This is a beginner type re-upholstery instructable for the office type chairs that have a bottom cushion and a two part back. See picture.

I did not do any sewing on this chair so this can be done by anyone. It took about 1 1/2 hours.

I am replacing the fabric as It was kind of drab looking and starting to wear down. This style of chair does not require sewing.

Supplies

Supplies:

Wrench (correct size for the bolts holding your cushion)

Pry Bar

Staple Remover

Pliers to remove staples that broke

The new fabric

Dust Cover fabric

Upholstery staple gun

Correct size upholstery stapes (the cushions have two different size substrates)

Pin Nailer with short nails (like 3/4inch)

Hobby knife (or similar)

Step 1: TAKE THE CHAIR APART

First thing to do is to take all the parts of the chair off so that you have just the top cushions and the bottom cushion.

This particular chair had 4 screws on the bottom and three screws holding the top cushion together. I removed these with a wrench.

The next step is to separate the top cushion (Front and Back) and these were nailed together with 18 gauge nails. I used a pry bar and separated by wedging the pry bar inbetween the cushions.

Step 2: REMOVE OLD FABRIC

I then removed the fabric from all three cushions. This task chair had drawstrings that was holding the fabric together and so I cut this off and removed the 20 staples holding the end of the drawstring.

Step 3: NEW FABRIC

I started with the top-back. This was very simple, I stapled the 4 sides and then pulled tight around the corners to keep as little folds as possible visible. The new fabric I was putting on was a stiff one that did not stretch. With this cushion I had to cut holes where the bolts would come through the fabric and I did so with an exacto knife, just cutting an X to allow the bolt to go through.

I then did the top-front. This was done in the same fashion by doing the 4 sides first and then pulling tight the corners. As stated earlier this is not a stretchy fabric so getting it to look nice was a bit of a trick. Also about 1/2 inch is visible on the back of this cushion.

Next was the bottom cushion. Again, pretty straight forward with doing the 4 sides and then pulling and folding on the corners. On this cushion I only had to be aware of where the bolts go through on the bottom and not cover them up. Also on the bottom cushion, there is a dust cover that goes on the bottom of the cushion. This is to catch any loose particles that could fall off the bottom. This cover should not be visible when looking at the chair, so you keep it away from the edges but you try to cover all the staples that you put in. As in the previous cushion I had to cut out the bolt holes through the dust cover, which is simple enough as the fabric is very easy to cut through.

Step 4: PUTTING THE CHAIR TOGETHER AGAIN

So, first one I did was the bottom cushion, lined up the chair holes with the holes I made in the fabric and bolted that back together.

On the top cushion, I first lined up and screwed the bolts in so that I the cushions were aligned properly. Once secured, I arranged the two cushions so that they looked good and then nailed the back and the front together. One thing to keep in mind is that when I nailed it, I could see a hole from the nail. So I made sure to nail it in one of the dots (as it is dark and makes it less obvious).

In some cases the nail did not pass cleanly through and instead pulled the fabric in, making a dimple. I then used a needle to put into the fabric and pull it back up.