See a Pair of Dingy, Old Chairs Get Gorgeously Reupholstered for Less than $50

After the birth of her second daughter, Jontal Corley of Federal Way, Washington, sought a new creative outlet.

"I am a crafty and creative person, but now that I stay home with my two girls instead of working full-time, it's harder to justify my every crafty whim," says Jontal. "So I started looking for things I could get for free and 'upcycle' or just make look better."

The first step was stripping the original material from the chairs. Photos were taken along the way to provide a step-by-step guide for accurate reassembly.

When choosing her supplies, Jontal decided on an art-deco-inspired fabric designed exclusively for Jo-Ann, Dritz brand decorative nails and tacks, the spray paint for Krylon brand (although in her more recent upcycling projects, she prefers Rustoleum), and Poly-Fil to add a little fluff.

She also used her upholstery needle, upholstery thread, sandpaper, and a hammer from her home supplies. In total, the project cost approximately $40, with the majority of the cost being spent on fabric.

And voila! What a transformation. The chairs were sanded and painted glossy white before reassembling. Blue-and-white scallop-patterned fabric was selected to mimic the circles on the arms and create a cohesive look. 

Of course, every first-time DIYer is bound to encounter some setbacks, and this project was no exception.  

"The first mistake I made was forgetting to consider the pattern of the fabric when purchasing the yardage I needed. Because I wanted the pattern to match in both chairs, and within each chair itself, I needed to purchase more fabric than I realized. If I had realized this when I bought the fabric initially, I could have purchased less fabric, instead of having to go to the store twice and getting two cuts."

"The other problem happened after I finished the first chair, and I realized I hadn't applied the top protective coat of clear paint! I had my husband help me carefully cover the upholstered parts of the chair with plastic-bag-type material we had left over from painting our walls, and then painted over the white. I was really discouraged, but by being fastidious with the fix, everything worked out."

"The most special thing about the project was when I first went to take the first chair apart, I found the tag from the upholstery shop that last worked on the chairs. I live in Washington State now but grew up in the Bay Area of California, and the shop was located close to my grandparents' home, on Ramona Street -- and Ramona is my first daughter's name! It felt like it was meant to be!"