How To Repair Lounge Chaise

I am e'er for upcycling or repairing things whenever I tin. Sling chairs are no exception. If you lot have always idea this was an impossibility, check out these instructions for repairing sling chaises and/or chairs. Ripped or torn fabric is just an opportunity for a fresh new expect!

I was then sad to come across my favorite sling chaise die. After many, many years of good service, it finally succumbs to the relentless abuse of my 2 boys.

I have several other lounge chairs that I could cull for my poolside relaxing, simply for some reason, I only wanted this one.

So, what more is in that location to do than to perform an overhaul, and this is how I repair sling chairs and chaises.

(This post may incorporate chapter links (*). That means that I brand a pocket-sized committee from sales that consequence through these links, at no additional cost to you. You can read my total disclosure here.)

Cloth Required

sling fabric*
sewing machine with a leather needle* and heavyweight thread*
measuring record
square*
Flathead screwdriver
hammer
needle olfactory organ pliers
other screwdriver $.25, socket wrench, and pliers every bit needed
clamp (optional simply useful)

So, before you worry virtually whatsoever of these materials just allow me get over some of these a flake.

Material…

You probably won't find this type of fabric in your local fabric store. I wasn't even able to go it through special orders at my favorite, and very big, fabric shop. It is a specialty textile and ordinarily will need to be ordered online.

I bought the fabric for my first repair on eBay for almost $50. That provided enough to practice ii chaises and two other sling chairs. So, with only two yards you should be able to easily do i chaise or two chairs.

I have since establish a cracking option on Amazon, including the Sunbrella brand. I am including the links to a higher place to get you to where you need to go.

Regardless of where y'all choose to purchase your material, you will want to make certain that what you lot are getting is "Sling Fabric." It is fabricated of nylon and thicker and sturdier than just almost annihilation that y'all have probably worked with earlier.

Merely whatever old cloth volition not work. 1) Considering it must be able to stand up up to the elements and most fabrics will degrade over fourth dimension. two) Considering it needs the force to hold a man's weight without sagging over time.

Sewing…

Actually, all you need to exist able to exercise is run up a basic stitch in a directly line. Yous don't need mad skills for this project.

The most important thing is to take a sturdy needle. I used a leather needle, and to use heavyweight thread in polyester (or nylon if yous can find it).

I would not recommend using a cotton thread, because it will degrade rapidly. You can, still, use a lighter-weight thread for the bobbin if your machine will not back up a heavyweight bobbin thread.

Instructions and Details…

Besides that, if you tin can cut a straight line with scissors, and if you can piece of work a screwdriver (or socket wrench – depending on what type of screws are in your chair) you can repair sling chairs or chaises.

So here is a before of my pitiful-looking chaise, after one of my boys decided it was a better trampoline than a seat.

It has definitely seen meliorate days. Information technology was originally a chestnut-colored fabric. I am going to be replacing information technology with a SunSetter Sling cloth in Pecan.

To begin, I removed the stretcher bars that hold the torso section in identify.

Mine were held with bolts that have Phillips' heads, only other brands may need a socket wrench.

Once all of the bolts are removed the lower section will come completely off of the frame and this will arrive easier to maneuver.

Notation – If y'all are wanting to repair a chair instead of a chaise, you will but follow the steps for the headrest department. Chairs ordinarily do non have divided sections like a chaise volition. So, feel free to skip ahead.

Next, I removed all of the plugs at the ends of all the bars (both on the top section and on the section that was but removed). These can exist pried off with a apartment head screwdriver and a hammer. Put these and all the bolts somewhere that yous won't lose them.

After all of the plugs are removed, y'all can see the rail inside the stretcher bars. Although you lot can't encounter it in this image, there is plastic tubing down inside the fabric that sits within this track.

Using the needle-olfactory organ pliers, reach in and grab hold of that tubing and begin to pull it out of the material and the runway.

You may have to tug and pull hard to become it free because information technology has molded itself to the curves of the stretcher bars and will non want to slide easily.

If the needle-nose pliers do not give y'all enough leverage, use a larger pair to yank it out all the way.

Once that is done, do the same matter with the fabric. The fabric will slide out easier than the tubing, but it may all the same put up some resistance.

I am using my sometime rusted pliers. I know they look ugly and are in serious demand of some love, but they really showed the tubing and fabric who was boss.

Caput Section…

Now, yous volition need to repeat the steps in a higher place for the head section, with a few exceptions.

Equally yous can encounter from the image to a higher place, there is a stretcher/support bar that runs across the back of this section. Unfortunately, it does not detach.

This is the same as the chairs – so pick upward here if repairing a chair. If there are any bolts that connect the bottom of the caput section to the frame, remove them now.

The stretcher/support bar cannot be removed on virtually seats, but in some chairs, you volition be able to slightly and temporarily bend it enough to provide a little slack.

