The Stool 60 Giveaway. Sign up for our emails and a chance to win this ingenious stackable stool.If you’ve got an old chair with a gross seat, or one with no seat at all, but you still love the chair – don’t worry! All is not lost. With about an hour of your time and a few simple materials, you can breathe new life into the chair and make it both functional and beautiful again.This tutorial will allow you to completely customize your chair seat with woven jute webbing, which comes in a variety of widths and even color options, including the spacing of the webbing itself and nail trim options. Jute webbing is incredibly strong and durable, used for many upholstery projects. A jute-seat chair will work well with rustic, cottage, industrial, and even modern home décor styles. First, you’ll want to prepare your chair. If your chair of choice already has no seat, move on to Step 2. If your chair has a seat that you’ll be replacing with this project, remove the old seat now.
Measure your chair seat to determine where your webbing will go. Because I am keeping the spacing of webbing very tight in this first example, my chair’s measurements allowed me to start in the middle of the chair back.Fold the edge of the webbing under 1/2″, then place three staples to hold it in place on the back of the chair.Pull jute webbing taut (as tight as you can is best) toward the front of the seat. Pull the webbing over the lip of the chair frame about 1/2″, then cut the webbing 1/2″ longer than that to allow for folding the raw edge under.Staple the webbing in place on the front of the chair frame with three staples. Working outward, repeat this process with other webbing strips.TIP: Be sure to check regularly to make sure your spacing will be even across the entire seat. If your seat is angled at all, make allowances in your webbing alignment as you go, such as using slightly more space near the front of the seat than the back.TIP: Don’t cut all of your webbing at the beginning;
rather, measure and cut each piece as you go. This will ensure that each piece fits perfectly and you don’t come up short.plete the parallel webbing strips on your chair seat. You may worry about their strength or ability to support a person’s actually sitting on the chair at this point. Don’t worry too much about this – if you’ve pulled each piece as tightly as you could, the weave of the perpendicular webbing strips will strengthen the entire chair seat.Weave webbing over-under-over-under (etc.) your already attached webbing strips. Take care not to pull the stapled webbing too far upward or downward as you do this.Fold under 1/2″ and staple three times on one side.Pull the woven webbing strip taut to extend about 1/2” over the chair frame, then cut it off 1/2″ longer than that.Fold this cut edge under, then place three staples to hold it securely.Continue weaving and attaching jute webbing strips in this manner, alternating over-under weaves with under-over weaves. TIP: Every so often, push the middle woven sections toward the back of the chair to keep them straight across, as they have a tendency to curve otherwise.
Your stapled, webbed chair seat will look something like this when completed. If you’re after the raw, industrial vibe, you could even leave the chair just like this, with exposed staples and everything.Of you could move on to the addition of nail head trim. Grab a bunch of nail heads and a rubber mallet, and work your way carefully around the edge of the chair.Try to keep the nail heads evenly spaced all the way around the chair, whether they’re close together or spread out.I love the texture of the jute webbing on a simple wooden chair.And, woven together like this, it’s surprisingly strong. This will be used as one of my dining chairs, so it’ll get plenty of use.Another option, if you like a little more emphasis on the woven aspect of the jute webbing, is to space out the webbing strips as you go. This provides a bit more of a rustic vibe to the chair.Then simply adjust your nail head trim on each webbing strip – for these 2” webbing strips, I found four nail heads to cover the area perfectly.
Here are the two completed chairs, side by side. I like their sameness-with-differences.Which method or look do you prefer? They’re both completely supportive and functional, although I feel like the tighter weave is slightly stronger. No surprise there, since there are two more strips to support the weight.Are you sitting down? We love us some DIY decor and a unique seat is just the thing to set your room or event apart. From giving new life to an old chair, to creating a new chair from scratch, to decorating a chair for your wedding, these 30 DIYs will knock you off your feet. 1. Cross Stitch Chair: Cross stitching — it’s not just for Valentine’s Day cards and iPhone cases anymore ;) This chair takes the scale of cross stitching up a notch and it’s so cool! 2. Dip Dyed Chair: Add a bright pop of color to your decor with this crazy simple DIY. (via For the Love of…) 3. Screen Printed Chair: Give an old chair some love with some new-school screen-printed fabric.
