Kirstie Creates: Restored Chairs

In this short video, Kirstie shows you how to take a tatty old chair and give it a fresh lease of life by stripping it back and reupholstering.

How To Reupholster A Chair

In the UK we throw away a whopping 10 million items of furniture every single year. Kirstie's on a crusade to rescue some of these perfectly salvageable pieces from their fate. The instructions below are for the restoration and reupholstering of a wooden deckchair, but many of the principles apply to most furniture.

You will need:
An item of furniture to restore
A hammer and tacks or small nails
A selection of sandpaper
Paint or wax, whichever you prefer
Material for reupholstering
Sewing kit and/or sewing machine

Step One: Strip It Back
Carefully remove the old upholstery from the frame. Prise any nails, tacks and staples from the frame and lift the material away. Keep the material to use as a template when cutting your new fabric.

Step Two: Sand It Down
Take a fine sandpaper to the wood, gently sanding the frame back to remove years of dirt, paint splatters and any other grime. Once smooth, you can apply your wax or paint.

Step Three: Recoat The Wood
Using a good quality wax and a cloth, gently rub wax into the surface. Once a layer is applied, buff with a dry cloth. Add as many layers of wax as you feel necessary, always remembering to 'wax on, wax off'.

Allow several hours for the frame to dry. If using paint, apply as many coats as looks right. Usually one or two will suffice. Leave overnight in a clean, moisture-free place to give the paint a chance to properly dry.

Step Four: Prep Your Fabric
Take your new material and lay it out flat. Use the old material as a template so you can accurately cut and sew to the size of the frame.

Step Five: Upholster The Frame
Attach your material to your chair with tacks or nails, making sure they're all flush to the frame to prevent any clothing or skin getting snagged on them.

Visit B&Q's website for lots more advice and guides