No Sew Reupholstery – Making Over a Wingback Chair

I purchased 6 1/2 yards of fabric and batting. Next, I gathered my tools and let me tell you, this was the smartest step.  I purchased one of these tack and staple remover claws.

Be prepared to remove hundreds of staples – HUNDREDS – and you will need the right tool for the job.

I also purchased a pneumatic staple gun to make the no-sew process easier on me. You just hook it up to an air compressor and it makes the stapling easy peasy.

As I started disassembling the chair, I made sure to document the steps to make it helpful to reassemble. I took pictures as I went along and kept track of the pieces.

I numbered each panel as it was removed and notated it so I knew which piece was which.  You will want to save the old panels and use them as templates to cut out the new fabric panels, so don’t throw them away!

Another thing is to look out for are the upholstery ribs and tack strips.

Again, this is where taking photos saved this project. Seeing how the manufacturer placed them and mimicking their method made this project doable for me.

The key is to remove each panel and staple, step by step and label it to repeat the process in rebuilding it. I also preserved the nailhead trim to add back to the piece.

Again, this is where taking photos saved this project. Seeing how the manufacturer placed them and mimicking their method made this project doable for me.

The key is to remove each panel and staple, step by step and label it to repeat the process in rebuilding it. I also preserved the nailhead trim to add back to the piece.

While removing the fabric, I noticed that the foam in the back and seat of the chair had holes where the buttons were.

To fix the holes in the foam, I came up with a neat idea.  The manufacturer tied huge hunks of batting on the back side of the tufted buttons. I snipped the buttons free removing the batting. Then I used those huge gobs of cotton to stuff the holes on the front side.

After disassembling the chair, I covered it with batting. It amazed me that it looked as if those holes were never there!