A recliner chair is a nice seat at any house. It is undeniable that this wonderful chair can be a good companion to help you relax and spoil your back after a long day of work.
Research shows that sitting in a reclining position can reduce the risk of back pain. However, there remains a bugbear of this piece of furniture emerging – sagging.
Likely to get squashed, reclining chairs can break down in a short time if you do not care for them frequently. Once you see your reliner flatten down or wrinkle, it is high time to give them a new life.
Restuffing is not an expensive idea to upgrade the entire seat. Regarding this subject, we will share how to make a recliner more comfortable by adding extra padding to it.
How to Add Padding to Your Recliner
With our complete guide, restuffing your recliner is as easy as ever. First, we will start with the tools required for your upgrade.
What You Need
1. Upholstery Fabric
This material is the indispensable thing to start your work. You have many choices of furniture stuffing, either cotton batting or upholstery foam with a soft texture to bring more comfort.
We do not recommend using fiberfill as extra padding because it is mostly air, and you will have to restuff much more frequently.
2. Knife/ Scissors
You will need a tool to open the seam to access the interior of your recliner chair’s cushions. It can be a knife, scissors, or any seam ripper you can handily find in your house. We suggest using a sharp and thin one to easily open the seam without damaging the wrap.
3. Needle-nose pliers
If the inside does not come out completely when you pull them, it is where needle-nose pliers shine. You can take advantage of their shape that will pull the rest of the fiber out.
4. Stapler
After refilling the recliner, you need a stapler to close the seam so that the stuffing stays put. Of course, you can do it manually, but it is time-consuming and not as fine as when using a stapler.
5. Glue Gun
Using glue when closing the seam can leave a better finish. However, it is optional to use a glue gun in case you do not have one.
How to Do It
If your current recliner comes with a zipper, it is as easy as pie to renew it. You can simply open the zipper, add extra padding into the chair, and zip up.
Otherwise, here are the simple steps to add padding to your recliner seat and armrests.
Step 1: Open a Seam
The first thing you have to do is open a seam to access the inside of the cushioning parts. Use a knife, scissors, or any sharp ripper gently to remove the staples, and the parts are ready for the next step.
It is advisable to find the seam from the bottom for a better outlook. In case the finish is not as your expectation, it will not show up too obviously.
If you use foam instead of cotton batting, there should be a prior step of measurement. You can measure the dimensions of the chair and the foam so that every corner is well fit.
Step 2: Remove The Old Stuffing
Once the seam is open, you can effortlessly pull out the old upholstery fabric. It is better to do this step carefully and gently to not accidentally tear out the wrap.
In case you can not take all the original padding in the corners out, the needle-nose pliers can help. The special shape makes it easy to reach every nook and cranny. It is advisable to slowly use the pliers because the sharp tool can ruin the entire surface seat.
Step 3: Restuff Your Recliner With New Padding
In this step, you simply put the new padding into the recliner until you feel comfortable enough to sit or recline in.
You can start with the recliner back and seat and end with the armrests. Restuffing the armrests requires close attention and carefulness because these parts are more complicated and vulnerable than others.
If you are struggling to refill corners, we suggest using a ruler to adjust the padding.
Step 4: Stay The Padding In Place.
In fact, upholstery attachment is not compulsory, but we highly recommend it because this step will help the upholstery fabric stay in good condition for a longer time. This way can reduce the risk of wrinkles and an uneven surface.
You can attach the upholstery fabric by stapling it or gluing it in the right place. However, a stapler may work far better than glue because the glue is often not strong enough to keep the padding for a long time.
Step 5: Close The Seam
After keeping the stuffing in your desired place, you want to tightly close the seam so that the padding can not pull out. Again, use the stapler to close it up.
Otherwise, you can manually sew the seam with an upholstery needle. However, it is time-consuming, easy to fail, and likely to leave an ugly finish.
Step 6: Disguise The Seam
This last step pimps your favorite recliner into a brand-new-looking one. You can use the glue gun to close the seam even more tightly. Besides, this way can conceal the seam and give your favorite recliner a better look.
These are all steps needed to revive your reclining chair, which is easy and cost-effective for everyone. Now, it is time to enjoy the nice seat.
Conclusion
Recliners are so expensive that you do not want to end up discarding them after several years. Restuffing is a cheap and effective way to extend the lifespan of your beloved piece of furniture.
Using some simple tools in your house and following the steps above, you can revive your current recliner without costing too much. All you have to do is spend some time and little money to regain its comfort and pristine appearance.
Sometimes, you may use it so long that you do not have the heart to throw it away. After learning how to add padding to a recliner, we hope you can help your chair – a wonderful friend who always has your back stay with you longer.
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