It will look fine, the only reason you run the risk of something not looking good over old fabric is if the new fabric is tighter than the old causing folds on the surface of the old fabric. Usually we would put at least a layer of dacron over top the old fabric to give it some space and a little more plush. There's nothing wrong with just going right over the top of the old if this is your own dining chairs. If it was a customers chairs I wouldn't but for your own go right ahead. The advantage of going over the old also is that the foam is compressed already to the shape that it should be from the fabric being pulled over it. So instead of worrying about how tight to make the new fabric or how to work the foam into a nice rounded shape, you just go right over top. Answer from zachismyname89 on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/upholstery › can i reupholster right over fabric without removing staples?
r/upholstery on Reddit: Can I reupholster right over fabric without removing staples?
October 27, 2024 -
I am attempting to reupholster kitchen table chairs. They are in good condition, it’s just that the cream fabric is stained. Can I just put the new fabric right over without taking out the staples and having to re-do the slip cover?
Top answer 1 of 10
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It will look fine, the only reason you run the risk of something not looking good over old fabric is if the new fabric is tighter than the old causing folds on the surface of the old fabric. Usually we would put at least a layer of dacron over top the old fabric to give it some space and a little more plush. There's nothing wrong with just going right over the top of the old if this is your own dining chairs. If it was a customers chairs I wouldn't but for your own go right ahead. The advantage of going over the old also is that the foam is compressed already to the shape that it should be from the fabric being pulled over it. So instead of worrying about how tight to make the new fabric or how to work the foam into a nice rounded shape, you just go right over top.
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Let me ask you this, would you put clean clothes on over dirty clothes?
Four Generations One Roof
fourgenerationsoneroof.com › home › diy tutorials › how to reupholster a chair the quick and easy way
How To Reupholster A Chair | Four Generations One Roof
August 24, 2025 - Start by draping your fabric over your chair (leaving the old fabric on the chair) simply to get an idea of how your chair will look. I am a visual person so I need to do this prior to starting any project. I started by cutting my fabric for the two inside pieces first. (see below) yes! you can reupholster a chair without removing old fabric
Videos
18:00
HOW TO REUPHOLSTER A CHAIR | THE LOOK FOR LESS - YouTube
06:31
How to Reupholster Dining Chairs - DIY Tutorial - YouTube
12:04
Arm chair revamp, no sewing!! easy tutorial - YouTube
14:07
Let's give this girl a makeover! Chair Makeover that is. - YouTube
06:33
How to Reupholster a Chair - YouTube
Southerncrushathome
southerncrushathome.com › how to reupholster a couch (without removing the old fabric)
How to Reupholster a Couch (Without Removing the Old Fabric)
April 28, 2022 - The easiest way is to flip the bottom of the couch over and use a flathead screwdriver or heavy-duty drill to remove the existing tack strips or screws. Once you remove the old screws, you can easily lift off the couch seat to reupholster.
Bigger Than the Three of Us
biggerthanthethreeofus.com › home › how to reupholster dining chairs, with video tutorial
How To Reupholster Dining Chairs, with Video Tutorial
February 18, 2023 - Yes, you add upholstery fabric for dining chairs right over the original fabric if the original fabric isn't too thick. I talked about this more in depth in the video and have reupholstered a chair without removing the fabric before.
The Spruce
thespruce.com › how-to-reupholster-a-chair-seat-1313553
How to Reupholster a Chair: Step-By-Step Guide
August 26, 2025 - Pressing around the perimeter of ... this step if your fabric doesn't have a pattern. ... Turn the new fabric right-side down and put the old seat cover on top as a pattern....
Erin Spain
erinspain.com › home › blog › my lazy girl’s guide to reupholstering chairs {a tutorial}
My Lazy Girl's Guide to Reupholstering Chairs {A Tutorial} - Erin Spain
January 13, 2022 - There’s no “true” way to be lazy when reupholstering, but I at least eliminated the step of totally removing the seat cushion and all of the old fabric. ... I’m going to show you how I upholstered these cane barrel chairs (which I posted about here), using the easiest method I could ...
Facebook
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How to reupholster a chair without removing arms and legs?
