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Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

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How to Upholster a Chair (Carving Foam)

January 31, 2013 by Bethany Sy

HEY guys!!  Nick here again! Don’t roll your eyes… I GOT this!


I must say, some mornings I just wake up and want to share the joy… We just love you guys/gals and consider you all family (well some of you are actually family).  We would invite you all to come over for a big ol’ family dinner and games, but I’m pretty sure this quaint farmhouse wouldn’t contain the masses of this very special family.

Besides that, some of you might not ever leave and as much as we love you, we don’t really want your pajama-clad rears camping out on our couch for months at a time… 

So… Now that i am finally wrapping up with the mudding, scraping, and texturing touch-ups on our eternal (figurative, not literal) wall/ceiling project, I am freed up to talk to you about furniture and our life happenings. Yay!

I tried my hand at a little upholstery recently when I knocked this sweet hall chair out of the park (CONFIDENCE! …not arrogance!), and wanted to share my findings…

Before and After Hall Chair

I wanted this chair to have a fully padded seat; SO how do I accomplish that and still manage to mount the seat you ask?  Well do you remember the additional bracing I put on the chair? Yes, I drilled holes in them and through the seat, then I installed T-Nuts and checked the fit… voila it fits!

Bracing a chair (Sawdust and Embryos)

On to the upholstery!

So I knew i wanted this seat to be about two inches thick, luckily our local store notoriously known for the crazy’s (starts with a Wal and ends with a Mart… but who’s naming names?) had a two pack of one inch foam for seven bones. This could be a cheap alternative for someone needing thick foam. I quickly got out my spray adhesive and adhered them suckers together with spray-adhesive. Then I adhered it to the seat and went to carving with my electric knife. Ironically it was also bought at the same store for seven dollars.

Simple Upholstery Tips~ Carving Foam {Sawdust and Embryos
Foam installed – check!

After stapling a double layer of batting; I pulled out my freshly ironed fabric (yes we iron our fabric) and placed it neatly on the seat. I lined it up to be on center (attention to detail is essential), and began stapling, being careful not to pull too tight to avoid a bumpy/uneven edge. I actually had to remove some staples and re-staple it because of this.

PC150123 PC150142


And then cut off the excess fabric.

There you have it… one upholstered seat!

We did the same for the back:  foam… batting… staple!

IMG_0055
I wasn’t too worried about the staples showing on the back of the chair because the upholstery tacks will cover them. 

IMG_0101
If you’re interested in our tutorial demonstrating how to apply Upholstery Tacks in a STRAIGHT LINE… click here!

PC270422

Wow, you all truly are family… forced to listen to my ramblings like that unwanted relative you just can’t shake. We all have one. And if you say you don’t you know it means, you (like me) are that one…  HA! 

Anywho, if you’re looking for more upholstering tutorials or inspiration, you can click here or here!

Have you been working on any good projects lately? Or have any stories of crazy relatives? Or taken pictures of yourself with inanimate objects staged as a smoking gun? I figured as much.
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About Bethany Sy

Nick and Bethany Sy are the creative free-spirits behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. They recently purchased a historic mansion and have been documenting the ups and downs of renovation and making this home their own... all while sharing tips and tutorials along the way! When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it. <3

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Comments

  1. 11

    Kelly says

    February 11, 2013 at 11:15 am

    I used to nanny for a family that had that same.exact.chair…and they used it as the naughty chair!
    *I may have already told you this story before, I may be losing my mind*

    Reply
  2. 12

    ELENI FITSAKI says

    February 3, 2013 at 5:55 am

    Nice upholstery! Good job…..Keep going like that, Beth and Nick!

    Reply
  3. 13

    Aliyah Yasmine says

    February 2, 2013 at 2:45 am

    The chair is pretty funky! Great job!! I’m looking forward to learning about those furniture tacks. I recently finished reupholstering a chair, and I gave up on the tacks because they kept bending.

    New reader to your blog and new blogger. Love this blog so far!! :o)

    Reply
  4. 14

    Brittney says

    February 2, 2013 at 12:20 am

    You did a awesome job and made it look so easy!!! Tomorrow I shall be “casing” your painted light fixture… corssing fingers it turns out 🙂

    Reply
  5. 15

    Rachel O. says

    February 1, 2013 at 4:55 pm

    Whoa – that chair is awesome!! The white with that fabric looks amazing.

    Reply
  6. 16

    Meagan B. says

    February 1, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    Ohhh Nick, you crack my stuff up! Such a funny funny! Is that a MEAT carving knife?! LOL

    Chair is awesome. You guys rock.

    I’d love to come over for game night. Think the drive from OKC will be cool with my 13 month old girls?

    Reply
  7. 17

    Erin Kaven says

    February 1, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Great job. Very cute and funky chair. Have to say though, that if I were to visit the ole farmhouse only one cheek of my pajama clad bottom would probably fit on that seat so I’m going for the couch.

    Reply
  8. 18

    Paul says

    February 1, 2013 at 4:07 am

    Way too complicated and too much work for me, Nick. Great job! You guys have so much creative energy.

    Reply
  9. 19

    Jen says

    January 31, 2013 at 11:25 pm

    Absolutely amazing! It looks great and it’s soooo unique too! Great job!

    Reply
  10. 20

    Mom says

    January 31, 2013 at 9:03 pm

    If you are into upholstery now, we have a child’s size arm chair in Mom’s basement that needs to be redone. It may be an antique or just old, probably 100 years. It need lots of help. We will bring it sometime if you want it.

    Reply
  11. 21

    deputyswife Deputy says

    January 31, 2013 at 6:06 pm

    Great job! I will be interested to see how you line up your tacks. Me and lining up upholstery tacks do not mix well. My dad was an upholsterer for 50 years and this was a job he couldn’t get me to master. (BTW, I think I live fairly close to you guys… my dad had the upholstery shop in your county seat!) I have not commented before, but I wanted to tell you how beautiful your furniture is. Most of our furniture in our home was found on a curb or at the end of an auction, then brought back to life. Love the new and creative things you are doing!

    Reply

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We are Nick and Bethany! Welcome to our blog, Reality Daydream where we share our DIY adventures!
Click here for lots of art projects using only wood stain on furniture!!
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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.

 

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