That’s right — I used the word dastardly. We should be knee-deep in our office cabinets project, but that’s a big job (a weekend project, maybe two), and this rocker has been giving me the stink eye since November, even before we moved. For anyone who doesn’t remember, here’s the short version: I found the chair on Craigslist for $25 because I loved its simple lines, then it sat untouched for over nine months until this past weekend.
No sooner had I brought it home than I realized I had no idea how to reupholster the top. I knew how to redo a basic seat, but the hole at the top required finishing on both sides and that completely intimidated me.
I did put out a call for upholstery advice a while back and the responses were incredibly helpful — turns out there are a dozen ways to approach this. That mix of tips from readers, Google, and a reupholstering-savvy friend gave me the confidence to finally take a stab at it. Full disclosure: I went rogue. I combined the suggestions I’d gathered, added some improvisation, and figured things out as I went. So here’s the story of Me vs. Rocker — a multi-day, multi-phase project with lots of photos.
First step: glare at the rocker one last time, then get to work pulling staples, tacks, and the old upholstery off the frame. My tip: use small channel-lock pliers to remove staples and tacks. They gripped better than the back of a hammer or needle-nose pliers and reduced the chances of tool slip.
After an hour I had a small pile of hardware, but I was only about 30% finished. A few more hours of pulling nails and removing the two wood seat slats left the chair looking rough. The frame needed wood putty and sanding to prepare it for finishing. But I was tired, so I moved to a less strenuous step: upholstering the two-piece wood seat.
I taped the two seat slats together with delicate surface painting tape so I could upholster them as one piece. Then I layered extra-loft batting — I used “Soft n Crafty” — not because I wanted a super cushy seat but to add a bit of plush without making it sink-in soft. One layer of batting wouldn’t have been enough, so I added a total of five layers. The result was pleasantly firm with a touch of softness.
After stapling all that batting on, I realized the seat needed to hinge forward to fit past the chair arms during reinstallation. My first panicked thought was to restaple everything after separating the slats, but my husband suggested cutting the tape across the back of the slats and folding the batting forward. That worked perfectly and saved me a ton of effort.
Next came the fabric. I’d picked up a Kravet Design remnant on clearance for $2 a yard and bought two yards. The pattern required centering, so I folded the fabric around the seat to find the center line, then flipped the piece over and put one staple in the top middle and one in the bottom middle to secure the center while I checked alignment. Once centered, I pulled the fabric tight and added staples at the four cardinal points, then worked around the perimeter. At carved corners I folded the fabric like wrapping a present, pulling taut and holding folds with a few staples so the front would appear smooth.
From the back the staple work looked tidy, and from the front the seat looked much nicer. I tested the seat in the frame to ensure it could still hinge forward and fit into place — it did, and I may have heard angels sing.
With the seat reupholstered it was time to prep the frame. I filled visible holes with wood putty, sanded to smooth and scuff the surface, and used liquid deglosser to get an even base for finish. After all that, I realized stain wouldn’t hide the inconsistencies in the wood; it would likely look uneven even after careful sanding and puttying. Since this was a $25 Craigslist find and not an heirloom, I chose to paint.
I sprayed the frame with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint, applying thin, even coats. The metallic undertone gave the finish depth and the built-in primer made coverage easy. After three light coats the finish read like a rich, dark wood with dimension instead of a flat chocolate brown.
Here’s where Part One ends: the seat is finished and reinstalled, the frame is sanded and painted, and the rocker is nearly complete. I’ll share the final steps and finished photos in the next installment. Have you ever procrastinated on a project for ages? What project intimidates you, and what tricks helped you finally tackle it?
Update: A reader noted that the fabric I used appeared on a catalog cover; it turns out that same fabric is sold by a retailer and can be pricey by the yard, which was a funny discovery considering my $2-a-yard clearance find.