A few months ago, I posted on Instagram that I would be reupholstering this^ wingback chair. I also asked if there would be interest if I started a DIY/craft blog and I got a pretty good response.. so here it is! The wingback tutorial + the new blog. I hope you like it and stay awhile. I have some pretty fun projects coming up!
I have always wanted a wingback chair. I think they are so classy! I wanted to do mine a really fun bright color while keeping the vintage chair + a modern twist. Overall, I think I accomplished that look. As this was my first tutorial and my first time upholstering, I was a little excited which resulted in me not taking enough pictures.. so sorry about that! If something doesn't make sense or if you need any further instructions, comment below or email me! I would love to help :)
Now, on to the tutorial...
First off you need to gather your supplies:
wingback chair (mine was thrifted from DI for $15)
6 yards of fabric (I spent about $40 W/ coupons)
staple gun (I had to buy one- $10)
staples (I probably used 3000 staples- $6)
cording (10-15 yards- $4-$7- I can't remember)
push pin studs OPTIONAL (6 boxes- $10 w/coupon)
60 inches of 3 inch high density foam ($40 w/coupon)
1-2 yards 1 inch foam ($15)
1.5 yards cheap batting ($7)
paint or stain (I already had this)
big serrated knife (I already had this)
sandpaper (I already had this)
hammer (I already had this)
pliers (I already had them)
scissors (I already had these)
sewing machine (I had this)
PATIENCE (I'm still working on this one)
Total Price: $150*
*This is a rough estimate but pretty close to accurate.
First: disassemble your chair
Start disassembling the chair. Since my chair was tufted, I used scissors and cut the fabric off. It was so much easier this way. I also used pliers to get all the old staples out.
Second: clean and disinfect your chair
Once you have all the fabric, foam and batting off of your chair, it should look like this photo- except without the foam. If you're lucky you wont find acorns and nuts in your chair. The previous owner of my chair was a squirrel.. ugh. I cleaned by chair and got out all the "goodies" and then I wiped it down with Lysol.
Optional Step: paint/stain chair legs
If you are planning of painting of staining the chair legs, this would be a good time to do so.I waited until the end to do this and it worked out okay, but it took a lot of patience so I didn't stain the fabric. I would also recommend sanding the legs prior to painting or staining so that the paint goes on smoothly.
Third: measure and cut 1 inch foam for wings an arms
There is nothing fancy about how I did this. I simply measured the height and width of the section I was doing and cut a rectangle of foam out of the sheet. You should have six different sections: two inside wings, two outside wings, and two arm pieces.
Fourth: staple foam onto chair
Then, take the foam rectangle and staple it onto the designated section. There will be excess foam around the edges once you staple your piece of foam on.
Fifth: cut the excess foam off
Cut the excess foam off around the edges. Try and cut as close to the staples as you can, but don't leave any wood on the chair expose. Make sure you cover the entire space, so there aren't any bumps when you put the fabric on. Don't stress too much about it though --the batting will help smooth out any imperfections.
Sixth: measure and cut 3 inch foam cushion pieces
This part was a little bit trickier than the previous foam cutting. First, measured and cut the foam according to length and width. Be sure to leave an extra inch or so just to be safe, because you don't want to mess this part up--FOAM ISN'T CHEAP! Then, put the backrest piece of foam against the back of the chair, so it is in place it will be installed. Next, on the back side of the chair, trace the pattern of the chair against the foam. Then, cut along the line of the foam using a big serrated knife. The seat cushion is slightly more difficult (depending on your chair) because you can't trace it. Mine was slightly curved towards the front of the chair, so I measured the width all along the sides of the chair and then measured the foam. You could also make a paper template if you don't want to risk messing up.
Seventh: cover the foam with batting
Cut and staple batting over the foam, cutting off the excess. This helps to smooth out any bumps and makes a nice canvas for the fabric. You need to put batting on the outsides of the arms, below where the seat cushion will go, the section in front of and below the cushion and on the back-BUT, don't put the batting on the back yet.
Eighth: fabric upholstering
This is the best part when you finally start to see results. At this point you need to cut the fabric in sections like you did with the foam. Measure the length and the width of the fabric and cut it, but make sure and leave a few extra inches this time because you need to pull it and staple it. Staple fabric on the chair and cut the excess off. Here are some specific instructions for each section. I would also recommend upholstering in this order. Make sure and put the fabric really tight so that the upholstery looks professional. I was able to do this by myself, but if you have someone to help you it might be helpful.Here is the order that I would suggest. The pictures are for reference- but do not necessarily correspond to the upholstery- I got really exciting during upholstery and the camera never came out :(
Inside Wings:
Staple on just like with the foam. Make sure and pull the fabric through the back of the chair, wrap around and then staple so that staples are hidden. This also gives you more leverage to pull it tight.
Outside Wings:
Fold the fabric under so that the edge us a fold and not a cut. See photo below. Then staple around the edges just like with the inside of the wings.
Inside Arms:
Full the fabric below and staple the fabric underneath chair. Then full fabric up and around the chair arm and staple underneath the arm. Make sure the fabric is tight and make sure to get the staple as close to the arm as possible.
Backrest:
Pull fabric around top and through the bottom and staple on the backside of the chair. Pull sides through and staple on the back.
Outside Below Arms and Wings:
Fold edge under so that edges are folded and no cut edges are exposed. Start stapling underneath the arm, pull tight and staple the bottom fabric underneath the chair. Staple around the back and around the arm. Continue to make sure the fabric is taut.
Front Below Seat Cushion:
Staple fabric on with edges folded under so cut edges are not exposed. Pull bottom fabric underneath chair and staple. Make sure and follow the pattern of the chair and pull tight so that there aren't any gaps between the fabric and the wood.
Below Where the Seat Cushion Will Go:
Put fabric down and pull through the bottom. Staple on sides of the chair from underneath so that the staples are not showing.
Nine: Cording
You can either buy colored cording of make coordinating cording like I did.
Ten: Cushion Cover and Zipper
Sew cording around the top piece of fabric. Sew middle section onto cording and top piece of fabric. Add the zipper to the back of the fabric. Sew cording onto the bottom piece of fabric. Finally, with the fabric inside out, sew the top and bottom pieces together to form the cushion cover. Turn cover inside out and insert the batting covered foam cushion. The cushion cover should fit tightly. Any adjustments to the cushion cover can be made by turning the cover inside out and resewing.
Eleven: Back of Chair
Now you need to finish up the back of the chair. First put on some batting and staple on. Then measure, cut and staple on the back piece. Like before, make sure you fold the edges under so that only the folds are showing and edges are underneath. Staple the fabric on the bottom underneath the chair. Make sure and staple the fabric as closely to the edges as possible.
Twelve: Front of arms
Measure the section and cut the fabric. Every chair is different so you will have to figure out what looks best with your chair. If you decided to staple this piece on, you will want to use cording to cover the staples. I wanted to use studs on the arms, so I hot glued this pieces on so that there wouldn't be staples exposed.
Thirteen: Stud Tacks (OPTIONAL)
Add studs to the arms or any other parts of the chair that you would like.
Fourteen: Cording
Add cording to the chair over all the staples. Apply the cording with hot glue or fabric glue. This will make the chair look really professional and give it a finished look.
Fifteen: Scotchgard
To finish the chair, spray the fabric with Scotchgard . This will help keep the chair from getting stained.
Enjoy your chair and all the hard work you put in. I sure do love mine and I'm itching to do another upholstery project already.
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