Re-Cover a Chair With a Woven Rug
Why limit yourself to upholstery fabric, when you can reupholster your chair with an inexpensive woven rug. Rugs are durable and add texture and style that is difficult to find in fabric. Grab a 2'x3' woven cotton rug for an average sized chair seat and follow this easy tutorial for a quick but dramatic chair makeover.
Find yourself a chair with potential! I found this unique chair at a thrift store for $4.99. Remove the seat and the old upholstery fabric. Pull out any old staples with pliers and a flat head screwdriver.
I picked this woven cotton rug up for $16.00. Place your seat, the chair seat that is 
, over your rug and decide what part of the pattern you want to cut out. leave several inches of allowance on all sides.
Use a heavy duty stapler to attach the rug to the seat. Start by stapling the four center points of all sides, and then work outward. Be sure to check your pattern several times to make sure you're not pulling your pattern wonky. I used 1/2 inch staples on my project.
Re-attach your seat to the chair frame. I had to use slightly longer screws to accommodate for the thicker cushion material. Also, do any re-finishing to the chair frame before you re-attach the seat.
I sanded my frame for a more natural wood tone, and sealed it with a satin water based sealer.
And that's it! Now you can enjoy your cozy new chair.
Resources for this project:
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Just in time for my badly needed dining room chair make over than I've been putting off! We're not fancy people and my dining room is family friendly. Going to look into this idea for a casual dining room look. Thanks for sharing.
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You did a great job! Real nice.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
So it has to be a thin rug just asking cuz u used a staple gun
I will need
new cushions what should I purchase?
Beautiful smart creative idea... BUT, wouldn’t it be even better more comfortable if cushioned foam padding be added under the rug seating? That is what I plan to do to my 4 wrought Iron chairs a friend gave to me. I am going to give a makeover to my chairs.