I’m back with Part 3 the final part in the How To Reupholster a Deconstructed Chair series! If you haven’t yet read parts 1 and 2 you should definitely check those out.
I tried really hard to be as thorough as possible both with the photos and when I went step-by-step through the process.
So if you’re new to upholstering or aren’t familiar with what deconstructed furniture is those first 2 posts will be really helpful!
I’m pretty excited to share with you guys the final look of the chair. Just to remind you this is what it looked like before I went to work on it.
I gotta say I’m pretty happy with how this Deconstructed Chair came out!
I should preface that I’m not a professional upholsterer by any means. In fact, I’ve only done a few projects so far. This chair, however, was by far my biggest upholstery project and like any hobby or craft practice makes perfect.
I had been wanting to have a deconstructed piece of furniture for at least a couple of years now. My Pinterest boards are littered with the inspiration of them. So when Tom spotted this chair on the side of the road I thought it was time for me to take a shot at it!
There’s really several different levels of deconstructed furniture in my opinion. The most radical is where the actual material that makes up the chair is completely exposed and makes the chair basically an art piece.
I love that kind of deconstruction, however, I live on a farm and have two dogs a pet pig, and a boyfriend who aren’t delicate on really anything. I just knew that the chair would last all of about probably a month before it got destroyed and I really wanted it to be practical as well as pretty.
So I decided to go with a less obvious kind of deconstruction where the batting and other structural material would be safely covered but other elements would be highlighted like the upholstery tacks and burlap lining.
In Part 1 I shared the whole process of creating the inspiration I was drawing from, and the steps of how to take the existing fabric off without damaging the frame.
Then in Part 2 I went in-depth on how to recreate the tufts and restuff the back piece. This was by far the most time consuming and difficult process but by far the most rewarding result.
Today in How to Reupholster A Chair Part 3 the final part, I’m sharing you how it all came together!
Putting the new fabric back on is pretty straight forward. Like I mentioned in the previous posts it’s pretty much a reference game of working backward from your carefully taken photos you should have taken while taking the original fabric off.
Manipulating the fabric is really a trial and error process. Even though the new fabric was traced from the original patterns it almost never fits back on perfectly, so it’s almost a given you will need to adjust and readjust.
I must have re-tacked my arms at least 4 different times before I got to the desired finished look, so just be patient.
My biggest tip is to try and be as gentle when handling your fabric as possible, and to not nail the tacks in completely until you’re sure you’ve got it exactly how you want it.
This will reduce the number of visible holes created in your fabric and make it easier for you to move the tacks around while your re-adjusting.
Also, a second pair of hands will be so helpful when nailing the fabric in place. I did most of the nailing in myself, though asking Tom to help would have made it go much faster and made it less frustrating. I did, however, have to ask him to help me tightly secure the top where the tufts curved over while I nailed.
Trust me if you can find someone to help you keep the fabric nice and tight while you nail things in place it will be much easier!
Before I added the new fabric on or anything else I sanded my frame down, wiped it with Mineral Spirits and stained it with this wood stain in Golden Oak.
The stain color looks really light from the picture on the can but when applied to whatever type of wood this is it turned to a beautiful golden brown.
Trust me it’s not golden like yellowy which is what I was afraid of. It’s the perfect amount of rich but light brown that really compliments the grains of the wood without masking the natural beauty.
I’m a huge fan of keeping wood it’s natural color, I think it’s versatile for all kinds of home decor looks and in my opinion natural never goes out of style.
I’ve also tried other stain colors from the same brands in English Chesnut, and Dark Walnut but I think this one is my new favorite.
After the stain dried which didn’t take long at all that’s when you can start to reupholster everything.
My chair didn’t come with a cushion, I’m not sure if it originally had one or not but I haven’t decided if I’m going to make one for it yet.
What do you guys think? If you do think it needs one what kind of fabric do you think I should use.
I’ve contemplated between the same burlap that covers the seat and the back of the patterned fabric with maybe a light bluish-green floral or maybe a mustard color to compliment the coming fall colors?
OR
Should I use the same green velvet fabric I upholstered the arms and back with?
You see you guys I can’t make a decision to save my life I need your input. Leave it in the comments below if you have any thoughts.
The chair originally had brass nails that lined the chair accenting its curves that I had planned on adding back on too.
I ended up liking the rawness of the exposed tacks and thought the brass nails would make the chair look too refined and less like a deconstructed chair.
Then again I have a pair of brass vintage castor wheels I might add on the front two legs and then maybe the brass nails would highlight those?
See what I mean, you guys?! I’m terrible.
Speaking of the brass wheels I’ve really been obsessed with brass lately!
I found these castor wheels at a home improvement thrift store called Restore. Do you guys have those wherever you live?
If you don’t have them or know what it is, Restore is a thrift store associated with Habitat For Humanity whose profits all go towards helping to keep the nonprofit running so they can build homes for deserving families in need.
They have tons of home improvement things for sale there. Some of them even have a clothing section and a furniture section.
I got a bunch of the materials I used to build my pet Pig Olivers Piggy Palace. Including both his windows, his insulation, the roof wrap, and other random things like the paint, caulk, and nails.
It’s incredibly affordable when you compare it to getting new at a Home Depot (which by the way is another store I’m completely addicted to).
If they have a Restore near you, you NEED to go there for your next project.
I hope you guys liked this series on How To reupholster A Chair, and hopefully found it helpful.
If you have any questions, or tips on reupholstering leave them in the comments below!
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