Can Office Chairs Be Reupholstered?
Believe it or not, it is super easy to reupholster your office chair.
It only requires a few steps and the ability to follow instructions.
Even if you have no sewing or fabric skills, you should be able to reupholster your office chair, whether it is falling apart or you want to add your own personality to it.
To learn exactly how to reupholster office chairs, keep reading.
This article fully explains why office chairs are easy to reupholster and what you will need to do to get the job done.
Can Office Chairs Be Reupholstered? Yes!
Many people do not realize that they can reupholster office chairs, but it is fully possible to do so.
Reupholstering office chairs is a lot easier than other chairs and furniture. You do not need any carpentry or sewing experience to reupholster office chairs.
Unlike many other furniture types that require reupholstering, office chairs do not need specialty carpentry tools.
Likewise, you don’t have to stretch out the material or go to specialty shops to find materials suitable for the chair.
Just by going to a local hardware or craft shop, you can get everything you need to reupholster the chair.
In addition to requiring basic materials, reupholstering an office chair can take very little time.
You don’t have to worry about your office chair being out of the office for too long. Just by taking the chair home on the weekend, you can easily upholster it.
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How to Reupholster An Office Chair?
Even though reupholstering an office chair is super easy, you have to know what you need and what you need to do to get the job done.
Although there are various tutorials, almost all of them offer the same instructions.
That’s because office chairs normally have the same design, which makes it straightforward to reupholster their cushions.
What You’ll Need:
- Thick fabric
- Screwdrivers
- Fabric scissors
- Eye goggles
- Spray glue
- Staple gun
Prep:
Before you reupholster the seat, there are a few things you will need to do to prep the job.
Prepping the job primarily includes picking out your ideal fabric and removing the cushions and their current upholstery.
Only after finishing the prep steps can you move on to reupholstering your office chair.
Pick Out Your Fabric
If you want to reupholster your office chair, the first thing you want to do is pick out your fabric. It’s best to select a thick, heavy-duty material.
Many crafters recommend outdoor fabric because it is very smooth. You can select a neutral fabric or patterned fabric. The choice is yours.
Remove The Cushions:
After you have finished selecting the fabric of your choice, you will need to prep the chair. Prepping the chair includes taking the seat apart.
Most office chairs only have two cushioned areas: the backrest and the seat cushion. You will want to detach both of these cushions, or however many cushions there are on your chair.
Most office chairs are easy to separate from the cushions. In most cases, you will only need to unscrew the screws that are holding the cushions in place.
Make sure you store the screws in an area where you will not lose them.
Also, take note of where everything goes so that you can put the chair back together whenever you are finished.
Remove the Upholstery:
With the cushions removed, you will also want to remove the current fabric.
You can do this by locating the staples that are connecting the fabric to the seat. Remove the staples using a flathead screwdriver and pry them up.
Rip the fabric back, but you don’t have to be gentle or worry about ripping the fabric since you’re replacing it.
Note that some cushions will have a plastic back.
If your cushion has a plastic back, remove it gently and set it to the side because you will reinstall this backing on your reupholstered cushion.
Instructions
Finally, it’s time to reupholster the seat. Here is what you will do:
Cut Your Fabric:
Roll your selected fabric out and place the cushion over top. Cut the fabric so that there are a couple of extra inches left that you pull over the back.
You don’t want to cut too much fabric. Cutting too much will mean you don’t have enough fabric to work with.
So, err on the side of caution and make sure there are several inches to work with.
Attach the Fabric to the Cushion:
Put on eye protection and then apply spray glue to the back of the fabric. Place it onto the cushion. Then, pull the fabric so that it is on the back of the cushion.
Fold the fabric in pleats or similar shapes. These pleats will allow the fabric to sit on the corners nicely and look professionally done.
Use a staple gun to staple the fabric into place. Do not pull the fabric too tight because that will lead to wrinkles and an unattractive appearance.
Additionally, staple around the cushion to ensure that all of the fabric is in place.
Repeat and Reinstall Cushions:
If there is any extra fabric left, cut it off. Repeat all of these steps for as many cushions as you need.
If there was plastic on your original upholstery, re-attach it to the back of your cushion with a staple gun.
Lastly, all you need to do is reattach the cushion using the screws that you removed earlier.
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Final Thoughts
So, can office chairs be reupholstered?
If your office chair is falling apart or looks too bland for your taste, consider reupholstering it.
Even though reupholstering an office chair may sound challenging, it is an easy task that even beginner crafters can accomplish.
By following the steps above, you can reupholster your office chair.
If this is your first time working with fabric, work slowly and err on the side of caution by only cutting fabric away gently and slowly.
This will ensure that you don’t cut away too much fabric and ruin the job.
