Let's be honest - most woodworkers don't enjoy doing repairs. I don't even like repairing something I've built, let alone working on someone else's stuff.
But I seem to have a soft spot for people who bring me broken down dining chairs. (I suppose a therapist could explain that to me!) This is the second chair in this set that I've repaired - and by far, it was in the worst shape. Every single joint on the chair was broken - but what's worse -
someone stepped on the seat and broke the particle board under the padding. D'oh!
After pulling the seat off, I had to take the chair entirely apart, clean each dowel and hole, and then re-glue it back together. This usually takes a ton of clamps and a lot of patience. And tequila, if things don't go well.
It's not hard work, but you do have to be careful, so that you don't do more damage.
After the chair was re-assembled and the stain touched up, I turned my attention to the seat. What a mess.
Worse than that - the cushion was upholstered with hundreds of staples.
I am not exaggerating, it took me a half hour to dig them out. My buddy Tom helped, he had way more patience for it than I did.
When we got the material safely removed, we still had to take off the layer of padding, to get to the damaged part. Again - a bazillion staples.
That's the way it is with most repairs - it's more irritating than difficult. Once all the staples were out, I cut a new bottom (out of MUCH stronger plywood, this time) and started re-uphostering the chair.
First the padding,
then the fabric. Tom's actually an upholstery whiz, so he took over.
Nice to have skilled friends!
And here's the chair, all back together and looking much better than before.
Thanks, Tom! Glad to have the help, and the company!
Speaking of chair repair - here's a nifty method for leveling out an uneven stool or chair. This is a really great tip!
(Thanks for the link, Jackie!)
Speaking of chair repair - here's a nifty method for leveling out an uneven stool or chair. This is a really great tip!
(Thanks for the link, Jackie!)
I guess I though my teenagers were the only ones who put their foot through a dining room chair seat! I will be looking for upholstery tips, then get started. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteAmazing blog. Very informative post. I would also like to share something that you can buy the best quality wooden dining chairs online from Housefull.co.in. Thanks for the lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI have an otherwise nice wooden dining room set from the 1980s. The particle board supporting every seat cushion has decayed in the Florida humidity. Thanks for this post. I now know how much work is ahead and have a better idea of what materials I need to fix it.
ReplyDeleteI am refinishing 4 old dining chairs. The 1/4" plywood is on its last legs and the cushioning was a thin piece of wool. I bought 2" foam and need to buy plywood but I am not sure which to get or how thick to get. I need to make sure that the chair isn't too tall for the table. It seems like no matter what plywood I look at, it has terrible reviews. Thanks in advance for your advice.
ReplyDeleteIf you use a good quality plywood - like a baltic birch, you should be fine with a 1/4" thickness. Baltic Birch plywood has more layers and less voids. So it is stronger.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't find that, you might want to use 1/2" plywood for the seat. I really don't think you're going to feel that 1/4" difference in thickness.
Good luck!
How did you cut the new plywood? Did you use a router or a scroll saw?
ReplyDeleteI used a bandsaw to rough it out, and then used a vertical belt sander to round the corners and match the exact shape. A scroll saw would work just fine, too.
ReplyDeleteHi, I know this thread is old, but I was hoping that you could help me. I've been searching for some info, and I came across this post as the closest thing that I've seen so far. I have a seat cushion of an antique t-back oak chair that has a frame where the plywood that is broken is inset. The wood is super thin - more like balsa, but there's more than one layer. It sits on top of the frame, then there's a bit of padding - usually horsehair - then it's covered over. When the balsa wood starts to break and split, the filling and cover starts to sag into the square of the frame, and in some cases, the cover also tears or splits. I've tried covering the seat as is, but it's still awkward, and the weak balsa still exists, so it eventually sags again. I am thinking that I have to take it all apart and replace the broken "balsa" layer, but I'm not sure if I should put plywood or webbing. I was wondering if you had any ideas or experience. I could send pictures which I think would help in the explanation.
ReplyDeleteI would take it apart and replace the balsa with Baltic birch plywood. It’s very strong. If you need to flex it, use 1/8” plywood. If it can stay rigid - use 1/4” Baltic Birch plywood. Email me if you have questions. Wooditis@aol.com
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