Child-proof your dining chairs!

Good weekend to you! Beth here from Sawdust and Embryos… woohoo!

I’ve got a super simple tutorial for you today, and if you have youngsters in the house… it’s going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

We bought this gorgeous counter-height dining table a few years back. We love it so hard.

Dining Table {Sawdust and Embryos}

And then I birthed a couple tiny human beings on a hot July day, and our lives got very messy. I knew these crisp white cushions wouldn’t have a chance in the world.

Sawdust and Embryos

I found some amazing fabric on craigslist for a few bucks. It’s actually a tapestry from Urban Outfitters, but has since been discontinued (SORRY!). I’ve got pops of orange around my house, and loved the bold poppy print… and it just HAPPENED to have the perfect amount to reupholster all 8 chairs. BAM!

Orange Poppy Fabric {Child-proofing upholstery tutorial) SAWDUST AND EMBRYOS

You can choose any fabric… and be brave and bold with your colors/pattern! This is a temporary upholstery job until your kiddos move out of the food-fight years.

Next we flipped the chairs over and simply unscrewed the seats from underneath!

Child-proofing your dining chairs {Sawdust and Embryos}

Then measured out sections on the fabric for each seat, making sure there’s plenty of excess fabric to wrap around all 4 sides of each chair cushion.

Child Proofing the Dining Chairs {Sawdust and Embryos}

Next up? Wrap and staple! RIGHT OVER THE EXSISTING FABRIC! Pretty standard upholstery right here! Make sure your corners aren’t too globby.

Child-proofing your Dining Chairs! {Sawdust and Embryos}

We purchased some 16 gauge clear plastic and used two boards and a razor blade to cut straight lines and cut squares the same size as we cut the poppy fabric.

Cutting clear plastic for child-proofing dining chairs {Sawdust and Embryos}

Then we wrapped and stapled, being sure to pull the plastic super tight! It’s best to have two people for this part. The hardest thing is making sure the corners aren’t too bulky, but you’ll get the hang of it.

Upholstering dining chairs with clear plastic for child-proofing! {Sawdust and Embryos}

Secure the cushions back onto the chairs with the same screws, and you’re GOLDEN. These bad boys are so durable. I can’t tell you how many times a day I’m wiping off spaghetti, yogurt, fingerpaint… you get the picture. And they’re not sticky and uncomfortable to sit on like I thought they would be!

Vinyl covered dining chairs {Tutorial by Sawdust and Embryos}

The twins are almost two and a half, and these cushions still look like the day we upholstered them! BEST DECISION EVER.

Clear plastic over dining chairs for child-proofing! {Sawdust and Embryos}

And down the road, when your little monsters turn into delightful and proper children with perfect manners, you can whip it all off and still have your fabric underneath still intact and in the awesomely perfect condition that you left it in! It’s such a simple solution to an epic problem!

Please come stop over to my blog Sawdust and Embryos and poke around for a bit! And since we’re on the topic of upholstery, come check out the mini fainting couch / toddler beds we just built from scratch and upholstered for the girls’ soon-to-be big girl room!Bethany {Sawdust and Embryos}

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Step-by-Step instructions to build and upholster a Mini Fainting Couch (Toddler Bed!) by Sawdust and Embryos

Published on October 26, 2013

9 thoughts on “Child-proof your dining chairs!”

  1. ahhhh this is a fantastic idea, I wish this would’ve came to mind several months ago when my son first started to feed himself … only thing that came to mind to protect my chairs were scotch guard LOL…oh well. I LOVE the pattern chosen!

  2. My husband and I just bought a new dining room table and chairs. We’re reupholstering them this week and I’ll ABSOLUTELY be utilizing this tip! Thanks for sharing! My stark-white chairs and I appreciate this tip 🙂

  3. I’d keep the poppy fabric! Fresh and modern, although you might be tired of it by the time you can remove the plastic. 🙂

  4. I have a tween and a teen at home. This would still work perfect for them, however, I have 2 wonderful kitty fur babies that have clawed my cushions. Any ideas on how to re-do my chairs that are kitty proof?? LOL

  5. I love this. I am trying to do this for my chairs and am having a hard time flattening the plastic. Did you have to use a blow dryer to smooth out the wrinkles? or just pulling tight and stapling it was enough?

    Maybe it’s because I am using the really thick plastic I can’t seem to smooth it very well. The wrinkles of where it was folded are still there.

  6. Hello,

    I want to do this to my kitchen chairs, but I don’t know where to find the plastic. I went to Walmart today, but I don’t know where in Walmart you find the plastic. Is it with the fabrics?

    Thank you,

    ~Teresa~

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