Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Upholstery Fabric
Foam or Batting (Optional)
Staples
Plywood (Optional)
Paint (Optional)

Note

Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market.

How Much Should It Cost to Reupholster a Chair?

The cost to reupholster a chair depends on a few things, such as how expensive the fabric you choose is and whether you have all the necessary tools already on hand. Going the DIY route generally saves money, your only expenses being the cost of the fabric, which can range from $30 to $70 per yard, and any other materials you may need.

Can You Reupholster a Chair Over Existing Fabric?

Ideally, you’ll want to remove the old fabric from the seat before covering it with a new fabric. However, you can recover the chair over the existing fabric — and it’ll save a bit of time in the reupholstery process. Keep in mind that multiple layers of fabric could make the seat look bulky, and you’ll need to choose a new fabric that is dark enough and/or thick enough to hide a pattern or any stains that could show through.

How to Reupholster a Chair

Gently remove the old fabric, using either a flathead screwdriver or needle nose pliers to take out the staples. Take care not to damage the old fabric and set it aside — you can use it as a pattern to create the new seat cover.

Tip

Now is a good time to note the condition of the seat cushion and the seat itself and decide if either or both needs replacing. Add a new layer of foam to update a worn cushion. A new seat can be made from a piece of plywood. This is also a good time to paint the chair. Use our guide on How to Paint Furniture for this project. Make sure the chair is completely dry before reattaching the seat.

A woman using scissors to cut out a new seat cover from a yard of navy blue fabric.

Take your new fabric and turn it so the top is facing down, then place the old fabric over it, lining up the corners with the pins in your new fabric. Trace around the edge of the fabric with a pencil, creating an outline. Use your pencil mark as a guide to cut out the new seat cover. You may want to leave a few inches of fabric outside of your marking to give you something to grasp when stapling the fabric to the seat. You can trim the excess fabric once everything is attached.

Tip

If needed, clamp the corners to your work surface to keep the fabric in place while you’re tracing. Once the fabric is cut, consider taping or sewing the edges to prevent fraying.

A person wearing work gloves and using a staple gun to attach dark blue fabric to a chair seat.

Lay the fabric right side down, placing the seat on top, with the cushion side facing down. Adjust the pins in the fabric marking the corners so they align with the corners of the seat cushion. Grab your staple gun and, starting at the top edge, fold the fabric over and staple it down in the center. Do this for the bottom and both sides, pulling the fabric tight before stapling. Finish adding staples one side at a time, working from the center outward, until all sides are attached but leave the corners unstapled. Continue pulling the fabric tight and smooth as you staple each side.

Tip

If you’re using patterned fabric, flip the seat over every few staples to ensure the pattern stays centered. Adjust as needed, then continue stapling.

A woman using a staple gun to secure a corner of fabric to a chair seat.

Now that all the sides are secure, it’s time to staple the corners. Take one corner and pull the point to the center of the seat, then staple. To finish the corner, create pleats with the remaining fabric, stapling as you go. Repeat this process for the other three corners. Be sure not to staple over screw holes. Trim any leftover fabric.

Tip

This is also where you can add the dust cover. A dust cover hides any raw fabric edges underneath the seat. You can use a piece of landscape fabric to create the dust cover and simply staple it on.

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