Discovering the Perfect Upholstery Project
I found this old chair at a garage sale, and it was truly a diamond in the rough. The cane frame was in beautiful condition, but the seat was terribly uncomfortable—a sprung seat covered with old, dirty fabric. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would not be difficult to I could restore this chair to its former glory. I am not a professional upholsterer. I would label myself a high level DIY-er.
I fixed this chair up in a few hours. I thought I would share the project for others who are curious about getting into upholstery.
This is Part 1 of a two-part tutorial on replacing the seating in an antique cane chair.
If you have been interested in hobby upholstery this is a good place to start.
And upholstery tools are expensive so I have made some suggestions for tools you can you use that you already have in your tool box. In this section, I'll cover the complete upholstery process, while Part 2 will cover how to sew a custom seat cushion with upholstery fabric.
Choosing Your Upholstery Approach
The simplest approach would have been to staple new upholstery fabric directly over the old seat, but the existing seat was so uncomfortable that I decided on a complete replacement. Since the seating component was easily removable, I chose to replace it with a separate foam cushion and a sewn cover with a zipper, allowing the upholstery fabric to be removed for washing.
Here is the seat component turned upside down, exposing the old springs.
When I removed the old seat, I was left with a hole that needed support for the new foam cushion. While many DIYers cut a piece of plywood for this purpose, a foam cushion performs much better with a flexible base that has some bounce—it's more comfortable than foam placed directly on plywood.
Here is a picture of the seating without support.
Preparing the Frame for New Upholstery
After taking the seat apart, I discovered a perfectly fitted wood frame in excellent condition, made of 100-year-old hardwood. I stripped the wood frame completely, removing all old staples and nails. For this step, I suggest wearing gloves to protect your hands.
Essential Tools for Upholstery Work
Professional upholsterers use a specialized staple remover tool, which isn't too expensive but can be substituted with side-cutter pliers or a paint scraper with a pointed pick. I actually prefer a paint scraper to the dedicated staple remover—there's less chance of injury, and it's more effective for upholstery work.
Creating a Base for the Foam
To achieve a comfortable, bouncy seat, I needed to add a proper springy base back into the frame. The easiest seating base for upholstery is jute webbing, which I absolutely love working with. Inexpensive Jute webbing is much simpler than metal springs and provides an excellent foundation that will last forever. The proper tool is a webbing stretcher for this upholstery technique, though a monkey wrench or even a block of wood makes an acceptable substitute. Here you can see i used a block of wood to pull the webbing tight.
Investing in the Right Upholstery Tools
For stapling, I use an air stapler, which is the one tool worth investing in for upholstery work. As an advanced DIY upholsterer, I use the upholstery-specific air stapler made by Paslode. As far as I know this is the only hobby furniture stapler, that uses the nice thin staples you need. You can often find these used on marketplace platforms for around $50, and you can borrow a compressor if needed.
While most specialized upholstery tools aren't necessary for beginners, I strongly recommend an upholstery air stapler for two key reasons:
- Hand protection: It prevents tendonitis by eliminating the repetitive stress of manual stapling—using an air stapler is as simple as pressing a button
- Professional results: Hand staple guns use thick staples that create large holes and often won't penetrate old hardwood properly, resulting in loose staples that fall out over time
You can always resell the air stapler, though you'll likely keep it once you discover how invaluable it is for upholstery projects.
Here is the completed seating base with new webbing stapled on. I always love the way the webbing looks. 
Selecting the Right Foam for Your Upholstery Project
I chose 5-inch thick foam for this. While good quality foam is expensive and you might be tempted to go thinner, foam thickness is important for proper seat height in upholstery work.
Understanding Proper Seat Height in Upholstery
If your chair is an antique, the original seat height might be quite low—people were shorter 100 years ago, and vintage chairs are typically a couple of inches lower than modern standards. For today's comfort requirements:
- Dining chairs should have a seat height of 17-18 inches
- Living room furniture should measure 15-16 inches
If the seat is too low, it becomes difficult to sit down and stand up, especially for seniors with limited mobility. When planning your upholstery project, always consider the finished seating height.
I selected the 5-inch foam thickness to make this chair accessible to everyone, since it's destined for a covered porch where my guests relax.
Choosing Quality Upholstery Foam
When selecting seat foam, always choose upholstery-grade foam with a minimum 2lb compression rating. If foam is unlabeled, it's likely craft quality and will lose its spring quickly. You can use cheaper foam for decorative chairs, but for functional seating, invest in proper upholstery-grade foam.
Cutting and Shaping Your Upholstery Foam
I used the old upholstery frame as a template to create the shape of my foam cushion.
Your foam should fit snugly in the space to prevent shifting, and should extend 0.5 inches longer than the seating area from front to back. This small overhang at the front adds comfort by protecting the backs of knees from the chair frame.
Professional Foam Cutting Techniques
I have a proper foam saw, but the easiest DIY method for cutting thick foam is using an electric bread knife. I used one for years. While it's slower than professional tools, you can achieve a smooth, clean cut. Avoid using regular knives or box cutters, as they can create jagged edges.
Always use the straight, pre-cut edge of the foam for the front of your cushion—any minor cutting imperfections can be easily hidden at the sides and back of the chair.
Adding the Professional Upholstery Touch with Dacron
It's essential to wrap your foam in Dacron or similar batting before applying your upholstery fabric. Dacron is inexpensive but can be hard to find locally—quilt batting makes an excellent substitute. This puffy spun polyester wadding gives your upholstery project a much more professional appearance. It prevents the cushion cover from looking loose and wrinkled.
How to attach Dacron
Dacron can be attached using spray glue or by using a felting needle to push fibers into the foam. Since spray glue is toxic, I prefer the felting method for small upholstery projects. For larger jobs involving multiple cushions, I'd use spray glue outdoors with proper ventilation and a mask. While upholstery-specific spray glue is available, any basic spray adhesive works well for securing Dacron in upholstery applications.
Our entire collection of upholstery fabric for your beautiful chair
And now for the Upholstery Fabric - Part 2
This completes Part 1 of your upholstery restoration project. In Part 2-, we'll create a custom cushion cover using upholstery fabric, complete with a zipper for easy maintenance.