Happy FRIYAY!!! Alright, did you see my previous post about starting to reupholster a chair – the first step is to STRIP IT. Now, when that is done, you can start putting it back together. I decided since this was my first reupholstering project, I might as well go big! I did lots of research on tufting & how to do it, hacks, cheaper ways to do it & finally caved and explained them to the husband who helped me figure out the perfect thing for my chair.
First thing I had to do, was decide how many actual tufts I wanted on the chair. After browsing pinterest and several google image searches, I decided 10 would be best so I measured as best I could (hard to do on a curved surface) where the 10 tufts would be & then went out to buy buttons & supplies for the actual tufts. The buttons were SO easy to cover, you simply cut a piece of fabric larger than the button (the box gives you a guide) and then fold the excess in, shove it down with the top piece & you are ready to go! Presley LOVED helping with this. We found 10 pack of the size that I wanted at Michaels for $4.99 and I used a 40% off coupon to get them.
The next step was to find nuts, bolts & washers. Chad explained to me how it would work so Presley and I set out to Lowes and picked up all the pieces we needed. Originally I wasn’t going to use the washers on the back, but I felt safer because the holes I made were a little larger. So for the 10 tufts, I needed 10 bolts, 10 nuts & 20 washers (and I had a few extras heaven forbid). I took a pre-made button cover to the store, so that I could make sure the front washer (that would be visible on top of the fabric) would be able to fit outside of the washer and end up not being visible.
So, with all my supplies ready to go, I ended up using a small metal spear & a pair of sharp scissors to get through my remarked spots. (Apologizes for these horrid pictures). As soon as a pierced a small hole through the front to the back, I then went from the back to the front – once I reached the front, I followed that hole back with the bolt, and washer until I reached the back. Then I layered on another washer & screwed the nut as tight as I could. THIS is what creates the tuft! Use those muscles!!
The important thing to remember, is after your front piece is measured and layed on top, start with your top row and work your way down. Leave LOTS of extra fabric on either side. You cannot pull and staple this fabric into place BEFORE you tuft – you do that after. The first tuft is the hardest since the fabric is just sort of sitting their – but the rest are easy after that. After all your tufts are done – THEN you can pull those pieces through the back & staple them securely in place.
As far as putting the buttons on, we decided to use Fabri-Tac (I had it on hand & want to be able to easily fix them if they ever fall off – because Toddler y’all – and Presley was in charge of that. We just loaded up the back of the button & then put them each in place. After giving them a gentle tug the next day they were still nice and tight in place.
So THAT is the easy way to tuft an originally untufted chair. It makes a beautiful chair even that much more gorgeous. I am seriously DYING to finish this baby, but it’s on the backburner while I do more research on the finishing touches it needs (plus work on some other projects on my growing To-Do list).
Tufting Costs (made 10 tufts):
Buttons to cover with fabric: $4.99 – 40% off that.
Washers, Bolts & Nuts: $5.00
XO, Thanks for stopping by today! I’ll see you next week! Follow me on Instagram in the meantime.
[…] 1: Strip the chair STEP 2: Tufting STEP 3: New fabric – Uhm why didn’t I blog about this? STEP 4: […]