What tools do I need to re-cover my dining room chairs?

A staple gun. Preferably electric as it takes all the hard work out & a good quality one has the added bonus of being able to fire upholstery tacks into hard woods where staples are not practicle.

You will also need the appropriate staples & tacks for the weight of fabric you are using. (A larger staple or tack should be used for heavy weight fabrics)

Of course you will need fabric. Don't use a flimsy fabric as it won't go the distance especially if you have kids.

To prevent stains you should also consider a fabric protection spray such as Scotchguard to prevent spills & everyday grime from marking your upholstery.

If the current padding is in ok condition you can reuse it but I would recommend at least buying an underlay to go over the existing padding under your fabric.

Pliers will come in handy to remove the old staples &/or tacks.

With a good amoumt of preparation & a little ingenuity there is no limit to what you can achieve & you will save heaps by doing it yourself, plus you will feel the satisfaction of saying "I did it myself".

1. Flat head Screwdriver

2. Staple Gun

3. 3/8' and 1/2" staples for that gun

4. small pliers (needle nose or regular ones)

5. Enough fabric to cover the chairs plus at least 3" for under the seat to attach it...(You will cut off any excess...yes waste, but if you do it too short...the first time...you waste time, and more fabric correcting the mistake

6. quilt batting (this will go over the existing cushion and the decorator or outer fabric will hold to it and this provides more cushion and bulk and prevents slipping of the Top fabric, also helps to cover the hard corners to prevent holes in the outer fabric. (Has many uses) The outer fabric will hide this as you cut this just big enough to cover the top, sides and maybe 1 1/2" for underneath the cushion.

I have recovered my chairs with only a flat head screwdriver (to pull off or loosen the staples holding the present fabric) Needle nose pliers to pull out the staples.

A good staple gun (not a NAIL gun) staples about 3/8' to 1/2" and this depends on the type of chair. I would get both to save a trip to the Hardware store later.And the other things I mentioned above...I hope I didn't leave anything out...I dont think so...(2 weekends ago I completely re-did 2 patio chairs seat and the back with new wood, Foam, Fabric, and covered them in clear Vinyl....They look great...

Good Luck...it isn't hard..just take your time and measure 2-3 times writing down the measurements, and don't forget to add the underneath amount....

Straight blade screw driver, an awl, small hammer, power stapler, needle nose pliers for the basic.

cloth

scissors

nails and hammer/ or fabric glue

imagination

Try going to google and type recover fabric chairs. this will give you a lot of styles, options, and different ways to apply and do it.

hope that helps. @^_^@

what type of chair? wood or upholstery?

sewing machine, staple gun, sand paper, sander, paint brush are a few things I can think of

Go buy a Dremyl kit. It's a multi-purpose rotary tool that has a million and one uses. Great tool and I use it all of the time.

furniture tacks, hammer, or stapler

screww driver drill..........screws. glue...well it depends on what happened to the chairs

a nail gun

fabric

scissors

screw driver.