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How to Update Dining Chairs

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Category: Home Decor

If you have dining chairs that need some updating, try giving them a DIY facelift. With a few trade secrets from Carter Oosterhouse you can learn how to use slipcovers, reupholstering methods and nailheads to freshen up old chairs. So, before you toss those pieces in the trash, consider these easy ways to breathe new life into your old furniture.

Step 1: Slip Covers
For armless chairs, simple slip covers are a quick and easy solution. Be sure to tuck in the fabric right along the where the back of the chair and the seat meet. Most slip covers come with sashes or ties to tighten the fabric -- try incorporating additional material to add color.

Step 2: Reupholster
This isn't as difficult as it sounds. If you have a simple chair with an upholstered seat, unscrew the seat from the chair and use a nail gun to reupholster the seat. As you work around the seat, be sure to leave an excess of material so you can keep it nice and tight. When finished, there should be no loose fabric.

Step 3: Tack it On
You can add color and texture to an old chair by tacking nailheads all along the chair's border. Use needle-nose pliers and a hammer to nail your tacks one by one along the edges of the chair. When finished, cut away excess fabric.

Items You'll Need for this GMC Trade Secret

  • Slip Covers
  • Fabric
  • Nail Gun
  • Scissors
  • Needle-Nose Pliers
  • Nail Heads
  • Hammer

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12 Comments

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dvnp

We have some METAL chairs with cloth seats that match a Black Metal and Glass top table. They appear to be glued or somehow attached to the metal of chair. How can I recover them. They are stained from use and years. But they are in great shape as is the table.

January 22 2012 at 6:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to dvnp's comment
William

Hard to say without being able to see it. Flip the chair over. If the seat has an open bottom see if there are any screws or clamps. If none, then the seats might indeed be glued. Again if the bottom is open you might try a rubber mallet and see if you can knock the seat bottom out of the seat.

February 16 2012 at 9:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rhnkt

omg......I love Carters decorating tips............he's great !!!

December 04 2011 at 11:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
WarehouseFlats

all my furniture is covered in plastic. it will last a hundred years.

December 04 2011 at 5:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pruittb6

why do you people even give us info on it if you dont have it, happens all the time

December 03 2011 at 9:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
don

How lame!!!!!

December 03 2011 at 7:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jhuskeyc

Thanks DIY for once again doing the Dummy Down on how to "reupholster" a chair.

December 03 2011 at 7:11 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
mabachi7

Those chair covers are the worst looking thing a person can do! They look AWFUL!! And if you have any animal in the house that sheds? What a real mess! A person would be better off buying some cheap folding chairs and decorate the table top with something. That's just my opinion. No comment neccessary on what I said... I dont care what you think and I will never look back at this page. Don't even know why I bothered in the first place? A little free time? I have some beautiful wood chairs to dust. ta ta

December 03 2011 at 5:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
hattie54

I'm sitting at my great aunt's old wooden teacher's desk.I'd like to strip it,sand it down and stain it again but don't know if the wood is really good or not?I guess I'll find out then decide to stain it again or paint it a new color?

December 03 2011 at 11:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
snowleopoard1132

I own a furniture store - if we had a 400% markup my name would be Donald Trump! The very best you can hope for itoday is a 7% profit margin - and if "Dal" thinks this is a lot - we are presently in the process of closing because the buyers are not out there. By the way, Dal, if you were such a pro you'd be building and selling furniture that retailers could mark up 400%. I'll bet your sofa lokks really terrific and the colors must be marvelous!!!

December 03 2011 at 11:18 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dal

The mark up on furniture today is something like 400% and it's all made the same. The wife and myself went looking for a new sofa and it occurred to me fast that no matter how high end or low end the furniture store they all had the same things just different prices. After seeing how cheaply most everything was built I told her to let me try my hand at making a sofa in my shop. The end result was for $150 we have a large comfy sofa that has the colors we wanted and fits the space we had perfectly. remember guys if the women doen't find you handsome, let them find you handy.

December 03 2011 at 9:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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