This is where the clamp comes in. You volition need to utilize your clamp to push the sides of the chair closer together past just a tiny bit.

Annotation – only do this if you absolutely need to. First, attempt to remove the fabric by pulling it from the tracks with the pliers.

Identify the clamps on either side of the support bar, and slowly apply pressure to loosen the fabric stretch. But apply enough force per unit area to be able to pull the fabric from the runway.

On my chaise, I was able to become it free without using the clamps, just I did try out the clamps afterward the textile was removed.

Cutting and Sewing the Cloth…

Information technology is very important to get accurate measurements for the fabric. If you get off by an inch, either mode, the fabric will either sag or worse, not go on at all.

Brand sure the old fabric is stretched flat. Then, utilise your measuring record to accept its measurements.

To this add together one" on each side. For the caput department, or if you lot are working on a chair, you tin can become all the way up to 1 i/2″ actress on each side, just only if that stretcher bar doesn't take any give to it.

Next, before transferring the measurements to the new fabric, brand sure that the new fabric is wrinkle-free. The slightest contraction can mess up the precise measurements that we desire.

I used my fe set on the very everyman setting. Remember this fabric is nylon, and can and volition melt very easily. If you are at all concerned nearly ruining the fabric or your iron, utilize a tea towel to protect both.

At present, let's mensurate the new sections. I am using a foursquare to make sure that the piece that I am going to cut is perfectly square.

It is all-time to create your own raw edges, as the ones that the textile has will be made by whoever cutting the fabric for you. They undoubtedly were not concerned with getting a perfectly directly edge for you.

Work your mode around the fabric, measuring and making sure that it is square.

It is okay to use an ink pen on this fabric as long as it is non a ballpoint pen that could run when information technology gets wet. Simply make sure that you lot are marker on the back of the cloth.

Subsequently marking all of the pattern's measurements, go back and add together a second line 1″ within of the first.

The outside line volition now be the cut marking, and the inside line volition be the fold line.

After cutting the pieces out, fold and printing the fabric along the fold line. The fabric creases pretty easily. You tin can use the square or the apartment border of the scissors to printing the pucker in place.

Once the creases are in place, it is fourth dimension to sew everything in place.

You lot will notice how I am using the guide on my machine to visually keep a straight line. If you don't accept something like this on your motorcar, a piece of bluish record placed on the automobile can work as a guide.

You will need to run two rows of stitching over both the long and curt sides of your cloth. Endeavour to keep the spacing even and smashing, because these stitches will prove.

First, fold down and sew two parallel lines forth the short sides of the textile.

Don't concern yourself with the exposed raw border. The sling cloth will not unravel with an exposed raw edge. The most important matter is to keep a dainty directly line.

Next, sew the first stitch line on the long sides of the fabric to prepare for the tubing.

Identify your fabric next to whichever guideline will allow you to sew almost right on the free edge without going over it. This will get out every bit much room equally possible for the tubing.

After that first sew together line is complete, shift the textile over just a bit and do a second parallel sew line. You will notice that I shifted just a tad over to the next guideline.

You accept to make sure that there is plenty infinite to slide that tubing back in, so just consider that when stitching your lines.

Now, we tin starting time putting everything back together. Start past inserting the tubing back into the new channels that you just made.

Then, we are ready to reassemble the sections. First, slide the lower seat department back into the tracks of the stretcher confined that were previously removed.

Reattaching the lower stretcher bars back onto the frame.

Brand sure that y'all just loosely attach these bolts at first. You don't want to tighten them down just yet.

Subsequently all of the bolts are loosely in place on the stretcher confined, you lot can begin to tighten them downward.

Tighten each commodities evenly, giving a pocket-sized corporeality of tightening to each bolt before continuing to the adjacent. Echo this procedure until the bolts are all snug.

This volition stretch the material evenly. If you measured correctly on your pattern, it should be nice and tight.

Now, information technology is time to exercise the head department. Begin past sliding the tubing-covered fabric into the tracks from the everyman point of the caput section. You want to brainstorm as far away from the stretcher bar as possible.

Pull the cloth upward and through the rail. You volition probably need to shift from side to side, pulling a minor bit on each side until you work information technology back in place.

Information technology may take some strong tugging to become the textile to cooperate, but as long as the measurements are accurate, you should exist able to maneuver it in small increments.

Notice how the fabric is very loose at the bottom merely tight at the top where the stretcher/support bar is located.

The bottom is loose because my chaise had bolts on either side. I had previously discrete the correct side commodities to give more slack in the fabric.
In one case I tightened the bolts, it all pulled in tight.

TIP – If y'all accept a difficult time getting the fabric to go all the way back to the summit of the head section, you can utilise the clamp to push button it in just a bit merely as you did to remove the fabric.