Restore and Redesign a Retro Metal Chair: Screwdriver and Old Fabric Are All You Need

The metal chairs of the sixties and seventies can be a great touch to any mid-century, modern-style room. These are very easy to come by as well. So many people discard them by the road, give them to thrift stores (e.g. Goodwill, Salvation Army) or sell them for next-to nothing at garage sales. The construction of these nifty chairs is simple, thus making them very easy to redesign. So if you have access to one of these great chairs, a screwdriver or drill and a 3-by-3-foot piece of your favorite retro fabric, then you can create a great piece for your living space.

Removing the seat will be the first step. The seat is usually attached by way of a couple of brackets and screws on the underside of the seat. Just use your Philips screwdriver or drill bit to remove the screws and the brackets.

Here's a tip: sometimes the seats of these old chairs have begun to rust and that rust may have gotten to the screws. This can cause the screws to be a little stubborn when trying to unscrew them. If you have a screw that you cannot get to turn, try sticking the tip of a flathead screwdriver under the bracket and apply upward pressure. This will lift up on the screw head. While applying this pressure, try again to unscrew the screw. The upward pressure should help break through whatever is preventing the screw from turning and it will come loose.

After the seat is disconnected from the chair you can then take it apart. The seat will be made up of two pieces pressed together. Use a flathead screwdriver to wedge between the two halves and then pull them apart. Be careful because there could be old cushion material or rust that could get on your clothes and your work surface so be sure work somewhere that can easily be cleaned and wear the appropriately clothing for a dirty task like this. Once the two pieces are apart you will want to remove any old cushioning material. Also at this time take off the existing fabric. This will be the piece you are replacing. If their is excessive rust (and there usually is) use a wire brush to break it up and clean it off. If there is any rust build up on the screws or brackets, you can clean them with the wire brush as this time as well. Again be careful not to get the rust on anything that it could stain or soil. Use a cloth to wipe off any other loose rust or dirt that still may be clinging to the metal seat.

Now of course you will want to be able to use your redesigned chair for many years and so you will want to protect it from any future rusting. This is where a spray can of Rust-oleum will come in handy. Rust-oleum is available in different colors but since this project only requires it to be applied to the insides of the seat, the color is unimportant since it will not be seen. As you can see from the photos, for our project the Rust-oleum was gold. If you decide to use this on the rest of the metal on the chair then it will show and you will have to consider the color. But this project color is of no consequence. The Rust-oleum will need to dry for at least 1/2 an hour.

Now comes the fun part: applying your new fabric. Since the seat is metal you will need some sheet batting for added softness. Two sheets will be necessary so as to make it plenty comfortable. If desired, it may be possible to also incorporate a piece of thin foam but take care not take use foam that is too thick or the two halves of the seat may not fit back together properly. And when using foam, only incorporate one sheet of batting. Now use the top half of the seat (the part that you sit on) as the template for how large to cut your batting and fabric. Cut the fabric so that you have about 3 extra inches on each side. Cut your batting to the same size as the fabric. Lay your fabric face down on your work surface, lay your batting on top of that, and then finally lay the top half of the seat top down on top of the batting and fabric. Now take the 3" excess of fabric and batting on each side and fold it over the edges of the seat. Since the fabric will be held in place when the two seat halves are rejoined there is no need for fasteners of any kind. Simply tap the fabric/batting down with masking tape to hold it in place until you are ready to reassemble the seat. It is extremely important that you do not allow the fabric to be too slack. As you fold it over and tape, make it as taut as possible.

Once you have taped the fabric in place, take the bottom half of the seat and press it down onto the top half. Press around all the edges to insure that it snaps properly back in place. Now reattach the seat to the rest of the chair's frame by reusing the original brackets and screws. Your newly re-styled retro chair is now ready for use. Feel free to enhance the great new look of your chair with a contrasting pillow or cushion. I hope this tutorial has helped you and that it will inspire you to come up with your own unique creations!