Covering your kitchen chair seats is as easy as 1, 2, 3..... (OK - 4 in this case.)

You can coordinate all the fabric in your kitchen by tying in the upholstered seats of your chairs and bar stools with window treatments.

In my case, I chose to put the new fabric right over the original cover because it still looked like new. I only recovered them because I wanted a change. By doing this, I can an undo-do this project at any time by popping off the second cover.

Don't be afraid to try it!

Materials:

• fabric

Measure the depth of your chair then add 6" to determine the yardage. Then, measure the width + 6". You can usually get two seats per width of fabric, if you use the 60" decorator fabric.

Make sure your fabric is not too heavy (Very heavy fabric makes the corners more difficult and causes a lot of bulk where stapled.), or too thin (Very thin fabric will wrinkle and always need to be smoothed once the chair is complete.) The home decor fabrics that come 60" wide, and are on the wide rolls in the fabric stores, usually work well, but some of them are pretty light-weight, so be picky. Upholstery fabrics with backing are sometimes too heavy.

• scissors
• pen, pencil or Sharpee marker
• screwdriver (check the screws on the chair for screwdriver type
• staple gun and staples

Many years ago, I bought an electric staple gun. I never did feel that it did a very good job, and I often had to hit the staples with a hammer to get them the rest of the way in. Just recently, I was getting ready to cover my daughter's bar stool seats, and we had to buy a staple gun. I picked out the Powershot Staple Gun with a Wire Attachment, and I love it! It does a much better job than the electric staple gun, and it is very easy to use. The secret is that it has forward action so that it doesn't give kickback and it takes less user force. The gun also shoots wire brads (little nails), but I haven't tried that yet.

Step 1: Getting the Chair Ready

• Turn the chair over, and take out the screws that hold the seat.
• Remove the seat
• If there is a dust cover (usually black fabric) on the underneath side of the seat, remove it by pulling the staples.

I use a flat-edge screwdriver or needle nose pliers to remove staples. You might have to dig into the wood a little to get under the staple if they are extremely tight.

Step 2: Cutting the Fabric

• If you are going to remove the old chair cover, remove the staples and take the cover off the chair. (If you remove the cover, you can use it for a pattern.)
• If you are not going to remove the old chair cover, place the new fabric on a flat surface, right side down, and place the chair seat, top-side down, on the fabric.
• Draw a line on the new fabric about three inches larger than the seat, and in the shape of the seat.
• Remove the seat and cut out the shape you drew.

Step 3: Covering the Chair Seat

When you pull the fabric over the edge of the seat, and then onto the backboard on the bottom of the seat, place the staples only about an inch to an inch and a half from the edge of the seat, even if the fabric is longer than that. When you are finished, you can trim off the excess fabric.

• Place the new seat cover fabric right side down on a flat surface.
• Center the chair seat right side down on the fabric.
• Beginning with the front center, bring the fabric up over the edge of the seat and staple to the back board of the seat with a staple gun.
• Repeat this process with the back center of the chair seat, pulling the fabric snugly.
• Repeat the last two steps with the center of the sides of the seat, doing one side, then the opposite side.

At this time, I always turn the seat over to make sure that the fabric is straight and just the way I want it. If it isn't, I only have to remove four staples to make an adjustment. I used striped fabric on my chair, so it was imperative that the fabric was perfectly straight. Also, make sure that you have about an equal amount of fabric to staple on all sides of the chair - at least enough to staple comfortably.

Next you will staple the fabric on the corners, completing one a a time.This is the only tricky part, but only slightly tricky. Your goal is to cover the corners as smoothly as possible with very few pleats or puckers showing.

There will be a great number of overlaps and pleats on the back of the seat.These will be hidden, however. Make sure that you don't staple fabric over the existing screw holes - just cut a small amount of fabric away so that the hole is exposed.

• Begin with the point of the corner first, and staple it to the back board of the seat, pulling snugly.
• Proceed stapling fabric around the corner, working the fabric so that it is as smooth as possible where it will be seen.

I cut away some of the bulky corner fabric on the back of the seat before stapling. Just make sure that you keep enough fabric to catch with the staples. Remember, this is not going to show. If you feel that it is looking really messy, turn the seat over and take a look...chances are the top looks fine, and remember, it will be screwed back firmly on the chair frame so the excess bulk of the fabric will be smashed down.

• Once the corners are finished, staple the rest of the fabric onto the backboard, smoothing it on the edge of the seat as you go.

Step 4: Put it Back Together

• If your chair had a dust cover, staple it back on.
• Place the seat on the inverted chair, and replace the screws.
• Turn the chair over and take a seat. You deserve a rest!

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