Vintage Cane Arm Chair: From Tufted to Terrific

This tufted cane arm chair was looking very worn out.

The stuffing was gone from the seat, and the fabric was worn and stained. The wood was looking weathered and dreary. Lucky it found me — time for some TLC!

The Frame

I removed all the fabric and remaining stuffing as well as the seat insert, leaving the skeleton of the frame. To prepare it for re-staining, I sanded it down with 120-grit sandpaper. Next, I used Minwax® pre-stain conditioner to prepare the wood for the new color. Then I applied Minwax® “Espresso” (my fave hue) to coordinate with the new fabric. After staining, I topcoated the frame with two coats of Minwax® Polycrylic to protect the surfaces. Here it is, ready for reupholstery.

The Back

Before I could get to work with my Surebonder® pneumatic staple gun (woohoo!), I had to cut new foam to fit the seat and back. My client requested a non-tufted back, which meant my job would be easier since I wouldn’t have to replace the buttons and puckering. (Removing tufting on a curved back like this will result in a bit of looseness in the appearance of the fabric, but it’s not noticeable when the chair is in use.)

My client selected a navy performance velvet from Spoonflower®. After the foam was prepared, I stapled a section of fabric to the back of the chair frame.

Here is a view from the back with the fabric in place. The staples are hidden on the inside of the frame, so all you see is a nice smooth surface.

Then it was time to sandwich the foam. First I beveled the edge of the foam to give the back a bit of a slope to the edges instead of a sharp corner. After stacking it on top of the fabric I’d already installed, I spread batting across the foam and stapled it in place of the front side of the chair frame. Finally, I stapled the velvet in place. To cover the staples, I made matching double welt cording and attached it where the fabric meets the frame with professional-grade hot glue.

The Seat

The seat was missing all of its puffiness. (I’m still trying to work out how that happened – maybe it all squished?) After removing the fabric and what little stuffing was left, I inspected the supports. The metal springs were in decent shape, but the cording used for spacing had rotted. I replaced the cording, knotting at each spring to maintain spacing and tension.

Then I added a layer of two-inch foam and wrapped the whole seat insert in batting. After stapling that in place, I attached the navy fabric and added custom matching trim to the front edge for decorative detail. Then I installed a new dust cover on the underside to cover the springs and screwed the seat back into place.