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Tips for Restoring Upholstery

It is a relatively simple and yet very fulfilling process to restore shabby furniture by replacing tattered upholstery fabrics. We are continually being urged to save the planet by conserving resources and what better way to do this than by bringing old furniture back to life with a little patience and the addition of new upholstery fabrics from the Yorkshire Fabric Shop. Wear and tear does not always mean that you need to replace a piece of furniture - worn out seats can be reupholstered relatively easily. 

To begin with you will need a simple DIY toolkit including : scissors, pliers, screwdriver, marking pen and staple gun. 

  1. The first thing you need to do is remove the existing upholstery fabric. You will need to check the wooden base of the seat to make sure that it is sound. If not, this will need to be replaced or repaired. Then check the padding or the foam - if it is sound it can be reused, if not, it will need to be replaced.
  2. Use the upholstery fabric which you have removed as a template to cut out a new piece of fabric. Allow at least 3 inches extra around the edges of your upholstery fabric to be used to grip when stapling. 
  3. Before stapling make sure that your upholstery fabric is carefully positioned on the seat so that any pattern is centred.
  4. Stretch the fabric and pull it firmly over the seat to ensure a tight fit when stapling. It is often easier to put a staple in each edge before continuing to staple around the edges of the seat. Allow at least 2 inches at the corners and fold the upholstery fabric diagonally before stapling to achieve a neat finish. 
  5. Once the upholstery fabric is in place trim off any excess and, if you wish, add a cotton dust cover to tidy the underside of the seat. The seat can then be reunited with the chair and reattached as necessary. 
  6. If you are tackling a chair with an upholstered back you can achieve the straight edges along the back of the chair using a piece of cardboard under the upholstery fabric which can be held in place by upholstery tacks. 

Why stop at reupholstering a chair - why not completely transform the look of your room by adding new curtains? 

Here at the Yorkshire Fabric Shop we have a huge selection of top quality upholstery fabrics and curtain fabrics for you to choose from. Why not transform that tired old chair into a beautiful piece of furniture to be treasured with a little help from The Yorkshire Fabric Shop.

We source our upholstery fabrics from suppliers across the world and with worldwide delivery and our safe online payment system you can be sure of an excellent service from the Yorkshire Fabric Shop. 

Choose online or pop into our Batley store where we have thousands of fabrics to suit all tastes and pockets. We stock upholstery fabrics, furnishing fabrics and curtain fabrics including designer fabrics. Call us now on 01924 728 753 or we can be contacted at help@yorkshirefabricshop.com and we will be happy to answer any queries. 

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