How to Reupholster an Armchair
With the guidance of our expert seamstress and upholsterer, we'll show you how easy it is to reupholster an armchair when you break it down into simple, easy-to-follow steps. Join us for this fun upholstery how-to.
The frame of the chair that we are reupholstering is still sturdy and the cushions are plush and comfortable to sit on, but the fabric was outdated and we just weren’t loving the look of the armchair anymore. To give our armchair a fresh look, we chose a bright and fun floral upholstery fabric. We also removed the skirt, revealing the chair's legs, which helped to modernize the look and style of the armchair.
Different chairs can be very different on the inside, but many of the principles are the same. So although your chair may not be exactly like ours, you can use the techniques outlined in the video to redo almost any upholstered chair.
Since we chose a patterned fabric for our chair, you will see Cindi, our seamstress and upholsterer, carefully patterning the fabric pieces so the main flower in our pattern is centered on the chair. This does use more fabric and takes a little more thought, but the end result will look professional. She breaks down all of her methods in the video, so you'll also be able to align your fabric's pattern in the most eye-catching way.
In this video, we’ll show you how to systematically disassemble and reassemble your chair and how to use cardboard and metal tack strips in your upholstery to get clean edges. You’ll also learn how to make bias piping and how to apply it to the edges of your chair.
Our chair has an upholstered frame with removable cushions for the seat and the backrest. This first video will only cover the upholstery of the frame. Watch the companion video, "How to Make Armchair Cushions" (#200669XHT), to see how to sew the seat and backrest cushions.
If you’re unsure how much fabric you need for your chair reupholstery project, check out our helpful Fabric Calculator, which provides general estimates for a variety of upholstery projects. Let us know how your upholstery project went! Post photos of your before and after upholstery DIY using #Sailrite so we can see your amazing work!