Gainfully Unemployed: The $25 Quick & Easy Reupholster

Many years ago, B.K., (that's Before Kids), hubby and I bought a cute little dinette set for our condo. I loved the simple, yet elegant lines of the chairs, and the light beige of the seats that went with just about any color theme I had picked for my dining room.

Of course, now I have two very sticky fingered little boys and my light beige fabric was definitely beginning to show it's age. It didn't make sense to buy a new dinette set and I certainly didn't have the money to have the chairs professionally reupholstered. What's a gal to do but go to her local fabric store, keep her fingers crossed and hope for the best?

With one of my best friends and the unscrewed chair bottom in tow, I checked out JoAnn Fabrics' offerings. I was immediately drawn to a beautiful paisley patterned cloth. But the $54.99/yard sticker price had me running to the clearance section!!! There, my friend found dark gray fabric that was perfect for masking accidental spills, and with it's $8/yd price, it was perfect for my budget.

The staff at JoAnn's were really helpful. They patiently explained which type of cloth would be best suited for my project; and since I brought the seat with me, they were able to tell me exactly how much fabric I needed. If you're a novice at fabrics, I highly recommend this store.

Cost:
1.5 yds of fabric (for 4 chairs)................$12
Heavy duty staple gun............................$10
Heavy duty staples.................................$2.25

The staple gun and staples originally cost $20 and $4.50, respectively; but, while we were in line, my friend downloaded JoAnn's mobile app and I got those two items at 50% off. Moral of this story, don't forget to bring your smartphone when you're out shopping!!

Below are the steps we took to reupholster the chairs:

You'll need, of course, your fabric, staple gun, and staples. I used 1.5 yds, but, be sure to measure your seats prior to purchase. I included how much I used to provide you with an estimate.

Next step, unscrew those seat cushions!!

Now lay the right side of the fabric facing down on the floor. Position your seat as show below. It order to keep this project easy for a newbie like me, we kept the old fabric on the cushions. Make sure your old cushions are clean. Stains, obviously, are okay. :)

If you're using a patterned fabric, please remember to have your designs all facing the same direction!!

Staple each side down as shown below. After you've down this, you'll be able to finish stapling each side down without worrying about your seat moving off of the center of the cloth.