Recovering Bucket Chairs

The bucket chair is a distinctive piece of retro Americana furniture that is having a resurgence in a variety of forms. The overstuffed bucket chair and the minimalistic hard plastic bucket chair are the two extremes of this trend, but most bucket chairs fall somewhere in between, and all of them can easily be recovered with fabric using the same method. The effect of a new color and pattern on an old chair can be dramatic, and can transform a well-used eyesore into a piece that elicits compliments and requests for similar treatment to other furniture.

Staple puller
Seam ripper
Scissors
Fabric
Tape measure
Carpentry stapler
Cotton batting

Instructions

- 1
  Flip the bucket chair upside down so it rests on its seating surface and its legs point into the air. Remove any visible staples with the staple puller and begin to work the old fabric off the chair. Use the seam ripper to rip out any seams that are in the way or that cover up staples that must be removed. Use the seam ripper as much or as little as desired to make the fabric removal more convenient. Cut the fabric off, leaving the staples, if there is no reason to save it and if you are in a hurry to complete the job.
- 2
  Measure the removed fabric and determine the total area of the fabric used to cover the chair. Measure each section of the chair if leaving the fabric on and multiply the length times the width of each section to find its area. Add the areas together to get the total area of fabric required. Add one full yard to the measured total to give extra fabric for an easier installation.
- 3
  Flip the chair right side up and drape the new fabric over the entire chair. Tuck the fabric into cracks around the seat if available, stretch it tightly over the seat and staple it to any wood frame sections that can be felt through the fabric or seen. Continue to stretch the fabric tightly and staple it around the seat.
- 4
  Stretch the fabric tightly over the rear and sides of the bucket chair and fasten it on the bottom of the chair with staples every 4 inches around the edge of the chair, keeping the staples about 2 inches in from the visible edge. Remove excess fabric with a scissors.

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