Upholstery and Fabrics - Recovering antique dining chairs/leather seats

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wormtowndj
07-10-04, 11:10 AM
I have 6 old claw-footed dining chairs and have purchased an entire cow hide which will give me enough leather to recover each. These are very old chairs, and the padding has probably never been replaced. It appears to be a combination of cotton and horsehair. Replacing the leather should be fairly straightforward (the seats are nearly square, slightly trapezoidal I guess), but I don't know what to do about the padding. Should I use foam, how thick, and where can I buy that? Should I just buy a thin piece of foam to supplement what's already there, or is it best to trash the padding and start fresh.

Thanks in advance.

haleyhorton
07-19-04, 04:05 PM
i don't think it really matters. i've done it before where i just added some batting to the foam that was already there. you could start fresh if you wanted to. you should be able to find foam at any fabric or craft store. it comes in all different densities from soft to really really firm. it just depends on the thickness and firmness you want.