Cherry Chair Project

Finally finished a project that stalled at various stages for nearly a year! This chair belonged to my parents, and, as you can see, the leather seat was shot and the veneer on the arms was worn away.

Before...

                                                                                

Deconstruction...

                     

Lots of nails and tacks to remove.

Taking photos along the way provides helpful visual reminders for later reconstruction.

Reconstruction...

Re-glued the loose corner supports and arms.

Added a coat of cherry Restore a Finish on all the wood that shows.

I stretched webbing across the seat bottom and covered it with burlap. Then I added the edge roll for seat support.

For this project I chose 2 inch thick, high density foam, a small piece to provide extra cushioning where the rear end hits the chair covered by a larger section.

Next, a large piece of 1 inch Dacron covered the foam.

By carefully stretching, tacking, and stapling the muslin over all of the padding, I molded the seat close to its original shape.

Cutting the fabric to fit the corners was a challenge. Also, final nailing so that I did not end up with fabric bulges in the corners was tricky. I had to pull nails and restart a few times. I started nailing in the back, then each side, and finished with the front.

  

Finished project...