How to repurpose an old chair with wooden arms

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Throwing away furniture that is completely suitable for further use because of worn upholstery and dented filling is an unjustified waste. An old “grandmother’s” chair, collecting dust in the country for years, may well get a new life, especially if the frame of the product is still strong. Any model of this type of upholstered furniture, the reliability and convenience of which has been tested over years of operation, can be updated globally or fragmentarily. Often, restoration of a chair becomes a salvation if a once-loved product, for a number of reasons, no longer fits into the interior. You can carry out upholstery of furniture, replace springs, repair armrests and seats yourself, without involving professional craftsmen in the process. The tools necessary for the work can be found in every home; you just need to first study the procedure for restoration.

Main features of restoring an old chair

The process of restoring damaged furniture is not a partial restoration of parts or replacement of upholstery, it is giving a new look to an old chair, an opportunity to refresh the interior. Rework is carried out when the legs are wobbly, the upholstery is worn out, springs are sticking out, or the structure is loose.

The peculiarity of the restoration process is that it is quite difficult to do it yourself, so this matter is entrusted to professionals.

You can partially remake and restore upholstered furniture yourself:

• dismantle the upholstery;
• make a constriction;
• legs are repaired or replaced.

You can restore the chair completely or partially repair it.
It’s worth trying to restore furniture with your own hands if you have enough experience in furniture repair or if you don’t have enough money for quality material.

The only downside to restoration is the lack of professionalism in restoration work.

Advantages of restoration at home:

• cost savings;
• the value of the interior item increases;
• the interior is refreshed.

Repair options

If the permanent contact or crosspiece fails, you can do the repair yourself. Broken piastres, pneumatic cartridges, and swing mechanisms will have to be replaced with new parts. The same rule applies to damaged wheels.

Replacing rollers

Over time, the rollers may fall out of the beams of the cross due to wear of the plugs, especially if the latter are made of aluminum or plastic. To repair these elements, you need to perform a number of actions:

1. The chair is turned over so that the rollers are on top.
2. The wheels are removed from the cross. To do this, you just need to pull them towards you.
3. Remove the casings from the beams of the cross using a screwdriver.
4. Damaged plugs are pulled out of the housing.
5. Install new seals and assemble the parts in the reverse order: casings, then rollers.

A broken wheel is treated with superglue or replaced with a new one. A common cause of breakage is the accumulation of debris, hairs, and threads. In this case, the rollers are removed, cleaned, and installed in their original place.

If the socket for fixing the axle of the wheels in an office chair fails, most likely you will have to change the crosspiece.

Use a screwdriver to pry off the fastener and remove the support

Install new wheels

Breakage of piastres

You can repair an office chair yourself if the technician has experience working with mechanics. First of all, it is necessary to clarify what material the crosspiece is made of. It is better to replace the plastic part immediately, since it is pointless to restore a fragile product. Restoration of piastres is carried out as follows:

1. The chair is turned over, for convenience, its seat is placed on a chair so that the back is pressed against the floor surface.
2. The wheels are removed from the mounts.
3. Unscrew the 4 bolts that secure the rocking mechanism and piaster to the seat.
4. Disconnect the gas lift by lightly tapping it with a rubber or wooden hammer. You must act carefully, otherwise the mechanism will become deformed and become unusable. The “stuck” compound is treated with a special liquid.
5. Using a screwdriver, remove the pneumatic cartridge stopper, the washer, and then the gas lift rod.
6. The piastra is knocked down with gentle tapping.
7. Repairing a plastic part involves gluing and soldering, but these methods are only relevant if there is minor damage.
8. The broken beam of the crosspiece is fixed with plastic or metal plates, secured with screws or superglue. Metal parts are restored by welding.

How to properly reupholster a chair with your own hands, step-by-step instructions

Repairing a computer chair must be done very carefully and carefully. Careless handling can lead to damage to the piastres or pneumatic chuck.

Unscrew the bolts

Knock down the piastra with light taps

Screw on a new one

Destruction of the swing mechanism

If the swing mechanism breaks down, you will have to replace it. The part is attached to the seat with 4 screws, so for dismantling you need to perform a number of steps:

1. All connecting bolts are unscrewed with a screwdriver.
2. The pneumatic cartridge is carefully knocked out of the mounts.
3. Drill holes in the part or use adapter plates.
4. Replace the damaged element.

