How To Reupholster A Chair Seat Cushion: Easy No Sew Method

If you have a chair or dining chair with damaged or outdated upholstery fabric, you can easily reupholster it with no sewing required. This step-by-step guide will teach you simple tips to update your chairs in minutes.

My desk chair has been reupholstered several times, and I decided it needed another update. Since I had some farmhouse-style stripe fabric left over from another project, I decided to give the chair some farmhouse flair.

Here’s how easy it is to do.

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How To Reupholster A Chair Cushion

To reupholster a chair cushion, begin by purchasing the fabric you desire. You will need approximately 1/2 yard per chair. If you desire an exact measurement, wait until you’ve removed the original fabric.

How To Remove the Chair Seat Cushion

Most chairs of this type have a wooden chair bottom that is screwed from underneath and easily removed with a screwdriver.

You can remove all the fabric from the seat if desired. However, to increase the cushion’s softness, I left the original material and batting in place.

Measure & Cut Fabric

Next, measure your seat bottom and allow approximately three inches additional for all edges. This seat bottom is 20 inches at the widest point, so I cut the fabric 26 inches wide. Do the same for the depth of the seat bottom.

In addition, be sure to allow for any pattern. Since the fabric has a stripe, I ensured the line would be in the center of the cushion once attached.

Gather Supplies to Reupholster A Chair

Here are the supplies I used to reupholster my chair.

1. High Loft Batting Material
2. 1/2 yard of desired fabric
3. 1/4 yard of drop cloth fabric or use the same fabric as the top.
4. Staple Gun & Staples

How To Attach Batting Material

I chose to add a layer of batting to the chair to add extra volume and softness. If you are happy with the softness, you may skip this step.

Begin by wrapping the batting material around the top of the seat bottom and pulling tightly as you staple. Cut off any excess fabric at the corners.

Add Fabric To The Chair Seat Cushion

Next, do the same with the desired fabric. If there is a pattern to consider, be sure to align the material correctly.

Once again, pull the fabric tightly around the edges to ensure that it is smooth once it is turned over and attached to the chair. Also, be sure to tuck the material at the corners.

Finish with Drop Cloth Fabric

The last step is to cover the raw edges of the fabric and batting with another material. I chose to use drop cloth fabric because I have plenty of scraps on hand, it’s cheaper, and it’s a similar color to the fabric I used for the top of the seat cushion.

You can also see this DIY Hand Painted Drop Cloth table runner project.

Re-Attach Seat Cushion

Now, you can re-attach the seat cushion to your chair frame.

Screw the seat cushion back into the chair frame, ensuring that the screw goes through the new material into the wooden frame. If the screws are too short, purchase a slightly longer screw of the same diameter.

The Reupholstered Chair Cushion

I love the Farmhouse feel of the new chair cushion. It’s perfect to use at my desk.

The chair feels brand new and goes from trash to treasure within less than an hour.

Check out this deconstructed chair tutorial to see other chair makeovers.

I had enough fabric to make a small lumbar pillow to make the desk chair super cozy.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I look forward to sharing my next adventures with you.

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