DIY: Re-Upholstering Your Lazyboy Recliner
When it comes to recliners, you can’t do better than Lazyboy! These chairs are capable of providing you with the maximum amount of comfort, not only thanks to their super comfy cushions, but also to their high-quality reclining mechanisms. After all, nothing beats laying back and putting your feet in the air after a long day at work. But what about your decor? Since these are some of the sturdiest chairs available, there is no need for buying a new one every couple of years. And although that is one of their biggest advantages, it also means that you will be stuck with the pattern you choose for a really long time. Or does it? In this post, we are going to show you how you can reupholster your Lazyboy recliner by yourself quickly and with a minimum amount of effort.
Materials that are needed for reupholstering a Lazyboy chair:
– Fabric (approximately 7 yards) (buy)
– Covered buttons (buy)
– Waxed thread (buy)
– Upholstery needles (buy)
– Thread and needle (buy)
– Seam ripper (buy)
– Tack remover (buy)
– Hot glue gun (buy)
– Scissors (buy)
– Staples (buy)
– Staple gun (buy)
How to reupholster your Lazyboy chair – a step-by-step guide:
Step 1
After you are done preparing all the tools and materials you are going to need for this job, your first step will be disassembling the recliner. You won’t have any trouble removing its back, but the seat might prove to be a lot more stubborn. If you would like to avoid wasting time, start by flipping the chair and checking the underside for any screws that might have been used to attach the seat to the frame. Only after you have dismantled the chair completely can you move on to the next step.
Step 2
This is where the tack remover and the seam ripper will come in handy. You will need to remove the old fabric so you can start stapling the new one. You might get tempted to skip this step, but keep in mind that your decision will affect the end result. By choosing to go through with it, you will end up with a better-looking chair, but you will also make the stapling part a lot easier for yourself. This is because you will be able to use the old pieces of fabric to cut the new ones with higher precision.
Step 3
Take the new fabric and cut it into smaller pieces, all the while being careful not to mess up the dimensions. By using the old pieces of fabric for tracing, you will be able to do this a lot faster and without putting too much effort into the process. If you want your chair to look like it has been done by a professional, iron the fabric both before tracing and before moving to the following step.
Step 4
Using the staple gun, attach each piece of fabric to their respective parts of the frame. It would be best to start with the middle parts, since the corners can be a bit tricky. While stapling the fabric over the outer parts, make sure you pull it tight over the frame. The trick to getting the perfect corners is to fold and staple the fabric until they are just the way you want them.
Step 5
Don’t be surprised when you find parts that are made of cardboard – using it is standard practice in the production of recliners. But don’t try to upholster them the way you did the rest of the chair, either, since they should be done using a hot glue gun.
Step 6
Use the covered buttons to finish reupholstering your recliner. There is no need to tell you how to do this, since there will be instructions on the back of the package.
Step 7
Although this step is optional, you will need to go through with it if you want to tuft the cushion. You can do this by using the upholstery needle and the waxed thread from the list.
Step 8
Put each of the parts back in its place, but make sure to do it right. You can make it a lot easier for yourself by taking pictures of the process of disassembling the chair so you can trace your steps later on and avoid making a mistake.
Now that you are familiar with the process of reupholstering a recliner, you probably don’t think it would be impossible for you to do it by yourself. Of course, it requires a significant amount of time and patience, but it is actually a pretty straightforward task that could result in a complete transformation of your living room. Some of the steps are more demanding than others, but none of them is something you couldn’t handle. So choose a pattern you love and start reupholstering!
Make sure to properly clean your newly reupholster chair and take care of the fabric.