Our friend Antonella has done it again—another quick update that made her beautiful home even more striking. On our last visit she was revamping her office; this time she focused on the dining room, re-covering six dining chair seats in a bold, textured fabric. The whole project cost just $68 and took under six hours.
Here’s how she did it:
Choose the fabric
Antonella felt the original white upholstery looked dated and was showing dirt and wear. She wanted a more durable, updated look, so she shopped the January clearance at Calico Corners and found a textured burlap-style fabric at 40% off. Picking a sturdy textile in a color and texture that complements your dining room is a great way to refresh the space without replacing the entire chair.
Remove the chair seats
She began by flipping the chairs over and unscrewing the seat panels from the chair frames. Removing the seats makes the re-covering process faster and more precise, and it keeps the chair frames clean and protected while you work.
Prepare the fabric
With the seats detached, Antonella measured each one, cut the new fabric allowing extra for wrapping, and pinned the new material over the existing upholstery. Measuring carefully and leaving enough overlap for stapling prevents gaps and ensures a smooth finish.
Attach the fabric
Once the fabric was pinned and positioned, she used a staple gun to secure it to the underside of the seat. Starting from the center of each side and working toward the corners helps keep the fabric taut and wrinkle-free. For neat corners, fold the fabric carefully and staple in small increments until the upholstery looks even.
Reattach the seats
With the fabric fully secured, she re-aligned each seat panel and fastened it back onto the chair frame. A quick check to make sure all screws are tight and the seat sits level finishes the job.
This is a simple, budget-friendly way to refresh dining chairs and change the mood of a room. It’s an accessible project for beginners interested in reupholstery: the steps are straightforward, the tools required are minimal, and the results are dramatic. If you enjoy DIY home updates, re-covering chair seats is a satisfying project that delivers high impact for relatively little time and expense.