Tips for Refurbishing Used Office Chairs to Look and Feel New

Refurbishing used furniture can be a great way to save money. However, it’s important to remember that the office chair’s quality may differ from newer options.

You also may need to find out who used the chair or for how long. To avoid disappointing yourself, consider these tips for refurbishing pre-owned office chairs to look and feel like new!

Replace the Foam

Reworking the seat cushion and back foam in pre owned office chairs is an inexpensive way to breathe new life into the old workhorse. It is also a relatively easy DIY project, even for those who do not consider themselves particularly handy or crafty.

This step is especially important if you plan to use your refurbished chair for longer than just a few months. The foam can easily become compressed or damaged over time, leading to painful and uncomfortable sitting.

Before you buy a chair, look for a respectable refurbishing company that offers quality equipment at an affordable price and will stand by it with a warranty. Buying from an individual on Facebook Market or other websites is not recommended since there is no way to test the equipment beforehand physically.

Clean the Upholstery

First, vacuum the chair to remove loose dirt and debris. Then, use a soft cloth soaked in warm, soapy water to wipe down the leather upholstery. Remember to wipe down the chair’s armrests, legs, and underside.

Next, if there are any stains on the fabric upholstery, blot them with a cloth that isn’t stained. This helps to reduce the amount of liquid that gets “rubbed in” and soaked into foam layers beneath the fabric.

If there are still stains on the chair, apply a small amount of an appropriate cleaner to a clean cloth and then work at the stain. Most mild stains can be removed with white vinegar, while stubborn stains may require fabric-appropriate cleaners such as naphtha or isopropyl alcohol.

Remove the Fabric Backing

It is important to take notes or photos of the chair during disassembly. This will help you when it comes time to put the chair back together again. Labeling the parts as they are removed and setting them aside in separate bags or pots is also helpful.

For example, the cylinder on this chair had a fabric covering tucked into the apron of the seat cushion. This made the seat look a bit sloppy and unfinished, so you used upholstery pins to hold my new fabric in place instead. These twisty pins work great and keep the material taut. The only downside is that they leave a little indentation in the seat, but it is easily covered by trim later.

Remove the Staples

When buying a second-hand office chair, you must understand that the item will only sometimes be in perfect condition. Some problems cannot be spotted with the naked eye, such as a broken caster or a mechanism that no longer works properly.

Manufacturers use staples to put upholstery onto furniture frames. Therefore, you can replace the staples on a pre-owned chair with new ones. However, you must know which parts you can and cannot remove from the chair to prevent damage. You should also avoid disassembling the mechanism since doing so may cause it to malfunction. If you need to remove the cylinder, try using a butter knife instead of a staple gun, as it will be safer for your hands.

Rearrange the Seat Cushion

Recovering the seat cushion is one of the simplest do-it-yourself chair upholstery projects. You can use the same fabric as the original fabric or choose a new color and pattern to give your chairs a fresh look.

Place your replacement fabric on the chair with the right side down. Then, put the seat cushion, also right-side down, on top of it. If the cushion has a pattern, center the pattern and mark the corners with straight pins.

Staple the fabric to the cushion, stapling roughly every 1-2 inches around the perimeter of the seat. Finely gather the excess fabric at the corners into small, even pleats and staple them down. Then, clip any extra fabric that sticks above the staples to reduce bulk. Repeat for the other two corners.