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Home with Marieza
homewithmarieza.com › reupholstering a chair with a back
Reupholstering a Chair with a Back
May 27, 2025 - My initial plan was to cover the seat and back without taking the whole chair apart. I soon realized it wasn’t possible because the bolts holding the seat and back together must go through the fabric. Trying to work around them would result in a poorly executed job. Once I removed the bolts, it actually simplified the whole reupholstering process. Be prepared; removing tack nails and staples is a tedious job! It’s going to keep you busy for a while. Older chairs usually need new foam for the seat or, at the very least, a little extra foam.
Hymns & Home
hymnsandhome.com › diy projects › furniture makeovers › how to reupholster a dining chair seat: everything you need to know
How to Reupholster a Dining Chair: Step by Step - Hymns & Home
July 3, 2022 - If you can’t access the holes due to fabric being in the way, you can carefully cut little notches to expose the screw holes. Yay! How exciting! You just reupholstered a dining chair seat! It is entirely possible to just skip the part about removing the old fabric and batting and to put new fabric right on top.
Hearty Sol
heartysol.net › home › how to upholster a chair the easy way!
How to Upholster a Chair the Easy Way! - Hearty Sol
February 2, 2023 - I decided that for this piece I would not need to take the existing upholstery off of the chair but instead place the fabric right over the top of the old stuff.
Pinterest
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Pinterest
February 17, 2018 - BEFORE: AFTER: Using the same process as before (click here to see) I simply covered the old ugly fabric with new using a staple gun. As you can see I covered the wood "detail" on the wings of the chair with batting and then covered it with fabric.
Quora
quora.com › Can-you-reupholster-over-existing-fabric
Can you reupholster over existing fabric? - Quora
The side strips on the back panel and the decorative cloth beading around the cushions and arms. You have to remove the front cap from the arms, if the old piece has a skirt, you should cut it short or remove it completely. For a r...
TikTok
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How to Reupholster Chair without Removing Fabric
Good quality at good prices🌟 All creator-tested, shopper-approved, you’ll actually love · Celebrate Super Brand Day on TikTok Shop! Discover the biggest brands and their best deals of the year—exclusively on TikTok Shop · Beachwaver’s Super Brand Day is here from May 20–26, and ...
Architectural Digest
architecturaldigest.com › ad-it-yourself › how to reupholster a chair and give your piece of furniture a fresh new look
How to Reupholster a Chair and Give Your Piece of Furniture a Fresh New Look | Architectural Digest | Architectural Digest
November 11, 2022 - The easiest way to reupholster a chair is to start with a simple DIY project that has only a padded seat, such as a dining room chair. A style with a slip seat—a removable platform covered with padding, old fabric, and usually some kind of webbing—has a gentler learning curve than the type where the upholstery attaches directly to the frame of the chair.
YouTube
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Reupholstering - Can I leave the old fabric, foam, stuffing ...
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YouTube
youtube.com › ingrid in bosnia
PART 1 HOW TO REUPHOLSTER A DINING CHAIR WITHOUT SEWING STEP BY STEP GUIDE | TAPACIRANJE STOLICA - YouTube
This is my biggest DIY project ever that really tired me up after and even my arm muscle was so swollen and painful. We had a problem with our dining chair s...
Published March 31, 2020 Views 49K
Better Homes & Gardens
bhg.com › decorating › do-it-yourself › fabric-paper-projects › diy-chair-upholstery-guide
Your Step-by-Step Guide to How to Reupholster a Chair
September 22, 2025 - Use fabric glue or decorative upholstery tacks to secure excess fabric to the back of the reupholstered chair. ... Cut a piece of black breathable fabric for the underside of the chair using the old piece as your guide.
PatternReview.com
sewing.patternreview.com › SewingDiscussions › topic › 72410
Resources for learning how to reupholster a chair sewing discussion topic @ PatternReview.com
I took a course years ago at a community college to redo a chair and I learned very quickly why it is so expensive to have someone redo furniture! The college (in Jacksonville, FL) had all the industrial machines and the teacher did beautiful work himself and ended up reupholstering a sectional sofa for us (his prices were less than a regular shop) and the pattern matching was impeccable.
Facebook
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How to reupholster a vintage chair?
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Thriftyandchic
thriftyandchic.com › 2013 › 08 › how-to-reupholster-chair-seat-when-it.html
How to reupholster a chair seat when it won't come off — Thrifty and Chic
Working on the folds and tucks first on the arms and the back. Once I got the folds in place, I then folded the fabric under (I purposely left about an inch allowance around the whole thing for the fold), and used a staple gun to secure the ...