We’re loving the bright orange against the classic wood frame. 4. Rustic Orange and Wood Chair Signs: The complementary nature of these signs looks great without being too matchy-matchy. These would be easy to DIY in whatever your wedding color is. 5. Peacock Chair: This tutorial takes a chair that was left out as trash and turns into to a luxurious getaway in your home. (via Design Love Fest) 6. Patchwork Chair: Use up those scraps of fabric you have lying around to create a unique seat. (via Sombrero de Ideas) 7. Ribbon Upholstered Chair: Can you believe this was made with ribbon? The striped effect makes this old chair into a statement piece. 8. Office Chair Hack: What do you get when you combine an IKEA chair with some brass spray paint? An elegant chair that’ll add a hint of class to your office. (via Hither & Thither) 9. Pallet Chair: Make a chair from an old pallet and your yard will be the envy of your neighbors. (via Our Pinteresting Family) 10. Ombre Wedding Chair: This might be the prettiest wedding chair idea we’ve seen yet, and what’s even cooler is how easy (and inexpensive) it is!
All you need is white chairs and some ribbon in your color. 11. Updated Folding Chair: Folding chairs bring to mind cheap, not-so-attractive makeshift seating. This update makes folding chairs impressive and awesome. (via Design for Mankind) 12. Upcycled Belt Chair: Definitely an outdoor chair, we’re loving the pop of color that comes from using one bright belt weaved with a bunch of brown ones. 13. Spray Painted Office Chair: We might just have to do this to some of the chairs at Brit HQ. The black and white spray paint adds a modern twist to your workspace. (via Little Green Notebook) 14. IKEA Hack Chair: Turn an IKEA countertop into a totally rad chair with pretty pops of color and a unique shape. 15. Painted Chairs: Create a rainbow in your dining room by simply painting your existing chairs in a wide variety of colors. 16. Nautical Wedding Chairs: Add a fun nautical touch to your big day by using life preservers to decorate your wedding chairs. (via Martha Stewart Weddings)
17. Shades-of-Blue Ombre Chair: It’s no secret; This blue chair is the perfect way to introduce the trend to your decor. 18. Fabric Covered Chair: Got a fabric pattern you love but you’re not sure how to use? Upcycle an old chair by covering it with your favorite fabric and add some visual interest to your dining room. 19. Chair Decoupage: This chair was made with wrapping paper! We’re loving the unique use of materials and how the pattern works with the holes already in the structure of the chair. (via Snow and Graham) 20. Wedding Chair Silhouettes: Simple and elegant, these silhouettes are a pretty way to mark off your chairs and easy to coordinate with the rest of your wedding decor. 21. Pom Pom Chair: How fun is this chair? Hot glue and those random pom poms you’ve got lying around are all you need to make this funky (and we’re betting comfy!) piece. (via The DIY Queen) 22. Custom Seat Cushion: Add some personality to your next backyard barbeque with these colorful custom seat cushions.
(via Brit + Co.) 23. Chair Revamp: We’re definitely into the subtle mismatched look achieved by painting different thrift store finds the same color. And of course, the chevron fabric on the seats is totally our jam. (via Violet and Grey) 24. Simple Mr. and Mrs. Chair Signs: Ribbon and paper make simple, understated signs for your chairs… and add a little “something blue” to your reception, for extra luck! 25. Chair Swing: Put some swing into your seat by turning a tired chair into a fun addition to your backyard decor. (via This DIY Life) 26. Map Chair: Map decor has caught our eye lately and this amazing chair is no exception. 27. Navajo Inspired Chair: This Navajo-inspired pattern mixes bright colors with the natural look of the wicker chair and the results are beautiful. 28. Chalkboard + Polka Dot Wedding Chair: Chalkboard and polka dots and colors, oh my! This simple bunting nonetheless makes your wedding chairs stand out. 29. Modern Painted Chair: The modern aesthetic of this chair combined with the sweet accent of the heart makes this a truly incredible piece that’s sure to impress your guests.