Every one has the one chair, it might sit by the desk or in a corner in the bedroom, – you just cannot seem to part with it. It has become a part of your life and now you would like to give it new life. I have that very same chair, it is part of me – part of my space in life, and because I could not bear to part with it, I spent some time learning how to give it a new seat and a new lease on its own life.
I started on my project by turning the chair upside down. Examining the underside gave me a good idea of to start. Does your chair pad screw on (like mine was), nailed on, or maybe it is a part of the legs? If the chair seat is actually part of the legs, you may not be out of luck, but let me share what I learned with you – and hopefully you can put this information to good use.
My chair seat was screwed on, but in the event that your chair seat is nailed on – it can still be removed easily. Once I discovered that the chair could be saved using this easy method, I started to consider my options more closely. One of the easiest choices I had to make was what kind of padding I wanted to put into my new chair seat. There is a wide variety available – hard, soft, or plush, and you can feel the types available at a local fabric or craft shop near you.
I had to measure the actual seating area of the chair to be sure exactly how much padding to buy. Of course, I have other projects I am working on also, so I bought more than what I needed for this one chair seat. It is a bit less expensive to buy a larger piece than to have the store cut a smaller piece for you.
Now that I knew how my chair came apart, and what kind of padding I wanted to use in replacing the chair seat padding, I was able to move on to the next step that was - what did I want to match my chair to? There are many choices in every room through out the house; my chair sits in my bedroom. I could match the curtains, the bedspread, the carpeting, or the pictures I have on the walls. I choose to match my chair to a lighter color in my curtains. A gray fluffy looking tone, which will also match the fall, colors with in the entire room. Just think about the new chair will look – adding new life to a corner, a desk, or a wall like never before!
As I went to the craft store with my measurements and ‘pictured’ choices of my colors wanted I felt prepared and confident about my chair project. Materials did not cost anywhere near as much as what a new chair would, and my time was well worth it as I look at my finished chair.
Now I will discuss the next few steps in reviving your chair seat. My chair seat was screwed on, so I only needed a few tools to complete my project, which were a screwdriver (to match the chair type (Flat or Phillips head), a heavy-duty stapler, a hammer, scissors, and you might possibly need a long three-inch nail. If your chair seat is nailed on I learned that you may also need a pair of pliers and nails similar in size to the ones your will be removing from the underside of your chair seat. In either case, you will also need to take notice whether you chair seat fabric is stapled on or hot glued on. My chair seat fabric staples to the wood frame of the seat, so I did not need the hot glue gun.
Continued >> on the next page
