to carpet, look after what’s underfoot

Take a seat

Breathe new life into a kerbside mid-century gem with some nifty re-covering nous

Before

This retro armchair had seen better days and looked destined for the tip, but solid bones made it worth salvaging. With a little patience and know-how, a trashed treasure like this one can enjoy a reincarnation as a living-room centrepiece. Here’s how.

Pro tip

To use a staple gun, always position it with the base resting flat on the timber frame before pulling the trigger, using the solid surface to hold it in place so the staple shoots in straight

Armchair restoration

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Your DIY toolkit

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TOOLS & MATERIALS Safety equipment (mask, eye protection and gloves)  Screwdriver set  Plier set  Small adjustable wrench  10L plastic bucket  Cloths Detail sander with 120- and 180-grit abrasive discs  50mm paintbrushes  Scissors  Staple gun with 8mm staples  Utility knife  Vintage chair  Rust converter  Timber stain  Furniture oil 1m 1800mm-wide hessian Two pieces of 500mm x 500mm x 100mm foam fill* 1m 1500mm-wide wadding* Approximately 3m upholstery fabric*

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1 Bondall ‘Ranex Rustbuster’ rust converter, $31/1L, I/N: 1560863. 2 Trojan 3 piece plier set, $29.98, I/N: 0126943. 3 Trojan 3 in 1 heavy duty staple gun set, $19.98, I/N: 0217503. 4 Feast Watson ‘Prooftint’ interior stain in Brown Japan, $10.50/ 50ml, I/N: 1520347. 5 Feast Watson Scandinavian oil, $20/250ml, I/N: 1564833. Some products are not available at all Bunnings stores, but may be ordered.

1Wearing safety equipment, use a small flat screwdriver to pry off the upholstery tacks and remove the upholstery from the frame, pulling off the padding and foam. Avoid marking the timber while using pliers to pull out all staples, nails and pins. 2Remove the arms using a wrench to loosen the nuts and bolts. Unclip the springs from the seat and backrest, holding them with gloves to prevent recoil, then remove the spring fixings. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to prepare a 10L bucket with rust converter to soak and treat all the metal parts. 3With a damp cloth, clean the arms and legs. Sand using a detail sander with a 120-grit disc to remove the old varnish. Repeat with 180-grit for a smooth finish, then remove dust with a damp cloth. Apply two coats of stain with a paintbrush, leaving to dry after each. Buff with furniture oil to finish.

4Reattach the spring fixings over the seat and backrest, enlisting a second pair of hands to help hook the springs to prevent recoil. Cut and staple hessian to fit over the springs, with 50mm excess around the edges to double over as a hem to help hold the staples. With a utility knife, cut 100mm-thick foam to cover the seat and backrest, trimming the corners from the top for a rounded profile. 5Position foam over hessian and chair back, then cut wadding to fit over foam, pulling it taut to staple evenly under chair frame. On the seat, position fabric, folding corners and cutting it with scissors, leaving 50mm hem to tuck under chair and fold under for stapling. Install a staple at the mid-point of each side, front and back to hold the fabric, then work around the sides, pulling the fabric taut to secure with staples. 6To cover the backrest, stretch the fabric over the wadding, folding under the corners and creating a flap to cover the back of the chair (with the fabric folded inwards to hide the edges and prevent fraying). Find the existing holes in the frame, then punch through the fabric with a screwdriver to reattach arms using the restored bolts, washers and screws. ◆