How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair, Wing by Wing

Wingback chairs look elegant because of their curves, and those same curves are what make them the most demanding chair most homeowners will try to recover. Learning how to reupholster a wingback chair adds three problems to a standard armchair job: pulling fabric through the gap between the wing and the back, smoothing fabric over the curved outside wings without wrinkles, and fitting the rolled arms with clean pleats. Add a tight-fitting seat cushion and a sagging spring deck and you have a project measured in weekends, not hours.

That does not make it impossible. Upholsterers recover wingbacks the same way every time: inside wings and inside arms, inside back, seat deck, then outside wings, outside arms and outside back. Strip the chair in reverse, photograph every layer, and the old fabric hands you a full set of patterns.

Plan on 25 to 40 hours for a first wingback, plus cushion sewing. If that sounds like a lot, it helps to recover a simpler box armchair first.

How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair: Fabric Yardage

Wingbacks eat fabric. A typical wingback with a loose seat cushion needs about 7 to 9 yards of 54 inch plain fabric. Add 1 to 2 yards for large patterns that need matching across the back, wings and cushion, and another yard if you want self-welting. Chairs with a tight seat (no loose cushion) may need a yard less. When in doubt, lay out the old pieces on the floor in a 54 inch wide strip and measure the total length.

Tools and Materials

• Staple remover, tack lifter, pliers and painter’s tape
• A pneumatic upholstery stapler with a long nose for tight spots inside the wings, or a heavy-duty staple gun
• Upholstery fabric, welt cord, cardboard tack strip, flexible metal tack strip and curved needles
• Batting, foam labeled for furniture flammability, and dacron wrap for the cushion
• Jute webbing, a webbing stretcher, spring twine and clips if the springs need work
• Regulator (a long upholstery needle tool) for adjusting padding through fabric
• Sewing machine with a welt foot, plus safety glasses and gloves

Safety

Wear safety glasses throughout, since old tacks and staples break free under tension. Keep your free hand out of the stapler’s line of fire, particularly when you reach into the tight gaps around the wings. Disconnect air from pneumatic staplers when clearing jams or changing staples. Coil springs under tension can snap when you cut their twine, so hold them with a gloved hand and cut slowly. Use foam and fabric labeled for furniture flammability standards.

Teardown and Spring Check

1. Document and Strip

Photograph every side, then remove the dust cover, outside back, outside wings, outside arms, cushion, deck, inside back, inside arms and inside wings, in that order. Label each piece. Note exactly where fabric was pulled through gaps and stapled to inner rails.

2. Decide Whether the Springs Need Retying

Press down on the seat deck once the fabric is off. If springs lean, rattle, push up unevenly, or the deck sags toward the front, the springs need retying. Many wingbacks use coil springs tied in a pattern across the seat with twine. Retying involves restoring each spring to an upright position and tying it to its neighbors and the rails. Broken jute webbing underneath should be replaced first, stretched tight and stapled to the rails. If the springs are sinuous (zigzag) springs and only their clips are loose, replacing the clips is much simpler.

3. Refresh the Padding

Keep firm padding and add fresh batting over it. Replace crumbling foam on the wings, arms and back. Add a thin layer of foam on the wing tops if the old padding is thin, since that edge wears first.

Recovering the Wings

4. Inside Wings and Pull-Throughs

Lay the inside wing fabric over the padded wing, centered and with the grain running vertically. Pull the fabric over the front edge of the wing and staple to the outside of the wing frame. At the back, push the fabric through the gap between the wing and the inside back, pull it tight from behind, and staple it to the back post. This wing pull-through is where most wrinkles start. Work in small sections and adjust tension constantly. Relief cuts at the inside corner, where the wing meets the arm, let the fabric turn without bunching. Make cuts small; they can always be deeper later.

5. Roll Arms

Wingback roll arms curl outward. Staple the inside arm fabric to the arm rail under the roll, pull it over the roll and staple to the outside. At the front of the roll, the fabric forms a fan of small pleats around the curve. Make the pleats even and radiating, like a scallop, then cover them with a fitted arm front panel or decorative facing. Fit the fabric snugly into the channel where the arm joins the wing so the inside wing and inside arm read as one smooth line.

6. Inside Back and Deck

Center the inside back fabric and pull it through the gaps at the wings and the seat. Then install the deck with a strip of show fabric at the front edge and batting underneath.

7. Outside Wings

The outside wings curve in two directions. Blind tack the top edge, or tack along the front edge of the wing, then pad the outside with a thin layer of batting. Pull the fabric back around the curve, smoothing as you go and stapling to the back post. On deep curves, small darts or easing the fabric with steam helps. Close the front edge with flexible metal tack strip or a hand-stitched seam, or cover the staples with welt.

8. Outside Arms, Back and Cushion

Blind tack the outside arms under the roll, pad them, and staple underneath. Blind tack the top of the outside back, pad it, and close the sides with metal tack strip or hand stitching with a curved needle. Make a boxed cushion with welt and a zipper, cut to fit the seat tightly so it fills the space between the arms.

Choosing Fabric for a Wingback

Fabric choice affects how hard the job is. Medium-weight woven fabrics with a little give are the easiest to shape over curved wings and roll arms. Very stiff fabrics, heavy velvets and thick leathers fight the curves and show wrinkles, while thin, loose weaves can pucker at the pull-throughs. Large, dramatic patterns look stunning on a wingback but require careful centering on the inside back, the seat, the cushion and both wings, plus more yardage. If this is your first time learning how to reupholster a wingback chair, a small allover pattern or a textured solid hides minor imperfections. Ask for a sample and drape it over the wing to see how it handles the curve before buying the full yardage.

Troubleshooting

• Wrinkles at the wing joint: add a relief cut and re-pull from behind the back post.
• Fabric bulges on outside wings: ease out fullness with steam or a small dart along the curve.
• Uneven roll arm pleats: mark pleat spacing with chalk before stapling.
• Cushion too loose: recut or add a dacron wrap to fill the cover.
• Seat still sags: springs were not retied tight enough or webbing has stretched.

Cost Ranges

DIY materials usually run $200 to $600, with fabric the largest cost. Spring repair materials add a modest amount. Professional reupholstery of a wingback generally costs from about $700 to well over $1,500 in labor, plus fabric, depending on region and condition.

When to Call a Pro

Bring in an upholsterer for antique wingbacks with hand-tied springs and traditional stuffing, chairs with broken frame joints, or when you are using expensive patterned fabric where mismatches would be costly.

Some shops will retie springs and rebuild the seat deck while you do the covering yourself, which lowers the bill considerably. Getting the frame, springs and padding right is half the battle, so a pro foundation plus your own fabric work is a smart compromise on a first wingback.