Chair Makeover

October 25, 2011


Chair Makeover
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    Found at any thrift store or yard sale—dated fabric, paint chipping—old chairs keep their potential hidden. With our makeover tips and techniques, learn to see all they really can be. Get inspired by one of our three looks, or by combining all three, challenge yourself to a full-on chair overhaul.

Look One: Refreshed Fabric
New fabric can make your chair pop or feel right at home in a space. When choosing your fabric, look to window treatments, rugs and furniture for inspiration. The colors, patterns and textures found in these accents can inspire contrast or cohesion.

  • Reupholster: Find a pattern you love—think florals or stripes—or opt for a solid-colored fabric. Don’t forget textured materials like velvet or leather. Once you’ve selected your material, use our upholstery basics to update the fabric.


  • Paint: Following our instructions for painting fabric, give cotton material a one-of-a-kind design. With stencils, try monogramming your family’s initials on the seat, or with a stamp, create your own pattern.

Quick Tip

Febreze To keep your home smelling fresh, try Febreze® Fabric Refresher™ as a part of your regular cleaning routine. Simply spray fabric upholstery, curtains, carpet and other hard-to-wash fabrics; the fine mist helps eliminate odors from fabric and air.

Look Two: Restored Frame
Turn to your room’s décor for inspiration when choosing a look, or if possible, let your chair’s fabric influence the frame. Try a red or blue finish. Or if the fabric is the focal point, try a non-competitive earth tone or selection from the gray scale.

Paint
  • Paint: Consult our painting basics for metal or wood when reviving your frame’s appearance. For a cluster of chairs, paint them all one color, or get creative with complementary colors. Painting details can be fun, too. For example, paint carved textures on the arms of a chair one color that differs from the rest of the piece.
  • Stain: With just the right stain finish, achieve neutral tones while showcasing a wooden chair’s grain. For our staining instructions, read Make Old Wood Look New Again.
  • Bare: In lieu of a major makeover, sanding a wooden piece bare and sealing it with a matte finish can give it that natural look that never goes out of style.

Quick Tip

Febreze Clean and condition home surfaces to a shine with Swiffer® Dust & Shine with the Freshness of Febreze® furniture polish. With a light, even mist that’s easy to spray, it wipes away greasy fingerprints, smudges and other smears.

Look Three: Sweet Embellishments
Embellishments can give a piece a fancier, polished look. Try adding one, a few, or all three of these accents.

  • Buttons: Thread one end of a 2’ piece of twine through your button, then thread both ends of twine through the eye of an upholstery needle (found at an upholstery shop or online). Move the needle halfway up the twine, then push it through your fabric, cushion and backing. Pull the twine as tight as possible, then tightly knot it around a washer to secure.
  • Upholstery Upholstery TacksTacks: Find decorative upholstery tacks (also called nail head trim) at a hardware store or online. These most often come in strips, so to apply them, simply hammer them into the chair’s wooden frame, following the packaging’s instructions. We suggest using a rubber mallet to avoid removing the tacks’ finish.
  • Decorative Trim: From a craft or fabric store, purchase decorative trim (think fringe or tassels), and use nails to hammer it around your cushion or along the inside of the base cushion’s frame. When topped with upholstery tacks, trim can look especially lovely.

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