Reupholster or Replace a Dining Chair Seat: What Makes Sense?

By Alexandra PetterssonReviewed by Alexander TjernströmUpdated

Short answer

Drop-in
seat: re-cover it yourself
Upholstered
chair: call an upholsterer
Seat
replace it, not the chair

If the frame is sound, there is no need to replace the whole chair. A drop-in seat is easy to re-cover yourself in an afternoon; a fully upholstered chair is a job for an upholsterer. Simplest of all is a chair whose seat can be replaced: we do not offer a re-covering service, but seats and seat cushions for every by Crea dining chair are sold separately, in the same or a new fabric.

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Part of the guide to Dining Chairs

Dining chair Erik in dark oak frame with ivory bouclé cushion around modern dining table setting.
Erik in dark oak with an ivory bouclé seat.Erik Dining Chair · fromFrom £479

A worn or stained seat is the most common reason people give up on a dining chair, and usually the wrong one: the frame underneath is often good for decades more. Whether to reupholster, re-cover or replace depends on how the chair is built. This guide explains when a chair is worth saving, how to re-cover a drop-in seat yourself, when to call an upholsterer, and how seat replacement works on our own chairs, including changing to a new fabric later. We do not offer a re-covering service ourselves, so this guide is about what you can do with any chair, and what we do instead.

Should you reupholster or replace a dining chair?

Reupholster, or replace the seat, when the frame is solid and only the fabric or foam is worn; replace the chair when the frame is loose, cracked or wobbly.

Check the frame first. Sit down and rock gently: a sound chair does not creak, shift or flex at the joints. Look underneath for cracks in the wood or at the welds.

If the frame passes, the fabric is the only problem, and there are three ways to deal with it: re-cover the seat yourself, have the chair reupholstered, or replace the seat with a new one from the maker, if the maker sells them.

How do you re-cover a drop-in dining chair seat?

Unscrew the seat from underneath, remove the old fabric, replace the foam if it has flattened, then stretch the new fabric over and staple it to the underside.

Black-and-white close-up of a craftsman's hand marking upholstery fabric beside a patterned textile roll, capturing the precision and care of handmade furniture production in Sweden.
Upholstery marked out by hand in our Malmö factory.

A drop-in seat is a board with foam and fabric that sits in the frame or is screwed to it from below. It is the easiest seat to re-cover:

  • Turn the chair over and unscrew or lift out the seat.
  • Remove the staples and the old fabric; keep it as a template.
  • Replace the foam if it no longer springs back when pressed.
  • Cut the new fabric with about 10 cm (4 in) extra on every side.
  • Stretch it over the seat, staple the middle of each side first, then work out to the corners.
  • Fold the corners neatly, staple them and screw the seat back on.

Choose an upholstery fabric rated for heavy use; our guide to the best fabric for dining chairs explains what to look for.

Can you reupholster a fully upholstered dining chair yourself?

It is possible but difficult: the fabric is cut, sewn and fixed around the frame, and a neat result usually needs an upholsterer.

A chair upholstered over its back as well as its seat has seams, piping and tensioned fabric that are hard to repeat at home. Taking it apart also risks damaging the foam and the frame.

An upholsterer can do it well, but it is rarely cheap, which is why it pays to ask before you buy whether the seat can be replaced instead.

Can you replace the seat on a by Crea dining chair?

Yes: we do not offer a re-covering service, but seats and seat cushions for every one of our dining chairs are sold separately.

We build our chairs so that the parts that wear are the parts you can replace. The chart below shows what can be replaced on each model.

Isabell Dining ChairSeat parts sold separately · from £399View Isabell
Replaceable parts per by Crea dining chair
ModelWhat you replaceOptions
Sella The seat cushion; on two-tone versions also the zipped armrest coversVegan leather or velvet
Bella The seat cushionVegan leather, velvet or bouclé
Isabell The seat parts, tailored over a composite baseVegan leather, velvet or bouclé
Karin The sculpted two-piece seatOak in the frame's finish, or bouclé
Erik The sculpted two-piece seatOak in the frame's finish, or bouclé

Can you change the fabric of a dining chair later?

Yes, on a chair with a replaceable seat: a new seat in another fabric or colour changes the chair without changing the frame.

That makes the fabric a choice you can revisit. A velvet seat can become vegan leather when a baby arrives, or an ivory bouclé can switch to black when the room is repainted.

On Karin and Erik the change can go further: an oak seat can become a bouclé seat, or the other way round, because both share the same two-piece shape. Order fabric samples or wood samples to choose the new finish at home.

Oak Dining Chair Erik in solid oak with an ivory bouclé cushion, shown alongside a dining setting
Erik's two-piece bouclé seat, the part you can replace.

How do you order a replacement seat?

Contact our customer service with the model, the frame finish and the fabric you want, and we will confirm the price and delivery time.

Seats are made in the same factory in Malmö as the chairs, so a replacement matches the original in shape and fit. Spare parts stay available long after purchase, because a chair that can be repaired is a chair that lasts.

You can reach us through our contact page. Our guide to cleaning upholstered dining chairs may save the seat you have: most marks come off with lukewarm water and mild soap.

Seats in three points

Frame
sound? Keep the chair and deal with the seat.
10 cm
4 in of extra fabric on every side to re-cover a seat.
Every seat
on our dining chairs is sold separately.

Keep a chair whose frame is sound and deal with the seat. Re-cover a drop-in seat yourself, and leave a fully upholstered chair to an upholsterer. On a by Crea chair, replace the seat: we do not offer a re-covering service, but every seat and seat cushion is sold separately, in the same fabric or a new one. Every by Crea dining chair is made in our own factory in Malmö, Sweden, delivered fully assembled and covered by a 10-year warranty.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth reupholstering dining chairs?

Yes, if the frame is solid. A drop-in seat is an easy afternoon job; a fully upholstered chair needs an upholsterer and costs considerably more.

How much fabric do I need to re-cover a dining chair seat?

The size of the seat plus about 10 cm (4 in) on every side, enough to wrap under the board and staple it.

Can I replace just the seat cushion on a dining chair?

On many chairs, yes. Seats and seat cushions for every by Crea dining chair are sold separately and can be changed later.

Does by Crea offer a reupholstery service?

No. We do not offer a re-covering service, but seats and seat cushions for every one of our dining chairs are sold separately.

Can I change the fabric of my dining chairs later?

Yes, by replacing the seat. On Karin and Erik you can even switch between an oak seat and a bouclé seat, which share the same shape.

When should I replace a dining chair instead of the seat?

When the frame is loose, cracked or wobbly. A sound frame is worth keeping; a failing one is not worth a new seat.

Shop the chairs in this guide

All dining chairs
  • Made in Malmö, Sweden
  • Delivered fully assembled
  • 10-year warranty
  • Try a chair at home
  • Made in Malmö
  • Fully assembled
  • 10-year warranty
  • Try a chair at home
Karin Dining ChairFrom £449 Shop