A computer chair is a popular type of furniture, but most models are made in China. Domestic spare parts that can be found in the relevant departments are not suitable for them. In this case, you will have to order parts or try to repair the swing mechanism yourself (for this you will need a welding machine).

Main characteristics of a hammock chair, good placement options

Unscrew the bolts

Carefully knock out the air chuck

Screw on a new part

Connect with gas lift

Air chuck failure

The pneumatic cartridge is a two-chamber product, inside of which there is air under pressure. The gas lift cannot be disassembled and repaired at home; only a complete replacement of the part is possible. To repair an office chair with your own hands, you must follow the instructions:

1. Disconnect the fasteners that hold the mechanism. To do this, remove several screws from the seat.
2. The seat is removed, the gas lift is removed, after lightly hitting the structure from the side of the cross.
3. The mechanism is removed from the metal case using a wooden or bronze drift.
4. A new pneumatic cartridge is installed in the crosspiece and fixed to the seat.

The mechanism may break due to careless handling of the office chair, exceeding the recommended loads, or prolonged use. Self-disassembly of the pneumatic chuck is strictly prohibited, as the technician may receive serious injuries. The optimal solution would be to purchase a new part and replace the damaged one.

Destruction of permanent contact

Thanks to permanent contact, the office chair provides reliable support for the spine. If a part breaks, you do not need to purchase a new one; you can repair it yourself. The necessary actions will depend on the nature of the failure:

1. Deformation of the thrust spring, bending of the brackets. To restore elements, it is necessary to return them to their original shape.
2. Wear of screw fasteners. In this case, only replacing them will help.
3. Loose backs. Sealing the permanent contact connections will help get rid of this problem.

A step-by-step description of the steps will help you figure out how to properly repair an office chair without resorting to the services of specialists. Usually, work on replacing and restoring elements does not cause difficulties for home craftsmen. After repairs, it is necessary to follow the standard rules for operating furniture, and then the products will last longer.

Required materials and tools

First you need to select a set of tools and materials.

You can use a standard set of tools, and a set of brushes and paints for a painter. Unavailable tools are purchased according to the recommendations of the master, so as not to damage the parts during work. Pure wood furniture is sensitive to floors and can dry out.

First you need to select a set of tools and materials or ask a specialist to select the necessary

Required materials and tools:

• chisel, spatula;
• hammer, screwdriver;
• stationery knife, wood glue;
• set of brushes, roller;
• acrylic paints, water-repellent varnish;
• sanding machine, foam rubber;
• stapler, sandpaper, new springs;
• screwdriver, awl, large needles with silk threads.

Back work

To make it convenient to work with the backrest, it must be disassembled. Small chairs today are often made on a metal frame, from which the back is removed in the same way as the seat. The back can be solid or made of 2 parts. Repair in the second case is simpler. There is no need to sew anything, only the stuffing will be replaced, reupholstered with new fabric with the addition of buttons. As a result, your favorite chair will literally transform before your eyes. An example of restoration work is shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 2. It is advisable to select fabric for upholstery in the same tones as other furniture in the house.

Where is the best place to start restoration work? First you need to prepare the wooden base of the back for upholstery. Using a ruler and a simple pencil, markings in the form of diamonds are made on the back. The intersection points will be where the buttons are attached. Holes are drilled at these points. Next, you need to glue a piece of foam rubber to the back. If necessary, a double layer of foam rubber is made in the lower part of the backrest. You need to carefully make holes in the foam rubber for future buttons.

After the main part of the work is completed, you need to start upholstering both parts of the back (front and back). The fabric is pre-cut, the scraps are left as they will be used to cover the buttons. A carriage tie is used to stretch the fabric, but you can fix the fabric with a furniture stapler. While tightening, you should make sure that there are no folds left. On the front part, the fabric will be additionally stretched using decorative buttons.

You can use various fabrics to cover the chair, but they must be durable.

