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    Home » Repurposed Furniture » Upholstering caned chairs

    Upholstering caned chairs

    Published by Gail | Published March 9, 2010 | Updated June 24, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    broken cane back chair
    Remember the chair I showed you yesterday? One of Jamie’s recent finds at the Goodwill outlet for $5.00. When  I asked Jamie “what is the Goodwill outlet” she replied “it’s where Goodwill things go to die”.
     cane back chair
    We don’t have an outlet here in Louisville. In fact the store closest to me is the smallest Goodwill I have ever seen. Imagine the size of a convenience store gas station. In this picture you can see that it had arms at one time.
     broken cane chair
    I had thought about making some kind of shrug or cover for the back. I haven’t upholstered many chairs, so I just sort of started on it and kind of “winged” it.
     100_6457
    After lightly sanding it, I used some spray paint to primer it.

    Upholstering Caned Chairs

     100_6458
    While the paint was drying I worked on recovering the seat.
     100_6460
     100_6461
    Painted it black.
     fixing cane chair
    I decided it would be best to remove the finials and take a little “off the top”.
    100_6482
    I fell in love with the jigsaw from Black & Decker. Jamie’s dad bought me one for my birthday. However our Home Depot didn’t have the exact one. Mine doesn’t have the line finder on it.
    100_6478
    However, I really loved how easy it was to operate to remove that little piece of this chair.
     100_6489
    At my house, I have lots of random stuff. At Jamie’s I had to be resourceful! She recently got a new cable box, and this paper is the “quick start” guide. I used it to make a paper pattern of the back.
     how to fix a cane back chair
    Jamie recently started selling Pampered Chef. They have awesome boxes! Because some of their products are so heavy, their boxes are extremely durable. Jamie had many boxes set aside to recycle, so I had a lot to choose from.
     upholster cane chair
    Jamie had purchased some batting for this project, but while I was staying in the guest room, I noticed several bed pillows strewn around. I stapled the pillow to the chair.
     upholster cane chair
    I gave it a new “neckline” in order to spread the “fluff” all the way to the top edges of the chair back.
     upholster cane chair
    I used my staple gun to attach the fabric.
     100_6498
    I covered the cardboard with the fabric. I used my Elmer’s Spay Adhesive to attach the front of the cardboard. On the back I used some E6000 and tape. As you can see, I left my mark for anyone else who may tackle this in the future. The seat of this chair had already been covered twice before.
     upholster cane chair
    Looking pretty good eh? Especially for someone who has no real clue what she’s doing!
     cute cane chair
    Voila!
     upholstered chair
    Ain’t she pretty?
     recovered chair
    I used Gorilla glue to glue the cardboard in.
     cane chair fixed
    broken cane chair
    It’s going to look great in Jamie’s office/sewing room!
    gail
    get more chair ideas here:
    [categorythumbnaillist 102]
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Kristi K

      June 22, 2012 at 7:53 pm

      What a great idea! We aquired some cane back chairs that came with a dining table off of craigslist and now I know what to do with them! Could you let me know about how much fabric you used for this project? Did you use upholstry fabric or just plain cotton? Just wondering. Thanks!

      Reply
    2. smile

      January 27, 2012 at 8:12 am

      what a wonderful idea thanks i have an old chair i did not no what to do with it....

      Reply
    3. Tonya

      November 14, 2011 at 3:47 am

      Wow! I love this chair. I have an old cane chair that I wouldn't let my hubby throw out (haha). Now I know what to do with it!

      Reply
    4. allenaim photography and design

      April 17, 2011 at 7:09 pm

      love love love this one Gail! YOu and Sarah are so the upholstery QUeENS!

      Reply
    5. Andi @ Potential Treasures

      January 01, 2011 at 3:43 am

      I love this idea! I've been wanting to find a chair like this. Now I know what to do if I can't find the one I want to reupholster. You have just given me some great ideas. Thanks!

      Reply
    6. Dani

      September 04, 2010 at 4:55 am

      I love this idea!! I have cane back chairs where the cane has completely come off and was looking for a way to recover them...i'm very happy i found this! One question though....any ideas of how to make the back a little stronger than cardboard? I basically have bones to work with lol

      Thanks!!

