new life for old chairs

I got this little dining set in Hamilton in 2021 and finally got the time, tools and supplies to reupholster them in 2026. Sorry to anyone who sat on these rock hard, sad old chairs over the last 5 years. They’re comfie now!

I didn’t know what was under this crinkly, sweaty, ripped yellowed plastic but I was ready to find out!

before

amateur furniture archeology

You really find out the whole life of a piece of furniture (and sometimes more than you wanted to know about it’s owners) when you strip it. I like seeing all the different eras of stuffing and fabric and tacks and staples that get accumulated in the life of something that’s easy to improve like this.

out with the old

in with the new

I had new 1” foam and Dacron from my friend at Alchemy Upholstery and three possible material choices in my stash…

mid-century chair with original upholstery

using staple dykes to remove the old furniture nails

seeing the layers of upholstery added over the life of the chairs

seeing just how little padding everyone had been suffering through for 60 years

all the material choices I had in my stash

gluing new 1" foam and Dacron to the wooden seats

BARELY ENOUGH. Desperate, technically incorrect measures were taken.

did one to completion to make sure I would be happy with them before gluing everything or cutting up the rest of my small remnant

One done, three to go! Motivation really kicked in here.

Seeing the bright green make the dark wood pop really made me fall in love with this set all over again!

what a difference

I can’t believe I didn’t take this same photo before and I can’t believe I didn’t really imagine this change would make such a difference. This is probably my most gratifying home project so far!