How to Reupholster a Chair Cushion

Wondering how to reupholster a chair cushion? It’s pretty easy—here’s how I replaced the fabric on the cushion of this $10 chair, and how you can do it too!

Learn how to easily reupholster a chair cushion

Earlier today, as I was working on reupholstering the cushion for my new desk chair, I said to Mike, “If you would have told me one year ago that I’d be reupholstering my own furniture, I’d laugh.” And there I was, stapling fabric onto a Habitat for Humanity ReStore $10 chair.

Turns out, the great thing about reupholstering a chair cushion is that it’s reeeeally easy. Although it sounds like something you need to be qualified to do, it’s really something that you only need some fabric and a hand-held staple gun to do. And it only takes three steps.

When we first saw the chair, it was in rough shape. I couldn’t tell if it was stained or purposefully distressed and discolored, and the cushion was a murky fabric with something cursive written on it. Here it is before a few coats of paint and some new fabric:

Here’s what I used…

• Chair cushion.
• Fabric & scissors.
• Measuring tape (I didn’t measure my fabric; instead, I eye-balled it and cut the excess fabric off after stapling).
• Hand-held staple gun. (You don’t need anything fancy. I have this one, and it works just fine.)

And here’s how to reupholster a chair cushion!

Step 1: Remove old fabric

Before I got started, I had to rip the old fabric off. You’ll probably be able to do it with just your hands, but you may need the help of a flat-head screw driver to pry up some of the staples.

I quickly found out that this cushion had been recovered at least once before. I pulled off the fabric and was ready to get started on the new piece.

Step 2: Measure, mark, & cut new fabric

Choose a fabric, measure it, and cut it. Make sure you leave enough to wrap around each of the four cushion edges. I chose a stretchy knit fabric to give myself a little wiggle room and to ensure I could fit it snugly around the cushion.

Since it was stretchy, I didn’t need to iron it first. If you want to be lazy and not measure, you can wrap the fabric over your chair cushion to ensure you have a big-enough piece before cutting it.

Step 3: Staple the first side on

Lay the fabric out with the right side facing down. Then, set the cushion upside down on top of the fabric and start stapling the first side of the cushion.

To do so, simply staple a straight line along one side of the cushion (below, left photo). When you’re done, pull the fabric tight to ensure your next line of staples (the opposite side) doesn’t leave any fabric wrinkles.

Step 4: Finish stapling

Staple the side opposite of the side you just completed; then, staple the two remaining sides. Think of it like wrapping a present. You want to wrap opposite ends first, then the sides. Make sure you’re pulling the fabric tightly around the corners as you staple.

Before you know it, you’ll be done stapling. You can trim the excess fabric if you ended up having too much excess.

While I was working on the cushion, I gave the chair a few coats of gray to match my desk. I used two coats of Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Primitive (see all colors here). Then, since I’m not a huge fan of the distressed look, I finished it off with two coats of Minwax Satin Polycrylic Protective Finish, which gives a nice egg-shell sheen.

Here’s the final product with the cushion popped back on. See? Super easy, and the chair has a much cleaner, brighter look than before.

Like this? Check out my tips for How to Make No-Sew Pillows, my post outlining a Beeswax and Coconut Oil Candles Recipe, and my guide for How to Refinish Wood Furniture!

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