      Reply
    7. Funky Junk Interiors

      August 15, 2010 at 6:31 am

      WOW!! This is major surgery! The outcome is outstanding. What a beauty. 🙂

      Donna

      Reply
    8. Lafe's Hidden Treasures

      March 18, 2010 at 11:01 am

      Awesome makeover! Thanks for letting us know how you did it! Have a nice day! http://lafeshiddentreasures.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    9. Miss Mustard Seed

      March 18, 2010 at 2:35 am

      You get a big round of applause from me on that one. I'm not sure I would've tackled a piece like that, although it had some good things going for it. You made it look totally fabulous. Great work!

      Reply
    10. alwayslearning

      March 13, 2010 at 5:05 pm

      just beautiful. I'm gathering so much inspiration today!

      Reply
    11. Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking

      March 12, 2010 at 10:50 pm

      Wow you sure did repurpose that chair! From trash to treasure... thanks for linkin up again to POPP.

      Reply
    12. xinex

      March 12, 2010 at 4:57 pm

      Wow! I cannot believe how you transformed this chair. It is gorgeous now. Who would think that it used to be real ugly. You are good!...Christine

      Reply
    13. Tara

      March 12, 2010 at 4:43 pm

      This is totally awesome! I love it!

      Reply
    14. michelle b

      March 12, 2010 at 7:45 am

      love that sooooo much!
      who knew!!
      you made it look so easy!
      i am for sure a new follower! you rock!

      michelle...xoxo
      http://missbblogs.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    15. Sunny Tuesday

      March 12, 2010 at 4:35 am

      You sure look like you know what you're doing to me! Lurv the chair!

      Reply
    16. Teri

      March 12, 2010 at 4:23 am

      Gorgeous! Great fabric choice! 🙂

      Reply
    17. Laney

      March 12, 2010 at 3:12 am

      Love the fabric! Great job!

      Reply
    18. Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence

      March 12, 2010 at 2:03 am

      Thanks for linking up Gail. I am looking for a broken cane chair when I go thrifting tomorrow. Only junkers would LOOK for broken stuff!

      Reply
    19. Lisa B.

      March 12, 2010 at 12:58 am

      Oh my, that is fabulous. I have seen so many of those chairs and now that I have inspiration on what to do with one, I bet I have a hard time finding one now! lol

      Reply
    20. Bonnie @ House of Grace

      March 11, 2010 at 3:03 pm

      Thanks for sharing, that was awesome!! Great post!!! I am your newest follower!
      Bonnie
      http://creatingahouseofgrace.blogspot.com

      Reply
    21. Tammy at Tattered and Timeless

      March 11, 2010 at 2:15 pm

      WOW that is all I can say. WOW.

      tammy

      Reply
    22. Caro

      March 11, 2010 at 1:56 pm

      pretty good? NO!! It's AMAZING!!
      WOW!!!!! It looks brand new!

      I want to recover my kitchen chairs, but upholstering is something that scares the heck outta me!

      Reply
    23. Denise

      March 11, 2010 at 1:17 pm

      Great job! I have one over on my blog we re-did.
      Following you over from The Shabby Chic Cottage. I am a follower!
      Please stop by!
      http://extremepersonalmeasures.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    24. Room to Inspire

      March 11, 2010 at 6:44 am

      Wow guys were really able to see the potential in this guy! It looks great!

      Chelsea

      Reply
    25. Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage

      March 11, 2010 at 5:39 am

      What an amazing transformation!

      Reply
    26. Patti

      March 11, 2010 at 2:52 am

      Love this chair...great fabric, and great idea to recover the back the way you did - very clever!

      Reply
    27. Frugal Home Designs

      March 11, 2010 at 2:42 am

      That looks amazing. Great job!

      Reply
    28. Low Tide High Style

      March 11, 2010 at 1:21 am

      Wow, what an amazing transformation! And I love how you left your "mark" so that if anyone decides to recover it in the future they'll have a little peek into the chair's history!

      Kat 🙂

      Reply
    29. Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence

      March 10, 2010 at 7:43 pm

      OM goodness Gail--what a great job you did and a great tutorial--I am remembering this. And how sweet to write a love note inside.

      Reply
    30. Tonya @ lovinthemoments

      March 10, 2010 at 7:08 pm

      Great idea to cover the back! We see these types of chairs madeover all over blogland, but I love how you did it!

      Reply
    31. Giulia

      March 10, 2010 at 5:11 pm

      I love chairs and this is wonderfull!!!

