How to Reupholster Bar Stools

Hello! Are you trying to figure out how to reupholster bar stools? Look no further! With just 5 steps, I will walk through how to upholster bar stools without prior experience with upholstering. Before this project, I had no experience with upholstering but was determined to upholster some bar stools that I snagged for a great price on Facebook Marketplace. 

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Now that I have completed this project, I am ready to share the steps it took to get there. But before we get started, please note the tools you’ll need for this DIY project: a screwdriver, new fabric, a staple gun, staples, staple remover or a flathead and needle nose pliers. My staple gun didn’t come with the staple remover, so I used a flathead screwdriver and pliers in its place. If you do have a stapler remover, you can use that in place of the flathead and needle nose pliers. And now, let’s get started! 

Remove the Seating Cushion from the Bar Stool

First, you’ll want to remove the cushion from the bar stool frame. On mine, 4 screws were holding the seating cushion in place. So, I took the screwdriver and removed the screws. Once you remove the screws, you can lift the seating cushion off the metal frame. 

Remove the Staples from the Seating Cushion

Next, you’ll want to remove the staples from the seating cushion. Mine had a piece of black fabric over the tan fabric to hide the upholstery underneath. Although you don’t technically have to do this step, I recommend doing it. When you staple the new fabric in place, the staples from the original upholstery might get in the way, so you’re better off removing all staples from the original upholstery. 

There are different techniques to remove the staples from the seating cushion. I wedged a flathead screwdriver under the staple to pry it up. To do this, I positioned the flathead screwdriver at a 90 angle at the edge of the staple. In one motion, I applied pressure and then shifted the angle of the flathead in a downward motion. I then twisted the edge of the flathead under the staple to pry it up. After leveraging the flathead to lift the staple up, I used the pliers to pull it out completely.   

Cut and Place the New Fabric Under the Bar Stool Cushion

Once you remove the staples, you can cut a square piece of fabric. Before you cut the fabric make sure there is enough slack. You don’t want to work on a piece that is too small.

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Staple the New Fabric onto the Seating Cushion

Now you can staple the new fabric onto the seating cushion. Place the seating cushion directly over the fabric, so they are both upside-down. Next, start on one side of the fabric and pull the middle of the flat edge over the bottom of the cushion. Once you have it situated, pull on the fabric and staple it into place. repeat this step on the other sides. You’ll want the fabric tight but not so much where there is little to no give.

Now for the corners. Take the corner of the fabric and twist it until the whole corner is tight. I have included an image for reference. Before you staple it, try smoothing out the wrinkles from the inside edge. After you staple the corner, work towards the section in between the corners and the flat edge. 

After stapling the new fabric onto the seating cushion, I took the black piece of fabric and stapled it back into place. If you decide to do this part, make sure you line up the holes from the screws as best you can. This makes it easy to see where the original holes were when you move on to the final step.

Screw the Seating Cushion Back into the Bar Stool Frame

Now, for the final step on how to reupholster bar stools! You’ll reattach the seating cushion to the bar stool frame. As I said in step #4, it is easier to position the cushion to the original placement and use the same holes to screw the screws back into place. And voila! The barstool is now complete!

Now you know how to reupholster bar stools! I hope you were able to find these steps easy and useful. Feel free to leave a comment and contact me with any questions!