Recover Seat Covers

Hi, there:

We have white cloth seats at the dining table and I have three children. What I have them do at each meal before they eat is to take responsibilty for covering their own seats. We have linen napkins that they use to place in their laps, but the youngest two also place one of these napkins down before sitting in their seats. The napkins get dirty and the seats don't. After the meal, we have a basket in the kitchen just for dirty table linen. When they put away their plates, they also drop their dirty linen in the table linen basket. It makes for more laundry, but it's really not that big of a deal. It also aids in reminding them that there is a such thing as table etiquette, and that they are expected to use it because they have been taught it.

In general, the challenge is to, as a parent, remain consistent and help them to be consistent with it as well.

Best wishes!

Micro-fiber works great if you don't want plastic and you can find it at most fabric stores. It's very easy to care for, just a little soapy water and the stain is out.

Hope this helps.

Hi, I was thinking you could go to a fabric store and find some nice looking vynal or Plether (fake leather) and recover with that... that way you could wipe them clean and you still have a nice classy look.

A.

I really like vinyl. It is durable and easy to clean. I have also found that you can get quite a bit of fabric out of a tablecloth for recovering chairs. If you were looking for something fancier you could always scotch guard the fabric to help it resist the food stains.

My mother used decorative tablecloth covers that have a plastic coating on the top. Marine cloth works too but limited in style/color. If this is a dual table for dinner parties too you can buy plastic by the yard at Walmart and sew a plastic cover you can remove. The community colleges that provide upholstery classes sometimes will take projects from community members for a small fee. Good Luck.

Be sure to use a fabric for upholstery, or home decor fabric. They are usually stronger, and will hold up over time. DON'T go with a light fabric, it shows stains. I personally wouldn't use plastic, because I hate to sit on it, you stick. But after you cover, put a good coating of scotch guard and repeat every so often as the can recommends. Good Luck!

If you go to the fabric store or Walmart, you will find this time of year that heavy duty vinyl tablecloths are sold by the yard. If you are recovering an informal dining set, purchases yardage of one of these patterns combines the two steps into one. The same concept applies if you find some inexpensive vinyl tableclothes at a discount or clearance store.

Just cut out an appropriate size. Get a staple gun. Turn the chair over and staple the fabric to the underside.

The hardest part is pulling the fabric taut across the set, so you might have a buddy help you with this part.

Try using those heavy duty vinyl table cloths (felt on the back, plastic on the front) Make sure you get the good quality ones, they are still cheaper than the material/plastic option, and you can get up to four seats out of one cloth depending on the size. The great thing about this is you can coordinate your kitchen this way, with your towels and placemats etc...

On a limited budget? Buy the cheap vinyl tablecloths with the cotton backing and cut to a larger size for recovering over the existing fabric. A large staple gun worked well. That way, not too much cost or time involved! Easy wipe off clean up!
Good Luck!
T.
White Settlement, Texas

I don't really like sitting on plastic or vinyl if I have a choice. I think we did have vinyl of some kind on our chairs for a short while when the girls were little but also used the bath towel-in-the-seat idea. I liked the idea someone gave of rewarding them when they kept the towel clean for a length of time. Scotchguard the fabric and don't worry too much -- fabric can be changed. Helping your children grow into responsible people who respect the world around them is a very important part of parenting that is often overlooked these days.

R., I have a 2 1/2 year old and got this tip from another mom I know. Once you recover your chairs with something you really like, buy some cheap chair covers (the kind that make the chair look totally wrapped) to put over the chairs. They are easy to slip off to put in the wash frequently. When you have company over and all the "adult" chairs are in use, just slip the covers off and the chairs underneath are still clean.

I personally just put an old towel under his booster seat and wash it a frew times a week with the regular laundry.

Forget the plastic (YUCK!) after you recover them spray them with Scotchguard.(you can get at any craft, home improvement or BBB /L&T store) Whatever spills on them will wipe right off with water. For really deep stains just saturate with water & let dry really good. Every 6 months or so just respray with Scotchguard. Love the stuff!

I have used the vinyl tablecloths that you can find at Walmart or Target. That way I did not need the fabric and a clear cover. The only thing is that there is not that much to choose from as far as design.

You may want to consider some of the faux leathers that are available in many shades and styles. I had the same problem and the chairs turned out great. It can be a bit pricey, around $20+ per yard, but seat covers take very little fabric and it usually comes in wide witdths so you can get several seats out of a small piece. Good luck!

I recovered mine due to the same situation and was pleased to discover that the project is actually really easy! I used a fabric with a dark pattern and some texture ..doesn't show stains. I'm still happy with my choice. Good Luck

Hi R.,
I recovered my cream color seats that my now 9 year old son, spoiled them through the years with vinyl. I love it and all you do is wipe off clean. It wasn't that expensive I got the material at Joann's...

Good luck..

I want to say that I have recovered my chairs several times and always did the scotch gaurd but still ended up with stains. I went to Joann’s to get fabric for yet another recover and found flat fold deals on vinyl that looks a lot like leather and after I put it on it looked nicer than the original fabric did. Mine was only $2 a yard and I've had it on for about 5 months now and it cleans really well. My children are pretty good about not getting things dirty but it’s that one uh oh by them or even an adult that can really break you heart when you love your things.

You might try laminating the fabric before you put it on the chairs. I know Calico Corners does laminating if you buy the fabric from them. The store is not in the more affordable range, but I found a great fabric on clearance & it was very reasonable. You might call other fabric stores to check on pricing too.
If you prefer to go with real fabric, get something dark & with lots of texture. My friend bought some extra fabric & laid it over the chair, almost like a towel. Then she washes the extra fabric as necessary. It looks & feels nicer than plastic, but is still kid friendly.

Recover your chairs. Then what I did was fold a bath towel in half and have them sit on that. It was washable and kept my chairs in good order. If they ask why tell them the truth. When the towel stays clean for a solid month then they have earned the priveledge of sitting on the chair without the towel. Do not downgrade to childproof furniture. They will not learn to respect furniture (yours or others) that way. We have a habit of making the enviroment fit the kids. But then they think they can distroy or property (and others)
After 4 kids learned a few lessons.

Go to a fabric store and they have fabric that is plastic and still looks nice. oh by the way look at the lady above you she need your services. she is looking for a cake person. kc

Check out the fabric that is picinic table ready. They have tons of prints and patterns now and it is laminated for you. It is great for the staining years.

I just want to encourage you that it is an easy project. Make sure to start in the middle of each side before doing the corners.

I also want to recover mine, but haven't yet. I was advised to pick some fabric and have it laminated by the fabric store. I have also looked up laminated fabric on ebay and there is some that is very cute, and not too terribly expensive.

Maybe oilcloth? It has a wipeable and spillable; I would think it could very easily be used to re-cover the existing seats! Good luck!

Have you looked into that "oil cloth" fabric? It comes in many different patterns/colors and is pretty much water repellant so you can easily wipe off and clean the surface.

Cost Plus World Market in Dallas has chair pads on sale for $9.99.
Hope that helps.

Hi Reann,
You might consider looking for some nice indoor/outdoor material. This is usually easy clean up type canvas, etc. Another option would be to cut up a pretty shower curtain and cover the chairs with that. I use shower curtains to cover my outdoor furniture cushions. To further the resistance to stain spray them with a good coat of Scotch Guard.
Blessings,
J.

Go to JoAnns. They have a HUGE bin of clerance fabrics.
I use a tough fabric, that almost looks "courderoy" but is still very fashionable and in the latest colors. It holds up very well and washes great, too!