Step One

Using my reversible screwdriver, I unscrewed the chair bottom and back from the chair frame. Put those screws in a safe place, as you will need them again to put the chair back together later.

Step Two

Using the flat screwdriver side, I pried all the staples from the chair. Since it’s upholstered in layers, there were layers of staples. Take your time and make sure to remove all of them that are holding the fabric, batting, and foam on. If there are any stubborn staples, use the pliers to yank those staples out. Dispose of all the old staples.

Step Three

Peel the old fabric off the bottom and back. If your chair is like mine, the foam isn’t glued on and will easily peel off. You should be left with the basic structural pieces of the chair. For me that was a piece of MDF for the seat and a curved frame with matboard for the back…not sure if that was original or something my dad DIYed years ago. Anyway, obviously that was holding up well enough for a few decades.

Step Four

Spread your table cloth on the floor.

Step Five

Time to add new foam! For the bottom, I discovered that I’d ordered square and not rectangle foam, though in the end this worked out ok, as the exact size wasn’t available. On the MDF top (staple mark free), I sprayed a thick layer of Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Spray. I centered a cushion foam square onto the seat, and pressed hard to adhere it. Set the seat aside while we move onto the chair back.

Step Six

For the chair backing, lay it onto the Project Foam. Flip it forward, so you know how much foam you need to cover the front, top, and back. Use a ruler and marker to draw the rectangle sized to your chair back. Using the scissors, cut out the rectangle. This should be easy to do, as the Project Foam isn’t super thick like the Cushion Foam. It’s ok if the cuts are a little wonky and the foam is a little bigger than the chair back, as this will be hidden when it’s wrapped with batting and fabric later.

Step Seven

Spray adhesive on the back, top, and front of the chair back. Quickly wrap the foam rectangle around the chair back, and press firmly. You can shift the foam a bit if needed. The foam will stick best while the adhesive is freshly applied, and will stay stuck in place.

Step Eight

Just like with measuring the foam for the backing, lay the chair back onto a double layer of batting. However for this rectangle, you want the sides and bottom to overlap a little. Use the ruler and marker to measure out the rectangle if needed. Use the scissors to cut it out. It will be stretched later, so don’t fret too much about the size. A little small can be stretched to fit snuggly, and too big can be stretched with excess cut off. You can save the scraps for small projects.

Step Nine

Overlap the batting onto the bottom of the chair backing. Staple it into place, with the staples about 2 inches apart. Start in the center, and work your way out, adjusting the batting as needed. If you get any wonky staple, you can pull them out with the pliers. If any go straight, but not flush (flat to the chair), you can use the hammer to flat them.

Step Ten

Wrap the batting tight over the back, top, and front, overlapping the bottom again. Pull the batting tightly, so it molds to the shape of the chair backing. Mine is curved. Work from the center out. Make sure to avoid stapling into the staples from the previous layer. Cut away any excess batting along the bottom, with the scissors.

Step Eleven

Do the same thing for the sides. Folding the ends over flat and cutting away any extra batting or excess bulk. Where the screw holes are, cut the batting away with scissors. This will make screwing the back onto the frame much easier later. Set the chair back aside.

Step Twelve

I found that for my chair seat, that the thickness of the project foam perfectly filled the gaps from the cushion foam’s size. Similar to the chair back, I measured out a piece of Project Foam that fit across the Cushion foam, and down the sides to sit flush with the wood. I used scissors to cut the project foam to the needed size. Be careful not to cut into the cushion foam.

Step Thirteen

I laid my chair seat onto a double layer of batting. To measure the needed size, I pulled the batting up on each side until it overlapped the back about 2 inches. Remember, any excess can be easily cut away later. If needed, use a ruler and marker to draw the rectangle of batting. Use scissors to cut it out.

Step Fourteen

Starting with one side, attach the batting to the back with staples, about 2 inches apart, working from the center out. Leave the corners alone for now. Stretch the batting over the opposite side. Staple the batting smoothly into place along that side, to the back. Repeat the same thing with the remaining two sides, making sure the batting it tight and smooth. Cut away any excess batting, especially where the screw holes are.

Step Fifteen

There are various ways to wrap corners, but this is the way I chose. Complete one corner at a time. Stretch the corner of the batting up and over the backing, making sure it’s smooth. Add one staple to secure it.

Step Sixteen

16) Pleat one side of the corner, folding in and smoothing the excess fabric. Use one or two staples to secure it. Repeat for the other side of the corner. Cut away any excess batting.

Repeat Steps 15 & 16 for the other 3 corners.

Step Seventeen

My corduroy fabric has a directional nap and wail to it, so I had to keep that in mind when choosing how it will go onto the seat and back. Like you did to measure the batting, lay the seat onto the wrong side of the fabric and mark a measurement where the fabric will overlap the seat back by a few inches. Since my fabric is dark, I used white chalk to mark the fabric measurements. Again any excess can be cut off later.

Step Eighteen

Pull the fabric up along the back of one side. Secure the fabric with staples about 1 inch apart, working from the center out. If your fabric has a visible direction, keep this in mind while stapling the fabric.  Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to pull the fabric tight and smooth. Repeat on the other two sides. Leave all of the corners free.

Step Nineteen

Work one corner at a time. Pull the corner of the fabric up and over the backing, smooth and tightly. Secure with a couple staples. Pleat one corner side, cutting way excess fabric if needed. Secure with several closely places staples. Repeat with the other corner side. Remember, no one is going to look at the bottom of the chair. While the stapling doesn’t need to be super neat, it does need to be very secure. Repeat for the other 3 corners.

Step Twenty

Cut away any excess fabric, making sure the screw holes don’t have any fabric overlapping them. Sit the set on the chair frame. We’ll get back to it in a few steps.

Step Twenty-one

For the chair back, cut a piece of fabric just like you did for the backing, plus a little extra fabric to fold in the raw edges. Use the chalk and ruler to help mark this rectangle.

Step Twenty-two

Staple one long side of fabric to the bottom of the chair back, working from the center out.

Step Twenty-three

Wrap the fabric tightly around the back, smoothing it out. Fold in the edge of the fabric. Staple it securely, working from the center out, adjusting the fabric as needed. Leave the corners free.

Step Twenty-four

Wrap the sides the same way, making sure to cut away the fabric where it would overlap the screw holes and the 2nd edge is folded over the 1st one. Don’t worry about this fraying, as the chair frame will cover it later. Repeat for the other side.

Step Twenty-five

For the top corners, I folded them into triangles, stapling them down along the sides. Cut away excess fabric bulk if needed, before stapling.

Step Twenty-six

For the bottom corners, I folded those into triangles and stapled them to the bottom. You can see that in the photo for step 23.

Step Twenty-seven

Line the seat bottom up with the chair frame and screw holes. Carefully sit on the chair, to squish it down into place. Using the screwdriver and screws, secure the chair seat back onto the frame.

Step Twenty-eight

My chair back is angled, so it was a bit tricky to line back up to the screw holes, but I managed with a little wiggling to precisely line up the holes. Using the screwdriver and screws, secure the chair back onto the chair frame.