July 14, 2022, 10:46 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Giving old furniture a new shine or even a completely different function–that’s the focus of the myHOMEBOOK series “Revamped.” In the fifth episode, DIY and upcycling expert Thomas Klotz shows how to renew an old cushion.
Old furniture pieces have their own special charm. However, they do age–this is especially evident with old chairs or stools with seat cushions, which rarely withstand the test of time unscathed. But these pieces are far too valuable to discard! That’s why myHOMEBOOK, together with upcycling expert Thomas Klotz from Berlin, demonstrates how to reupholster furniture–in this case, an old stool.
Reupholstering a Stool–What You Need
To reupholster a stool or chair, you obviously need an old, upholstered piece of furniture. These can often be found at flea markets or antique shops. The choice of fabric is a matter of taste, but you should ensure that the fabric and pattern match the rest of the furniture.
Material
- Upholstery fabric
- Foam or upholstery batting
Tools and Equipment
- Staple gun
- Cordless screwdriver
- Pliers (if the old fabric was stapled)
Renewing Furniture Upholstery–Here’s How
As you can see from the short list of materials and tools, it doesn’t take much to reupholster old furniture. This project is also very suitable for beginners. Here’s how:
- First, the old cushion must be removed. To do this, unscrew the seat cushion from the stool.
- Next, remove the old fabric from the seat. How you do this depends on how the old fabric was attached. In our case, it was stapled, so we used pliers. Otherwise, you can use another tool, such as a butter knife.
- Before attaching the new fabric, secure new upholstery batting to pad the seat and make it more comfortable. The batting is stapled to the seat board so it won’t slip. Be sure to pull the batting tight to avoid wrinkles.
- In the next step, attach the upholstery fabric. First, choose the section of the pattern you want to display–professionals refer to this as the “repeat.” Cut the fabric accordingly.
- Then, staple the fabric just like the batting. Finally, trim the excess fabric and reinsert the cushion into the seat. Done!
You can also see the detailed instructions in the video–enjoy recreating!
Also in “Revamped”: