If the rear of your dining seat is sinking more than desired, it doesn’t have to be that you’re weighing more. It may be a sign of worn-out cushions, which is common with most home items. Luckily, you don’t necessarily have to replace the chairs. You can gather some essential materials and simply repair them.
Usually, most dining chairs have plywood padding that covers the chair hole and works as a cushion. In case of sagging, you can replace the cover and padding in the seat or check out for damaged or untacked springs. As you will read below, you don’t even require sophisticated tools for the job.
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What causes the dining chair to sag?
A high-quality dining chair set can last many years with proper maintenance. However, wear and tear are inevitable with continued use, and mostly this is why you see dining chairs with sagging seats. When this happens, you only need to inspect its frame, webbing, and spring. If you see the need to reupholster it, acquire the right tools, and set aside a day for the job.
Your dining chair may sag due to the following reasons;
- Old cushions: continued use wears your chair’s pad gradually until you start noticing the droopiness after some time. Fixing the cushion will help you refurbish your chair and restore its comfort.
- Poor quality upholstery foam: foams stuck on your dining chair vary considerably in quality. If you don’t get the right quality, especially for the seat, expect your chair to sag early.
- Worn-out springs: sometimes your dining chair may sag awkwardly in the middle because of a weak spring. If this is the case, use about three tucks to hold them in place.
Tools and Materials required to fix sagging dining chair
Chair repair requires a little effort, but it’s doable with the right skills and materials. Below are the tools and materials you’ll need to make your dining chairs comfortable again.
- Fabric staple remover
- Staple gun
- Needle nose pliers
- Wood glue
- ¼ inch plywood
- Replacement fabric
- Fabric staples and stapler
- Hammer
How To Fix Sagging Dining Chair
- Loosen the screws holding the chair seat from the chair and start removing the staples.
- Use the fabric staple remover to pop the staples, then remove them with a needle nose pliers. If you remove the staples carefully, you can reuse the old fabric and staples.
- When you finish stripping the chair to the wooden frame, remove the dust cover carefully because you’ll need it when reassembling the seat. At this point you should see a batting layer and the disintegrating rubber web.
- Now get your plywood and from it cut a piece slightly larger than the hole of the wooden seat frame.
- Take the wooden frame you stripped and apply wood glue on the edges of its top side, then place your plywood on top.
- Place some heavy materials on the plywood resting on the glued wooden frame and leave it to dry for not less than six hours.
- When fully stuck, start reassembling the seat, commencing with foam and webbing.
- Fix the wooden seat frame and staple the webbing, then prepare your new fabric.
- For accuracy, you can use your old fabric as an outline for cutting the new one.
- Take the new fabric you cut and wrap it around your cushioned seat as it lays upside down. Staple it on all sides until it becomes firm.
- Stretch the fabric towards the four corners of the dressed wooden seat frame and staple them properly.
- Trim any extra fabric sitting in the way of staples and voila, you’re almost done.
- Place the dust cover back and staple it professionally.
- Now take your seat and fix it back on your dining chair. And bid the sagging goodbye.
How Much Does It Cost To Fix A Sagging Dining Chair
Fixing a sagging dining chair costs between $150 and $600, depending on the extent of the problem. In the contemporary world, furniture repair can go all the way up to $260. The cost is high because of the high cost of materials. If, for instance, you’re fixing a broken dining chair, the cost may go higher than that of fixing droopiness if the labor and materials needed are more.
Things To Consider When Fixing A Sagging Dining Chair
Major dining chair repairs involve undoing the seat from the chair, fixing the issue, and fitting it back. When fixing a sagging chair, please consider these things;
- Quality materials and functional tools for the job.
- Your level of skillfulness in handling the necessary repairs.
- The intensity of work- some major repairs will require more time and effort.
- The degree of damage- if you identify when to replace dining chair seat, you’ll not spend on unnecessary repairs.
- Your safety must always come first.
Dining Chair Care And Maintenance Tips
Maintaining beautiful and comfortable dining chairs is an essential part of keeping your home sparkling. If you have children around, you have to be a little more careful to prevent frequent spillage. Some care and maintenance tips include;
- Regular vacuuming
- Proper cleaning
- Avoiding direct sunlight
- Keeping off harsh cleaning products like bleach and alkalis
- Blemish and spillage cleaning
Above are simple care tips that will ensure your dining chair gives you a longer lifespan. If you follow them religiously, you’ll rarely have to deal with issues before time. Repairs will also not be complicated when you’ve maintained your dining chairs properly all along.
Conclusion
You can often fix a sagging dining chair by following simple guidelines like those above. But, for your dining chair to blend well and attain the desired newness, you’ve to refinish it properly. Also, in case of excess glue that drips across the chair edges, you will need to exercise your sanding skills to get it off completely.
It’s a whole new experience, which is achievable with the right tools and skills. The good news is that as you finish the makeover you will have honed your skills.
