a nice, rich farmhouse style stain.
We originally did our DIY reupholstered dining room chairs in 2016 when Jaden was about to turn 1!
Needless to say, the fabric has become a little worn and the chairs had some chips and scratches on them from moving, kids, life etc.
ANOTHER QUARANTINE PROJECT
I knew I wanted to reupholster them and give them a few more layers of paint back during quarantine. So I went on a hunt for a more “kid friendly” fabric that still looked like canvas
During quarantine last spring, I found some awesome light grey waterproof canvas that is super easy to clean.
Sadly, it took almost 3 months for the fabric to arrive because the fabric store I ordered it from had slowed down their business hours due to Covid.
At this point, we were all getting back to some of our normal life. Our church had opened up, we started to go back to work, restaurants opened up, etc.
So obviously, life got a little busier!
Finally, right before Thanksgiving, I grabbed my brother and my dad on a day Matt had to work and we finished the project!
And I’m thrilled at the finished results of these DIY Reupholstered Dining Room Chairs !
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
1.Upholstery Fabric:
Like I said above, part of the reason I’m reupholstering the chairs is because the fabric was stained and worn out.
The real problem is that the original fabric I chose wasn’t the proper fabric for the job.
When upholstering chairs for the kitchen or dining room, it’s best to choose a fabric that’s thick, with a tight weave that is almost waterproof or at least stain resistant.
Even using “outdoor” upholstery fabric for kitchen or dining room chairs would be a good idea.
This makes the fabric easy to clean especially since a lot of food and liquids will be used around the furniture.
2.Staple Gun:
To wrap the fabric on the chairs, you’ll need a staple gun to secure it in place. I like to use this staple gun. It’s worked well for me over the years!
Make sure you get the right size staples to go with your staple gun! I’ve bought staples that were too long before and it’s SUCH a pain to get home from the store and realize they won’t fit in your staple gun!
3. Spray Paint
I used white, satin finish spray paint by Rustoleum. It’s by far my favorite spray paint brand and I love that it comes in an easy spray can that already has the easy squeeze handle.
I’ve found it gives a much more even coat as well.
HOW TO:
1.TAKE THE CHAIR APART
The first step for your DIY Reupholstered Dining Room Chairs, is to take the chairs apart.
I have DEFINITELY made the mistake in the past to try and paint the chairs and reupholster the seat WHILE the seat was still on the chair….
Believe me……..it’s MUCH harder.
Just flip the chair upside down and unscrew the seat from the frame.
Be sure to keep track of the screws for each chair. I labeled the bottom of each seat and made a corresponding ziplock bag for their screws.
2.SPRAY PAINT CHAIRS
Once your seats are off the chairs, go ahead and take them outside or to a large open, well ventilated area and give them a very thin coat. Almost just a dusting.
You almost want the chair to feel sandy or gritty when you spray the first coat. This helps the next several paint layers stick better.
If you’d like, you can always rub a bit of deglosser over the chairs to help prime them as well.
Let the first coat fully dry before you start adding the other coats. Once it’s dry, go back and add some nice, slightly thicker coats.
Not too thick as you don’t want the paint to run. ALWAYS wait until the coats are fully dry before adding more.
Otherwise, the paint will get gummy, and be easier to peel or scratch off.
3. MEASURE FABRIC TO SEAT
While you’re waiting for your coats of paint to dry, go back inside and measure your fabric to your seats.
Be sure to leave at least several inches of fabric on the underside of the chair so it has enough to wrap the seat well.
4. WRAP SEAT
After you’ve cut all your fabric, it’s time to wrap your seat cushions!
Lay the fabric on a clean surface face down. Then center your seat cushion face down on the fabric.
Take the front piece of the fabric and staple the fabric to the seat along the edge in the center (about an inch or two in). Pulling very tightly, do the same for the other side.
Go along those two parallel edges, and staple the fabric every 2-3 inches along the edge. Don’t staple all the way to the corners as those have a special wrapping method.
Now turn the seat and repeat the above on the other two sides.
Now you should have four corners with fabric sticking out in points. To wrap the corners, I simply pinch the fabric with my index fingers and thumbs to make a flat, folded pleat.
Then turn staple the pleat to the bottom of the seat and repeat for all four corners.
5. REATTACH SEAT
Once your seats are all wrapped and your chairs are all dry, you can bring them in and reattach the seats!
If you need to make some pilot holes with your drill to get through the new fabric that may help the screws go in easier.
And TA-DA!!! You’ve got yourself some brand new dining room chairs!
I love how mine turned out! So crisp and clean!
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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Did you try this tutorial or one like it? I’d love to hear from you! Shoot me an email! Check out all my other DIY posts! Be sure to follow me on Instagram and on Pinterest!
The chairs look great! Nice project!