Revamp a chair in less than 2 hours!

New to upcycling? A drop-in seat pad is an easy first project, and one which will amaze your friends. As you aren't removing any old covers, the job is easy and mess-free. Look out for wooden chairs with removable seat pads at charity shops, car-boot sales and on Freecycle. Give the chair a little TLC, wiping with a damp cloth all over to remove any grime, then you're ready to give it a whole new lease of life!

You will need
Wooden dining chair with drop-in seat Furniture oil/polish & soft cloth
Iron

Ironing board
Vintage curtain fabric Pencil Scissors Heavy-duty staple gun

Step one Give your chair a clean and check the joints (if any need repairing, use a dab of wood glue along the join and leave to dry). Remove the drop-in seat pad from the chair and set aside. Buff the chair frame using furniture polish or oil.

Step two Lay your fabric right side down on 
a flat surface (or the floor) and place the seat pad top down onto 
it. Draw around your pad, allowing enough fabric to cover the original fabric on the top, sides and underneath. Cut to size 
and iron to smooth out any creases.

Step three Begin stapling the fabric to the frame of the seat pad at the central point along each of the four sides. Then fold in the corners (as if wrapping 
a present) and staple, pulling the fabric tightly. Continue stapling until the fabric is taut. Replace the seat pad with its pretty new seat fabric back into the chair's frame.