fixing the bottom of an upholstered chair

by | Apr 23, 2019 | All Things Home, Antiques, Tutorials, upholstery | 25 comments

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This chair has had issues for a while, but I’ve been ignoring them.  It’s typically been in out-of-the-way places, so it wasn’t something I had to look at or be bothered by regularly.  Well, since I moved it into the studio, this saggy bottom has been annoying me.

But still not quite enough to actually fix it.

It went on my “annoying project list” to hang out there until I was in the mood to tackle it.  Well, then it started shedding all over my studio floor.  No, no, no.  Not in my creative sanctuary.  Even the boys pointed out the pile of “hair” under the chair, which is saying a lot because they are not generally observant about messes.

So on Friday, before I took some time to paint, I took about 15 minutes to fix the chair.  Some of the webbing was coming undone and it obviously needed a new dust cover.  More to keep the stuffing in and less to keep dust out.

I fixed the piece of webbing that was loose and also popped some staples into the other pieces of webbing to prevent them from coming out.

There was one spring that was still tied, but it was a little bit loose, so I added a new piece of webbing to tighten it up a bit more.

Once I was happy with the webbing, I added the dust cover.  I didn’t actually have dust-cover-fabric on hand, so I used some black linen that I had in my fabric stash.  I stapled it around the edges and then cut off the excess.

No more saggy bottom or shedding hair.  As I said, it was a fix that only took about 15 minutes and it looks so much better!

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    25 Comments

    1. Mary m

      I need to do that to a tired Victorian side chair. What did I do? I moved it up to the head of
      the stairs in the dark and brought the pristine needlepointed side chair downstairs. Not only
      does it need tightening up plus some bondo where the dog teethed. A new cover would
      help. Hmmmm. As you said Marian you have to be in the mood to tackle such a project.
      I hang on to it because it belonged to my mother…………………

      • mary m

        Here we are years later and I am ready to tackle my mothers chair. I just fell heir to an electric stapler and i am hoping i can hold the webbing down with that. Instead of reupholstering it i am going to duplicate one of your ruffled slip covers with gorgeous fabric. It will sit in front of an empire secretary filled with stoneware. Wonder where that idea came from. lol

    2. Erica

      I have a chair in need of this too. I’d also like to try some upholstery work. Do you mind sharing the staple gun and compressor you use? I know you’ve shared it before, but I couldn’t find it again on your site.

      • Marian Parsons

        I use the Porter Cable Upholstery Staple Gun and a small Porter Cable compressor. The pair together is about $300, but well worth it for upholstery and you can use other attachments on the compressor (or attached the gun to another compressor, if you already have one.)

    3. Dori Johns

      Bless you, Marian! I have a nearly identical pair of chairs with the same issue.

    4. Carol

      It is a really cute chair AND it looks comfortable! And now, NO saggy bottom!! You made it look so easy too. I have an ottoman waiting to be recovered. I planned out in my mind and even bought material, but I’ve put it off for so long now, I don’t like the material anymore! But the ottoman is still waiting!

    5. Janet in Kansas City

      It must be a wonderful feeling to see this room everyday. I’m picturing how fun it would be to grab the morning coffee and head to this cheery and beautiful space. Love everything about it!

    6. Ginene Nagel

      I don’t know how long fixing the webbing will last without retying the springs, but I do know that retying the springs is difficult. I gave up and took my chair to an expert. That was a lot harder than it looked! I love the navy gingham pattern on that chair. It is a classic. Your office looks wonderful.

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, tying springs is pretty complicated and I didn’t want to get into all of that. The chair sits fine and all of the other springs are tied tightly, so I’m just going to let that extra webbing support it for a while. If it needs to be redone, then I’ll probably redo the entire thing at that time.

    7. Leslie C

      Seems to me there should be a Country Song in there somewhere about a Saggy Bottom, sorry it just seemed funny to me. Great fix it post. Thanks so much for sharing.

    8. Amy Kaminski

      I looooove that chair. I have coveted it since I first saw the post about it. It’s just plain amazing.

    9. Elizabeth

      I really like the pattern on this chair too! Very nice! Now your studio looks even more perfect. ? Just curious what type of staple gun do you recommend for this type of project?

    10. Maureen Provost Ryan

      Much better! What an improvement in only 15 minutes!

    11. Elizabeth St.

      Maureen is right. The fact that this essential repair took only 15 minutes is a motivator to all of us to tackle the projects we’ve been putting off. The before and after photos are impressive. The repair really made a difference.

      When I see updated photos of your studio, I am reminded of the miracles you have worked with that room. When you bought the house, that space wasn’t even heated. The unpainted wood on walls and ceiling gave it a fishing-cabin feel. Now, it is ever so livable and totally sophisticated. It is a tribute to your talent for envisioning the potential of a space.

    12. Stacey Arps

      I often find I build up an annoying project in my mind and procrastinate because it seems like such a big deal. Then when I finally tackle it, and it only takes 15 minutes I wonder why I let it get so big in my mind….

      Chair (and the whole studio) looks great!

      • Marian Parsons

        Oh, I totally do that! I think something will take all day and it will be such a pain, but then I do it and it is quick and easy. Being intentional about having an “annoying project list” and setting aside days to get them done has really helped.

    13. Cyndi

      Did you paint the foot stool? Love the color!

      • Marian Parsons

        I did! It was the stool I used to demo the milk paint at Junk Bonanza. It’s painted in MMS Milk Paint Boxwood.

    14. Kaye L Thornton

      I have a chair with the same webbing problems and I’ve been dreading the repair. Thanks for sharing!!!

      • Marian Parsons

        Sure thing! I hope that helped!

    15. Sue Anderson

      That is a beautiful studio! I should make a procrastination list. That’s a good idea.

      • Marian Parsons

        It’s a small thing, but it really does help to focus your energy when you’re ready to tackle them.

    16. Cheryl

      Congratulations!! I also love how you fixed the warped doors, great job!

    17. Lillian

      Marian, I never had a style. I only knew I wasn’t into my grandmother’s ornate antiques. you’ve found the mixes that speak to my soul- including antiques!

      • Marian Parsons

        Oh, I’m so glad! It’s always fun to discover something new about your style.

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    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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