      Reply
    32. Hoosier Homemade

      March 10, 2010 at 2:30 pm

      Wow! That is beautiful! I've never heard of the Goodwill Outlet store, wish we had one. Love the fabric you used!
      I'm visiting from Tip Junkie!
      ~Liz

      Reply
    33. Kate

      March 10, 2010 at 2:22 pm

      This is quite possibly the best chair redo I've ever seen. Awesome. Great work!

      Reply
    34. Homemade Quilts by Granny

      March 10, 2010 at 5:09 am

      I think this chair redo is awesome.Trish

      Reply
    35. Brass Paperclip

      March 10, 2010 at 4:24 am

      Oh my word! You worked some magic on that baby!! Way to go - looks amazing. xoxo

      Reply
    36. Nicole@CraftySisters-nc

      March 10, 2010 at 3:45 am

      Gail this is so Great! I think I start every comment like that to you don't I? Seriously, it's great and I love that you left your mark on it! The last chair that I recovered had a mark left on it too, to bad it was left by a wickedly destructive cat....
      🙂

      Reply
    37. I Play Outside The Box

      March 10, 2010 at 12:48 am

      That turned out awesome...love how you put all the info on the inside too....great idea!!!

      Reply
    38. Linda

      March 09, 2010 at 9:25 pm

      What a outstanding job you did here on this GW chair...luv the fabric! Come by and enter my CASH GIVEAWAY...it ends 3/10!

      Blessings,
      Linda

      Reply
    39. Emily {Frilly Details}

      March 09, 2010 at 7:52 pm

      That can't be the same chair!!!! Wow! You did an amazing job! What a transformation.

      Reply
    40. Formerly-Corn in My Coffee Pot

      March 09, 2010 at 6:23 pm

      That chair turned out so neat!
      I love the re-using of all the stuff. The pillow, the cardboard, the chair...some people just wouldn't have bothered with it. You turned it into a great piece of furniture.

      I'm loading up the truck and coming to your house.

      Reply
    41. Anny

      March 09, 2010 at 6:07 pm

      You really had vision for this piece! I would have painted the cane black, recovered the seat and called it a day 😉

      That fabric you chose is wonderful.

      Reply
    42. Leslie

      March 09, 2010 at 6:01 pm

      Oh my gosh! That's awesome! What a great redo!

      Reply
    43. judi

      March 09, 2010 at 5:48 pm

      W O W !!! This chair is gorgeous! It reminds me of the armless chairs that PB use to carry, just a smaller version. Great revamping and upholstering.
      ~judi 😉
      the1829farmhouse.blogspot.com

      Reply
    44. Craft Tea Lady

      March 09, 2010 at 5:22 pm

      Gorgeous redo!

      The Goodwill outlet is actually where things go BEFORE GW SELLS the products to third-world countries. Yeah, sells.

      CraftTeaLady (aka Gina)

      Reply
    45. Proper Prim

      March 09, 2010 at 5:03 pm

      Wow Gail you aced that one... it looks fabulous... I am in love with your fabric... I am sure Jamie is going to LOVE it... great job.

      Hugs, Deb

      Reply
    46. Donna E.

      March 09, 2010 at 9:58 pm

      That chair looks great, and I absolutely LOVE the fabric you chose. I would be so afraid to tackle something like that - you're amazing!

      Reply
    47. Mama Thompson

      March 09, 2010 at 4:58 pm

      Ok...that is just ridiculous...amazing job!

      Reply
    48. The Smith Family

      March 09, 2010 at 4:07 pm

      OH my WORD, lady! Are you kidding my right now!?!?! You just blew my mind!
      You have some MAD skillz!
      Bravo!
      I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
      Shelley Smith
      houseofsmiths.blogspot.com

      Reply
    49. AuroraSuzette

      March 09, 2010 at 4:06 pm

      Love it! Would never have thought to remove finials. Good job.

      Reply
    50. Enchanted Rose Studio

      March 09, 2010 at 4:01 pm

      That is the best chair redo I've seen in a while! Your didn't just paint it and change the fabric on the seat, you completely transformed it into a fabulous upholstered chair! Bravo! Your tutorial is great, thanks so much!

