Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Flawed yet Functional

Life free from autoimmune captivity

  • Meet Emily
    • About Me
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Health Journey
    • AVM Story
    • Diabetics Start Here!
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
  • Recipes
  • Habits
    • Goals
    • Productivity
    • Menu Plan
  • Home Decor
    • DIY
    • Sewing
    • Organization
    • House Tour
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Home / DIY / Reupholstered Wood Side Chair | Part 4 – Dust Cover

Reupholstered Wood Side Chair | Part 4 – Dust Cover

April 6, 2018 by Emily Leave a Comment

Upholstering my wood desk chair is going swimmingly, slowly, but trucking along nonetheless. The chair was taken apart prior to me documenting, but so far I’ve made the chair weight bearing, built the cushion, and attached the top piece of upholstery. Today, I’ll show you how to attach the dust cover on the bottom of the chair.


After attaching the top piece of upholstery fabric in Part 3 of this series, the chair looked like this. It looks finished, doesn’t it?

upholstered desk chairIt isn’t though, if you know where to look. See the burlap hanging down from the front frame  of the chair? That needs to be hidden behind a dust cover.

A dust cover is a thin, lightweight piece of fabric used to hide the under or backside of an upholstered piece of furniture. It hides structural pieces to give the bottom of the chair a finished look. The dust cover also protects the insides of the chair from dust.

I purchased my dust cover by the yard from Jo-Ann’s. At first, I picked up a pre-packaged dust cover from the upholstery section. It has 5 yards of fabric in it which is way more than I needed for this project. So I opted to purchase a different version from the bolts so I could purchase just the amount I needed. For this project, I purchased 2/3 of a yard, and it was just enough.

The dust cover fabric I purchased was grey. It is usually black. If I were purchasing it again, I would look elsewhere for black. The grey was so thin, it was see-through if not double layered. Perhaps it was supposed to be double layered? No one will see it so it doesn’t matter, but I would like the look of opaque black better.

Cut Dust Cover to Size of Chair Bottom

Just like with the other fabric parts, cut the dust fabric to roughly the size of the chair with a few inches on all sides. I planned to tuck in all the edges, so I didn’t bother with a very precise cut. After cutting the fabric, lay it on the chair to make sure it fits, trim as necessary.

Sizing Dust Cover Fabric

Tuck Edges Under and Staple

To make the edge look more clean and finished, tuck the extra fabric under towards the inside middle of the chair before stapling. Then following the same North-South-West-East pattern, secure one staple on each side. The reason for following this pattern is to keep the fabric centered on the chair. If you work around the chair, you will pull the fabric off center, possibly enough to not have any left to finish stapling at the end of the chair!

Always start at the top (north) then pull the fabric taut and staple at the bottom (south). Go to one side pulling the fabric gently, but not too tight, secure with a staple (west). Finish up by pulling the fabric taut on the other side (east).

I used short, 1/4″, staples to secure the dust cover. This layer is not structural and will not see every day use, so these short staples should be plenty to hold it in place.

Attaching Dust CoverContinue working around the chair in this pattern, always securing staples opposite each other, until the whole dust cover is secured.

Stapled Dust CoverTrim Around Edges of Legs

The dust cover fabric will be bulky at the corners, by the legs of the chair. Trim some of the overlapping fabric before securing the staples. I didn’t follow a specific method for this. Just trim any folded up fabric to thin out the layers and allow the dust cover to lay flat.

Dust Cover at LegSee how thin this dust cover fabric is? I didn’t expect it to be so see-through when I purchased it. In the end, it is the bottom of the chair, no one will see it. However, I like the finished look of an opaque layer though, and if I were doing it again, I’d buy black dust cover fabric.

Dust Cover on Chair

And now a chair with a finished dust cover! No more burlap hanging all jagged from the bottom of the chair! Even though the dust cover is a little visible from this angle, anyone standing up will not see any of it. The solid grey line looks more clean anyway than jagged burlap!

Chair with Finished Dust CoverAttaching the dust cover was probably the easiest, fastest step in finishing this chair. I think it took about 5 minutes, including cutting, stapling, and trimming the fabric. Following the North-South-West-East pattern is key to the fabric laying evenly without puckers or overstretching in any direction.


That’s one step closer to a finished chair! To see the rest of this upholstery project, click on the links below!

  • Part 1 – Structural Elements
  • Part 2 – Build the Cushion
  • Part 3 – Attaching Top Layer of Upholstery

Dust Cover How To

Share this!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: DIY, Home

[thrive_leads id=’6725′]

Previous Post: « Cinnamon Apples | Paleo, AIP Recipe
Next Post: Insulin-Free Type 1 Diabetes | How I Became Dairy-Free »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

I'm Emily, and I am passionate about using food and healthy habits to transform lives with autoimmune disease. Here you will find healthy recipes that follow the Paleo or Autoimmune Protocol diets, strategies to create a life free from autoimmune symptoms, and encouragement to press on!

Do you want to live your best life? Then you are in the right place! Read More…




Top Posts

Elimination Diet

Autoimmune Protocol Food Journal

Autoimmune Protocol | Reintroduction Phase

Make Cooking and Eating Vegetables Easier

How to Make Cooking and Eating Vegetables Easier




[instagram-feed]

gluten free blog network directory

Footer

About Us

Contact Us

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Disclosure

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Type 1 diabetic, AVM survivor, Autoimmune Protocol dieter, DIY-er, Mom, Wife, and Lover of Jesus. So glad you are here today, and I hope you leave encouraged! Learn more about me →

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework