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| One of the folding chairs I brought home |
"Oh, sure you can do it," encouraged my friend Sharron as we examined the folding chairs our church was giving away when they began a remodeling of our activity center and kitchen. "But if you decide to fix them up, you have to take pictures and share what you did." Hmmm. Do I really want to take on a new project? And document the process? I had been thinking about buying new folding chairs to replace some very flimsy ones we had been using, so with Sharron nudging me, I took four of the church's folding chairs.
The heavy metal frame with an upholstered back and seat meant they were very comfortable, even for large framed bodies like my husband. Because of their frequent use for church meals, the upholstery was getting rather dirty despite frequent cleanings. I would need to reupholster them and probably repaint the frames. Do I want to do this job? Do we want to spend money on free chairs? Maybe I will hire someone to do some of this. Decisions!!
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| Step 1 Remove the seat |
The first thing I did was remove the seat. Yes, I can recover this but that composition board will be difficult to staple into. Next I removed the fabric from the seat by prying out 35 staples, using a very small screw driver and needle nose pliers.
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| Tools needed to remove fabric from the seat |
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| A padded seat |
Under the fabric I found foam padding glued to the board. The padding appeared to be in fairly good condition, no crumbling or deterioration. Savings #1, I would not have to buy new padding, but it was clear that the combination of a foam pad and a very hard board would make stapling the new fabric needed a professional touch. I had recovered dining chairs and knew that the bounceback from the staple gun would be a real challenge to a smooth seat cover. So I began to search for an upholsterer who would accept this small job at a reasonable cost.
The first shop I looked for was now an auto repair shop in a series of warehouses. The shop owner did not know where Jorge had moved to, but he had his phone number and would call him. With the new address and directions in hand I searched for the shop, found it in another series of warehouses. Yes, he would do the job for $40 a chair (cut and sew fabric, attach it to the wood parts) and even sell me the fabric needed at $20 a yard but I would need at least 3 or 4 yards.
The next shop I found was behind a Chinese restaurant and the address was the same as the restaurant. I almost gave up looking for it until I saw a small sign with the shop's name and an arrow directing me to a small door. Yes, he would do the job for $40 a chair if I would sew each cover and bring them for him to staple on to the seats.
The third shop was the furthest from home but highly recommended by a friend. She had used them for years to cover her antique sofas and chairs and was very pleased with their work and prices. Their shop was the easiest to find and the most reasonable, $30 per chair if I sew the fabric for the seats. I now had a professional to help with the hard stuff.
Additionally, I needed to price fabric. Again three stores, very different selections and prices. I settled on an upholstery specialty shop with a huge selection of fabrics and found a neutral brown fabric that was sturdy and wouldn't show dirt for many years. With the width of that yardage in mind, I took apart one of the seat covers, measured the pieces and created a cutting layout.
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| What fabric pieces I would need times four |
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| The new fabric |
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| Marking each part of each chair. . . |
Now the hard part began. I marked each part of each chair as I carefully disassembled the pieces. Screws, chair seat, chair back, chair frame, fabric of the first one marked #1. Same with chair #2, 3 and 4.
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| . . . and each frame |
Then I washed each frame with a Lysol solution. I was surprised at how much food was hidden in the crevices of each frame. After a few hours to dry I was now off to paint the frames. I had never spray painted anything, always a brush or roller. I was amazed at how easy it was! Oh, sure, there were a few drips on the first frame, but I got better with practice. I like the hammered look to the finish and the dark color will blend in well with wood furniture.
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| Ready to paint |
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| The paint |
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| Two down and two to go |
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| I like the hammered finish |
Two done and two to go. My 'trigger finger' started to cramp so I stopped for the day. If tomorrow is another clear day I can finish this part of the project. Next step, cutting and sewing. Maybe I will have it all done by Thanksgiving. Yeah!!
