Reupholstering: Chair Edition!

For those who frequent the thrift stores, you know the difference between a good deal, and a GREAT deal. I love looking for that diamond in the rough and being able to take it home and work a little DIY magic on it. I found one of those great deals last August, and this is how my project turned out!

Let's take a quick trip back to December 2013...After rearranging our living room furniture to put the Christmas tree up, my husband and I ended up really liking the new arrangement. What we didn't like was the gaping hole it left in front of our large living room window. 

Yay new arrangement!

Boo gaping hole.

We started looking for chairs, but we kept running into the problem of expensive, poor quality, and frankly, uncomfortable chairs. $250 for a chair that we'd really only use when guests come over? No, thank you!

Harley approved.

As with most great thrift store finds, the day you go in, looking for nothing in particular, is the day you find exactly what you've been looking for all along. Luckily for me, it was a Saturday when I wandered into Salvo, which meant all furniture was 50%! I laid my eyes on these vintage beauties, and after some furious texting back and forth with Mr. Ben (aka convincing him I could work some magic on the chairs), I decided to purchase them. To my delight, I got all 3 for $25! That completely confirmed my suspicions that these chairs were the ones for our home.

Pretty wood and 1970s (?) fabric? I don't hate it.

I immediately uploaded photos of the chairs to Instagram with a desperate "Somebody-please-tell-me-how to-reupholster!" plea attached. With the help of my dear friend (who is the blogging/Paleo-ing/crafting Queen over at Domestic360) and others, and with a little internet research myself, I dove head first into my first reupholstery project.

After I got going, it really turned out to be a fairly simple-ish project. There were so many staples to take out, which really turned out to be one of the worst parts. I used a flat head screwdriver to pry the screws up, and then pliers to take them out. With a curious puppy roaming underfoot who has an appetite for the inedible, I was super careful about throwing all of my staples away! I replaced the old wool with batting and also added more foam to the seat cushion to give it a bit of fluff and bounce. I wish I could say I was super technical when adding the batting (rhyme?), but I wasn't. If I felt like it needed more, then I put another layer in. Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me in the butt someday...

The beginning. 

Exposing the OLD wool and just the first layer of staples beneath.

With the advice of friends, I took many photos along the way so I would know exactly how things went back together. The scariest part was the moment of stapling. There's no going back after that first staple goes in! (Helpful hint: If the backrest of your chair is curved like mine, I would suggest having a husband/friend/parent help you hold the fabric taut for those first few staples. Cutting down on wobbliness, especially when using an electric stapler, is key!)

There were a few minor hiccups and brain farts when it came to sewing a new seat cover, but once again, I got by with a little help from my friends...namely, Corey, the sewing diva (the blogging/Paleo-ing/crafting Queen I was talking about). Once I got the cover finished, it slipped over the seat and I was able to staple it down myself, sans hubby. There are only a few things more empowering than using a power tool to create something beautiful...I AM WOMAN. HEAR ME ROAR.

Ta-da!

In the end, I'm super pleased with how the chairs turned out, and although it took me longer than I hoped (I finished the second chair in December...sorry honey!), I'd do it again. The fabric was just what I wanted, and although it did pain me a bit to spray paint the wooden frame, I love how the white looks. Whether tackling a similar project or doing something completely differing, my crafting philosophy is this: It's always better to make something yourself, and exactly how you want it. With a lucky trip to Salvo and the perfect fabric from Hob Lob, we now have two chairs that look lovely in our living room, and that we didn't break the bank for. With materials, it cost me around $30 per chair. You can't beat that! (Oh, and Harley loves them too).

"Thanks for making this for me," says Harley. "Also, thanks for this blanket. I'll keep you around awhile."

Yep, it's hers.

Have you ever reupholstered something? Was it a total success or total disaster? I'm no expert by any means, but I'd love to answer any questions you have. And who knows, maybe sometime this summer I'll tackle that third chair and take photos along the way to put together a more detailed blog post about the process! (I wouldn't hold your breath for that one...)


Happy Reupholstering, friends!