« Updated Leopard Chair »
Thursday, August 16, 2012 
A few years back it was time to get a new car. What I had previously was a four door sedan with awful gas mileage and a tendency to frequent the mechanic. I had only three requirements for my new vehicle.
1. It had to get good gas mileage.
2. It had to be a neat/uncommon color.
3. It had to be some form of a hatchback.
The gas mileage is a no brainer. The color is because I like my things weird and I know what really matters in a car :) The hatchback is because I have a tendency to bring large things home. Like 8 foot pieces of wood and chairs from garage sales. Don't think I didn't get these things home when I had a sedan. I did. I just don't know how street legal my trips home were.
Flash back to the current time and place and I've reupholstered yet another chair. To be honest, it's not the first and it won't be the last. As a matter of fact, I have yet another diamond in the rough sitting out in my garage just waiting for the perfect fabric. So, at best, this is the next to the last chair recovering post, but no promises.
The thing about a chair is that it is small enough that it can be tucked into a corner and forgotten. BUT when you have more company than normal over... BAM! You suddenly have an extra seat. Plus, whenever you're changing out light bulbs in that room there is no need to run and get the step ladder. BAM! Drag the chair over.
I have decided that I won't rest until every single room in my house has it's very own, crazy cute, corner chair. The chair you're looking at now is my awesome living room leopard chair and I love it!
Want to reupholster your own chair? It's really, really easy and super rewarding. You will need:
- chair with good bones (if it's rickety, missing a leg, etc. it may be a lost cause)
- new chair padding (available at hobby stores near pillow stuffing)
- batting (in the same section as padding)
- approximately 1/2 yard of fabric
- spray adhesive
- staple gun
- scissors
- sandpaper
- spray primer
- spray polyurethane
- wood putty
- paint and paint brush
STEP 1: Disassemble your chair, placing screws and the like someplace that they will be found again. Take your chair and sand it everywhere, taking a bit more time at any spot that is overly beaten up. Use wood putty if necessary to even out, sanding smooth after dry.
Spray your chair with several coats of primer (I always wind up using 1 full can per chair, FYI) allowing to dry in between. Take a quick look at the texture. Is there anywhere the spray did something funny? If so, run over quickly with very fine sandpaper to fix up.
Using a good quality brush, or a sponge brush, paint at least two coats of paint onto the woodwork. Be sure to flip over so that you also get the underside.
Finish with a coat or two of polyurethane. Allow to dry fully.
STEP 2: Trace the bottom of your chair onto the new foam topper. They are available at hobby stores near the stuffing for pillows and stuffed animals. They range from 1 inch to 3 inch in thickness. I chose 3 inch because my bootie appreciates the extra comfort.
Use very large, very sharp scissors or a knife to cut the foam to the correct size. Spray the foam with your adhesive and attach to the seat. Allow a couple of moments to dry.
Cover the foam and seat with batting and staple to the bottom.
STEP 3: Place your fabric face down on the ground. If you want any particular portion of the pattern to show on the seat, try to center that portion of the fabric. Place your wood seat and new foam pad on top of the fabric. Pull over the back and use your staple gun to attach.
STEP 4: Retrieve the chair's hardware and reattach the seat to the wood frame. Give it a quick test and place in its new home. Stand back and admire the awesomeness that is your new chair and your bad self.
Reader Comments (4)
I always love the bright color after look. Great job! :)
Lol... I love your story about your car. I was in the same boat earlier this year--had all the same requirements you had--went with a Prius. Surprisingly (because of the hatch back) I can get a ton of stuff in it! I love this chair--spotted it on Craft Gawker!
Thanks so much, ladies, for stopping by with sweet comments! My hatchback is a godsend. Seriously! I could get crazy sized/amounts of things home in my sedan with a lot of effort and scratched up doors, but I think I sometimes surprise the neighbors with the amount of junk that comes out of my hatchback after a thrifting trip!
I had to design and construct and upholster a chair for my studio project. I have a new respect for upholstery. You can kinda get a peek at the chair here: http://harpermatiko.blogspot.com/2012/08/take-seat.html
Nice upholstery job!