The Reupholster the Wing Back Project

I bought this wing back chair in Hudson, NH in either 1987 or 1988. I've kept it in storage since 2006, and was waiting for a time when I could afford to have it professionally reupholstered. That day never came. Life kind of got in the way and the chair never became a priority. Finally, I got up the courage to do it myself.

Taking it apart was time consuming and at time, dangerous. When I first started, I only had a screw driver to take out the tacks, and ended up stabbing myself in the forehead. Thankfully, the resultant injury was treatable with hydrogen peroxide and band-aids. I ended up buying a tack remover - who would have known? - this is my most valued tool in the box.

I kept a journal and took photos during the removal process primarily to keep track of what I took off and in which order.

Once everything was off, it was time to figure out what was I going to use to recover it? I really could't afford to buy $32.00 a yard fabric. I could have bought fabric at Wal-mart for $6.97 a yard but I needed at least 8 yards...still too much. So, I opted for a 9 x 12 foot canvas drop cloth for $19.99. This gave me 8 yards at 54 inches wide. Perfect. I had enough blue and white ticking in my fabric stash for the piping and used clothesline for that.

I used a regular staple gun - didn't need a power staple gun. Saved money there! The entire project was under $30.00. Here is the finished project...