      Cheers!
      Tina

      Reply
    51. My Cottage Charm

      March 09, 2010 at 3:38 pm

      HEY! Did you mean Louisville, as in KY? If so, we're neighbors! 🙂 I live about an hour away from there! 🙂
      I LOVE the re-do on the chair!! It looks brand new and beautiful!
      You'll have to pop over and see what I got over the weekend. 🙂
      have a blessed day!

      Reply
    52. Marla at Always Nesting

      March 09, 2010 at 3:30 pm

      You never cease to amaze me with all your creativity! I love this chair. You could certainly have your own show on TV to teach the rest of us your techniques. You always make it look so easy.

      Reply
    53. Marla at Always Nesting

      March 09, 2010 at 3:30 pm

      You never cease to amaze me with all your creativity! I love this chair. You could certainly have your own show on TV to teach the rest of us your techniques. You always make it look so easy.

      Reply
    54. Stacey @ Fun to Craft

      March 09, 2010 at 3:25 pm

      This is SO great. I love how fabulous it turned out. No one would ever suspect what it looked like before!! SO CUTE!!

      I would love for you to link this to my Spring has Sprung Party on Friday. It fits in SO well!

      Reply
    55. handbags*n*pigtails

      March 09, 2010 at 3:16 pm

      Oh my gosh I am so jealous! Actually, I was hoping you were going to show how to re-cane the chair or something. Theres a great one for sale on my local Craigslist but the caning is "holy" like this one.Ive been eye-ing the chair for weeks in hopes someone in blogland would show me what I could do with it. Now Im drooling over your transformation and I may have to make a phone call.:)
      Sarah
      handbagsnpigtails.blogspot.com
      PS-I wanna win the giveaway so badly:)

      Reply
    56. Kelli

      March 09, 2010 at 3:13 pm

      This is GORGEOUS! I've been looking for a chair just like that, and it didn't even occur to me to reupholster the back on a chair like this to get the effect I want! Thanks for the post!

      Reply
    57. Pablo (yo)

      March 09, 2010 at 3:07 pm

      Great blog!!!!
      If you like, come back and visit mine: http://albumdeestampillas.blogspot.com

      Thanks,

      Pablo from Argentina

      Reply
    58. Candace@craftysisters-nc

      March 09, 2010 at 2:50 pm

      Gail you made that beautiful! I was wondering how your were going to fix that. I would have been stumped! Nice job with the upholstery.

      The note was cute that you left. 🙂

      Reply
    59. Sue at Serendipity

      March 09, 2010 at 2:31 pm

      Absolutely fabulous and now I am REALLY sorry I passed on those cane back chairs the other day. Their backs were a bit torn too. Storing this one for future finds-thank you!

      Reply
    60. Lee Laurie

      March 09, 2010 at 2:05 pm

      Wow! It turned out so beautiful! I never would have thought of covering it with fabric. It looks like a brand new chair. I bet she loves it too!

      Hugs,
      Lee Laurie

      Reply
    61. Pam

      March 09, 2010 at 1:47 pm

      Wow, to cute...you did another great job.

      Reply
    62. Dawn

      March 09, 2010 at 1:02 pm

      Oh Gail, that is the cutest chair ever!! I don't know why, but I never would have thought to cover the back like that, and you did such an amazing job! What a special piece - thanks so much for sharing with us!

      Reply
    63. Stella

      March 09, 2010 at 12:57 pm

      What an awesome job. Love the fabric choice and Jamie will appreciate all the love you packed in to it. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    64. Rory -The Greentiques Solution Guy

      March 09, 2010 at 12:43 pm

      I always love to see people out there saving something from the landfill and making something beautiful out of it. It is a way for all of us to have a much greener planet. Very nice job on the chair. Keep up the good work.

      -Rory-

      Reply
    65. Amy

      March 09, 2010 at 11:36 am

      Wow. That's beautiful. Fantastic job.

      Reply
    66. Rose

      March 09, 2010 at 11:14 am

      Wow, that looks great! I got a real kick out of the fact that you reversed what I did to my chair. As a matter of fact I pulled a bedpillow and cardboard out of that sucker to reveal the "bones". Too bad nobody left their calling card in that one, would have been so cool to know who worked on it and when. Awesome fabric choice too!

      Reply
    67. Anonymous

      March 09, 2010 at 3:59 pm

      Awesome, awesome job! You have inspired me to try reupholstering a cheap thrift store find and see how it goes. Thank you for this post!

      Reply

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