Reupholstery Project and Lessons Learned

I recently finished another reupholstery project.  I tell you, reupholstering things yourself sure saves a lot of money.  We found this chair for $40 and I was able to get the fabric for $15 (yep, $1/yard at Walmart).

 This is the way it used to look.  Lots of wear and tear, and plenty of dirt.

 I believe the previous owners might have had a cat.  What do you think?

Taking the fabric off, I realized that this chair was probably going to have to be taken apart, and I had never done that before!

From the looks of the fabric it definitely was in need of some new coverings.  I left all the original padding on the chair which saved on money and time.

Yep, it had to come apart.  Thankfully it was just about 4 screws on the bottom, and I was able to do it myself.

I am so thankful for my new automatic staple gun.  It was a lot easier on the shoulders and neck!

Putting on the new duds as carefully as possible.

Then it was time to put the chair back together.  Whew!  It all fit back together seamlessly!

I love sitting in this chair by the window in our bedroom, it's the perfect place to read my Bible and/or a book!



****Lessons learned with this reupholstery project:

1.  Don't reupholster with a lightweight or thin fabric.  I loved the feel and stretch of this fabric.  I knew it would make for a very comfortable chair.  And it did, however, it was difficult to use because the stretch stretched too much at some points, which led to a pulled look at some stapling areas.  Thankfully I figured this out towards the beginning and was able to compensate.  Also the thinness of the fabric caused any kind of nailing to break through the fabric.  I couldn't use the normal "metal row of nails" because when I would hammer them in, it would show through no matter how lightly I would hammer, or how much padding I would put between the fabric and the hammer.  So, now I know.....stick with the heavier reupholstery fabric........maybe there is some that is thicker with a smoother finish?  Haven't seen it yet, but will keep my eyes peeled.

2.  Realize that every, yes every chair is made differently.  I never would have imagined that I would have to take the chair apart to reupholster it!  But I did.  I'm learning to expect the unexpected.

3.  In the end, reupholstering is still worth it, unless you have a couple extra hundred dollars laying around to just purchase a new one, and the satisfaction of having done it yourself is great.  :0)