How to Replace 2-Piece Sling Chair Fabric

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Here at Sailrite®, we get a lot of emails and calls from customers asking how to replace the fabric on a patio sling chair. It's a very popular style of chair, but the fabric can start to wear out and fade with use. Instead of replacing the whole chair, you can keep the frame (and save some money) by replacing only the sling fabric. And today, we're going to show you how to do just that!

Chapters List:

Intro — 0:00 min.
What to Expect & Prepping Chair — 1:06 min.
Measuring & Removing Seat Bottom — 3:47 min.
Marking & Removing Seat Back — 5:59 min.
Calculating Seat Bottom Size — 14:01 min.
Patterning Seat Bottom — 17:59 min.
Creating Front & Back Hems on Seat Bottom — 23:27 min.
Creating Sleeves on Seat Bottom — 26:26 min.
Patterning for Seat Back — 32:20 min.
Creating Side Hems on Seat Back — 42:06 min.
Creating Sleeves on Seat Back — 44:28 min.
Installing Seat Back — 49:03 min.
Installing Seat Bottom — 1:02:02 min.
Reassemble End Caps & Base — 1:04:46 min.
Materials & Tools List — 1:05:20 min.

Materials List:

Phifertex^® Plus Vinyl Mesh fabric (#3016019)
Seamstick 1/4" Basting Tape for Canvas & Upholstery (#122065)
Tex 90 or Tex 70 Polyester or PTFE thread
Awning & Sling Chair Spline Cording 1/4" (#103839)
Dura-Skrim^® Patterning Material 74" (#103134)
Awning & Sling Chair Spline Cording 5/32" (#122590)

Tools List:

Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" (#102400)
Chalk Pen White (#123131)
Gingher^® 8" Scissors Right Handed (#19104)
Sailrite^® Ultrafeed^® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine (#311602)
Sailrite^® Ultrafeed^® Industrial Sewing Table (#120934)
Deluxe 5-1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide (#103597)
Sailrite^® Double-Sided Cutting Mat 36" x 24" Extra Large (#123113)
Soft Grip Rotary Cutter 45mm (#123114)
Basic Thread Snips (#123222)
Scratch Awl Yellow (#2354)
Sailrite^® Cutting Block & Die Holder (#121597)
Sailrite^® Drill Hole Cutter 1/8" (#121817)
Super Lube^® Multiuse Synthetic Oil With Syncolon^® (PTFE) 7ml (#122777)
Screwdriver; Socket Set; Drill; Tape Measure; Marker; Hex Wrench; 1/8" Drill Bit 6" Long; Vise-Grip Pliers; Razor Blade Knife; Mini Hacksaw; Punch; Calculator; Stainless Steel Flanged Hex Head Screws for Sheet Metal Number 10 Size, 3/4" Long; Clamp; IRWIN QUICK-GRIP Bar Clamp; One-Handed Clamp/Spreader, 24"; Rubber Mallet

Sling fabric is remarkably strong. And it has to be — because the fabric, not the frame, supports a person’s weight when they use a sling chair. So, the fabric suffers most of the wear on sling chairs, while the frames usually hold up much better. That means that the frames on your sling chairs are probably worth keeping around!

In this video, we’ll show you how to remove the old fabric from a two-piece sling chair and measure the frame. Then you’ll see how to cut, sew and install new fabric. This DIY has a lot of steps, but don’t worry — we’ll walk you through every one.

We’ll also share helpful tips for difficult steps, such as:

How to safely remove stubborn rivets and cording.
How to pattern a rounded chair back.
How to measure and mark irregularly shaped fabric pieces.

Whether you need a project for the long winter months or you're getting ready to spruce up your patio for spring, there's no better time to learn how to revitalize your sling chairs. Watch the video to get started!

Replacing the fabric on your patio chairs isn’t the only way to freshen up your outdoor space. We have how-to videos that will walk you through other patio DIYs, including how to sew a patio umbrella, how to make shade sails and how to make a grill cover. Check out all of our Outdoor Living projects now!