How to Upholster a Chair with a Leather Skirt

​text by Vicki     ​Sign up to get Mother Daughter Projects updates in your email!

​Most Saturday mornings I’m off to yard sales in search of treasures to upcycle. I often come across chairs and really have to restrain myself from buying more—that’s because I have a dozen or more currently stored in my garage! 

This week, one of those chairs got a long-awaited makeover. This wrought iron, mid-century chair was purchased for the whopping sum of $1.00. It was structurally sound but needed work on the veneer, new upholstery, and new feet.

Before

Almost everything I upcycle starts with cleaning using Krud Kutter and Scotts green scrubbing pad. This usually takes care of the grime and the cleaned surface then directs the next step. Depending on the condition of the surface revealed, I may need to sand or strip paint, remove rust or repair damaged wood surfaces. 

The cleaned surface of the wrought iron was in good condition and only needed to be painted. The veneer on the other hand needed repair. Since I have no experience repairing veneer, I decided to fill the damage with Bondo, let dry, sand and then spray the entire chair with oil rubbed bronze paint. 

​The cushion was removed, stripped, then fitted with new foam which came from an upcycled memory foam bed topper. I used spray glue to temporarily tack the foam to the chair bottom and then the leather to the top of the foam. 

See that title of the post--were you wondering what a leather skirt had to do with anything? Well, the leather skirt was used as the upholstery for the seat. It was a perfect fit. I was able to utilize the front two seams into an interesting placement on the seat. The seat was flipped over and I used an electric staple gun to attach the leather to the seat bottom. Perfect!

​The last addition was purchasing new rubber tips for the legs. 

This little lady is all ready in her LBD and shoes ready to welcome guests for another half century!

Do you have a chair you could do this with? What other items could you upholstery a chair with besides a skirt? Let us know in the comments below!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

---

Related Projects

7 ways to DIY a pool noodle

Portable Guest “Recharge” Station

Mid-Century Chair Makeover