In addition, the fabric should be easy to clean; natural or artificial leather or velor are good for work. It is best to choose the same color as the rest of the chairs and sofas in the room, so that the upholstery matches them or is made in the same tone. Another example of a restored chair can be seen in Fig. 2.

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What components may be needed?

When restoring office chairs or models with movable wheels, casters or crosspieces are needed. To avoid damaging the surface of the laminate or parquet, purchase sets of rollers with mechanical locking.

For the office version, restoration requires replacement of the crosspiece with gas cartridge.

For the office version, restoration requires replacement of the crosspiece with gas cartridge

Product disassembly stages

If an office chair breaks, the first thing you need to do is disassemble the structure. To do this, you will need a rubber hammer, slotted and Phillips screwdrivers, and a ring drift. All actions are carried out in stages:

1. First of all, remove the seat, turn the chair over, and remove the fasteners.
2. Unscrew the bolts that secure the armrests and remove these parts along with the plates.
3. Disconnect the fasteners holding the permanent contact.
4. The crosspiece is separated from the pneumatic chuck by gently tapping the connection with a hammer.
5. The wheels are removed from the mounting sockets, and the plugs located in the steel case are removed. The procedure is performed using a slotted screwdriver.

Modern modifications of the Papasan chair, tips for assembly and placement
It is recommended to carry out all manipulations with the mechanisms while holding the structure suspended so as not to break the fragile plastic parts. For the same reason, you should not use physical force when unscrewing fasteners. After completing the dismantling of the computer chair, you need to collect all the parts in one place so as not to lose anything.

Original ideas on how to update an old Soviet chair

After sheathing, and before it:

After sheathing and before it

Another update option:

Another update option

Complete renovation:

Complete office chair renovation

A master can update the chair more efficiently, but it is possible to restore it yourself. It is necessary to choose high-quality upholstery material. Restore the appearance of furniture to match the interior of the room. Then there will be no need to purchase new furniture.

Seat reupholstery

Figure 1. In order for the chair to be transformed, it is enough to re-upholster its seat and back.

Not only the fabric of the seat should be replaced, but also the padding. The choice of material in this case depends on the model of the chair. If you need a soft seat, you can take foam rubber, but in some cases a piece of polyethylene foam of the required thickness is also suitable (you need to focus on the thickness of the old padding). The material is carefully cut out and then glued to the base. It is best to cut the stuffing so that it extends slightly beyond the edges; the material is secured from the wrong side with a furniture stapler.

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The next step is to cut out a piece of fabric for the upholstery. It is made in the form of a cover; it is better to make all the seams inside out if the fabric is thick enough and its edges do not require additional processing. This option is great for leather, suede, and some thick woolen fabrics. For the rest, a regular cover is sewn together, which is then turned inside out and pulled over the seat. The fabric must be straightened and the remaining part sewed up. If a cushion is used for the chair, then you can provide a rather original, but convenient fastening system for it. Velcro tape is sewn onto the seat while sewing the cover. The second part of the Velcro is attached to the pillow cover.

Preparation for restoration of a classic chair with wooden armrests

If you need to repair an old chair, then work should begin by removing the upholstery using a utility knife. The resulting fabric fragments will be used in the future as patterns for new upholstery. When choosing materials for restoring a product, you need to pay attention to the quality and density of the fabric: material that is not strong enough will fall apart during use.

At the first stage of work, it is necessary to disassemble the chair into its component parts: seat, back, armrests, legs. First, free the furniture from upholstery and old filling, and then unscrew the bolts with a screwdriver. Wooden elements must be carefully inspected; if there are cracks, chips or other defects on the wood, they are eliminated with wood glue or putty.

If the damage cannot be removed using these methods, the relevant parts are replaced. New elements that match the shape and size of the old parts can be cut from the boards. After this, the wooden parts are impregnated with an antifungal agent and dried thoroughly.

The finished elements are sanded with sandpaper or a grinding machine. The grain size is determined by the texture of the wood being processed - the coarser the fibers, the larger the sandpaper grain should be. The work is considered complete when the surface of the material becomes smooth.

After this, the parts need to be wiped with a dry cloth (to remove dust) and covered with stain, which will take about 7 hours to absorb. At the next stage, the parts are coated with a thin layer of varnish and dried for three days.