The Hot Seat: Reupholstering a Retro Dinette Chair
Women with tools are hot, and Beatrice has an entire workshop filled with ‘em. This lady’s got pliers, hammers, an ancient sewing machine, a pneumatic staple gun and a whole lot more in the back of her vintage furniture shop, Atlantis, in sleepy-cool Red Hook, Brooklyn. The store is filled to the brim with all sorts of mid-century treasures, and I left the proud owner of juice glasses painted with a buck-in-forest scene.
The furniture shop isn’t the first endeavor for this born organizer. Not only did she learn how to play bass and start a band the same week, but she founded New York’s first all-female moving company and schlepped Roseanne Cash’s stuff (I can only assume this is how she got those kick-ass guns). You have before you a New York original passing on time-honored furniture trade secrets. A crochety old man at a former job taught Beatrice how to restore 50s dinette sets (an invaluable lesson since vinyl dries out and is usually cracked once you stumble across a set at a junk shop), and she teaches us here how to do it. The secret weapon? A space heater. Prepare to be wowed by a hot lady and a red hot chair.
Materials:
1/2″ or less double stick tape
1/2 yard vinyl per chair
1 yard vinyl in a contrasting color for trim
dacron or upholstery batting
chrome upholstery tacks
scissors
hammer
000 or 0000 steel wool
screwdriver
pliers
space heater or blow drier
welt cord for piping
sewing machine
In a Nut Shell:
1. Dissasemble and chairs and pull off the old, crummy vinyl
2. Clean chrome with steel wool
3. Cover seat of chair and front of the back rest with dacron
4. Cut vinyl to size and heat
5. While heating, stretch and staple
6. Cut contrast vinyl into 2 inch strip
7. Sew piping
8. Make magic strip (watch video to know what this means!)
9. Tack vinyl strip
10. Staple Piping
Voila!
Baerbel: This is fantastic! It looks so easy and fun. And I thought you need a master in doing this.3 years ago
glynda: Thank you so much for creating & posting this tutorial. I have two wonderful sets (kitchen desk & table) that both have chairs that saw their *good days* long ago. My vinyl attempts thus far have been futile and the cost of having them done professionally was too much for this DIY girl. I’ll try again with heat! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!3 years ago
marie: i’ve had my dinette set for 5 years not knowing what to do with it. this is a godsend. will let you know how the chairs come out though i’m sure they’ll be beautiful. the table is a little discolored i guess from wear and heat. do you have any ideas. thank you so much3 years ago
Christina: Looking for advice as to where to buy the vinyl featured in the retro chair makeover. (shiny vinyl - not the matte vinyl)3 years ago
Sarah: Marie, Good luck with the chairs. As for the table top itself, I’d probably just learn to love the wear and tear — or spray paint it!
Christina, The best place I know for vinyl fabrics online is Denver Fabrics. On the side navigation bar they have a tab for vinyl.3 years ago
TFloyd: I have a question in restoring my new but very old vintage airstream trailer. There is not dinette seat in it and I am going to put one in.. on my own. I would like a little bench seat with the old time color vinyl material. But I want to make part of the seating “rippling” look. Do you know what I mean. It is where a say a middle portion of the chair or seat ripples. It looks like the material is in pieces or maybe the same piece but there is stitching inbetween it and there is some slight custioning behind it? Can you help me. Thanks. TF3 years ago
Sarah: I’m having trouble finding shiny vinyl. I’ve got the most gorgeous retro chairs ever, but they desperately need new seats. Please help!3 years ago
Brandon Matthew: Nice chair…2 years ago
Beverly Parrish: I’m looking for yellow vinyl for sale or yellow vinyl with gold flecks in it to recover some chairs. Do you carry it2 years ago
Cheryl Powell: I am attempting changing the vinyl on two kitchen chairs. I brought it used. Someone painted the chrome silver. How do I remove the silver paint? I purchased some cracked ice vinyl online. Why do I have to heat it first and how to I put tacks along the back of the upper chair? Questions, Questions1 Thank you2 years ago
Rebecca: I love this video and will use it when i reupholster my dinnette chairs. I am concerned about what kind of vinyl fabric to purchase. I would love something retro and floral, but does it exist. Can you point me in the right direction?
Thank you! Rebecca Pearlmarie@gmail.com2 years ago
Cindy Garber Iverson: Thank you SO MUCH for this wonderful post and video! I’m almost feeling brave enough to reupholster my own set of dining chairs… almost. Gotta get a bit more bravery worked up.
5 weeks ago