Chair repair and strengthening. Part 4: strengthening the chair frame

Chairs are important furniture pieces in any kitchen. They should not only be aesthetically pleasing and easy to use, but also compact and ergonomic.
The modern market offers customers a fairly large assortment of kitchen sets. But they are expensive, and at the same time, they are not always of high quality. And it often happens that, despite the wide choice, buyers cannot choose chairs for the kitchen that will ideally fit into its stylistic direction.

In this case, you should think about making your own furniture, according to personal sketches and the characteristics of the room.

Peculiarities

A special feature of kitchen sets is their design. Depending on the overall interior and the wishes of the owners, you can place here: stools, chairs with backs, kitchen sofas. It is impossible to answer unequivocally which option is more convenient and practical. Here it’s worth starting from your personal needs and the dimensions of the kitchen itself. If the dimensions allow, you can install massive chairs with backs, but if free space in the kitchen is limited, it is better to make compact stools .

As for design features, the popular models are:

• 
  Massive chairs made of natural wood.
  They are quite convenient and practical. Such products will harmoniously fit into spacious kitchens in country houses. When making furniture items from wood, the material must be carefully processed: sanded, coated with antiseptics, stain and paints.

  Read also:  Examples of choosing wooden chairs for a children's room
• Foldable. They are ideal for small spaces .
  Such products can have a classic antique or modern design. When designing a folding chair yourself, it is recommended to choose a model with double seat support. It is more stable and can withstand heavy loads.
• Bars. If previously such models were found only in cafes, recently they are often installed in spacious kitchens near the bar counter. Their special feature is the presence of an adjustable stand leg. Bar stools can be soft, hard, with or without a back.

• 
  Armchair chairs. They are the most comfortable to use .
  Such products have a soft frame with a back and armrests. Most often they are made of natural wood, and wear-resistant fabrics are chosen as upholstery.

• Chairs with soft seats. These elegant models fit harmoniously into different stylistic trends. They can be made from wood, plywood, MDF or chipboard. A special feature of the design with a backrest is comfort in use and a noble appearance.
• Transformable chairs. They can easily be converted into other furniture pieces. For example, a step stool is now quite popular, which can be used as a ladder to reach the highest wall cabinets in the kitchen.

Tip : the easiest way for a novice craftsman to make a classic chair with a soft seat.

Leg configurations for different types of chairs

When planning to make an elegant chair that would be shameless to place in a children’s room or living room, when creating the legs, consider the following rules:

1. Soft seats force craftsmen with good taste to give preference to thin legs that can be connected to each other with wooden crossbars. Plywood and boards are used, which have the necessary strength indicators and at the same time do not lose lightness.
2. A chair with soft upholstery is well suited for a comfortable pastime and reading books. This pretentious type of furniture is complemented by legs made exclusively from expensive natural wood. Budget imitations of solid wood will become noticeable to the naked eye and the overall impression of the room will be ruined.
3. Folding chairs are in great demand; they are also called transformers. The legs are attached to the armrests, they are located in relation to each other at a certain angle.
4. A good option is a folding product made of plywood, where the back and front legs form one plane, and the rear legs support the structure in the desired position. Plywood with a thickness of 20 to 25 mm is suitable for this. When cutting out parts, it is important to adhere to a perfectly flat surface and properly process the edges.

Material: wood or plywood?

Since chairs are used by people quite often, high demands are placed on them:

• strength and reliability;
• ability to withstand heavy weight;
• durability;
• ease of use;
• ease of care.

In order for a home-made kitchen stool to be truly practical, you need to carefully select the materials for its manufacture. You can make chairs for the kitchen from different lumber:

• 
  Natural wood. This option will harmoniously fit into any classic interior and become its main decoration. When choosing a type of wood, preference should be given to: oak, beech, ash .
  Such materials have a high cost, but they also have the highest technical characteristics. For budget options for making furniture yourself at home, pine, larch or birch are perfect.

  Wooden furniture will delight its owners: its naturalness and environmental friendliness. It will not release harmful toxins and provoke allergic reactions. The tree also has an unobtrusive but pleasant aroma. It is pleasant and warm to the touch and comes in a wide range of textures and shades. To use solid wood furniture in the kitchen, the wood will need to be pre-treated with antiseptic agents. This will increase its resistance to moisture and other negative factors.

• 
  Plywood.
  Such furniture can cope with various mechanical loads. Plywood is made from natural wood, therefore, it is safe for use. It is resistant to moisture, sudden temperature changes and other negative factors . For the manufacture of chairs, it is recommended to choose a material with a thickness of at least 8 mm.

  Plywood is easy to cut and saw with hand or power tools and has a long service life.

• Chipboard. This furniture is characterized by good technical performance and affordable cost. The stores offer a wide range of chipboards in various shades. The sheets are easy to work with. They are cut with both an electric jigsaw and a regular wood hacksaw.
• MDF. It has good performance, is distinguished by durability, favorable cost and a wide range.

Advice : if all the options seem equally attractive to you, take a tree. It will make it easier to correct minor defects that may arise during the manufacturing process.

Material selection

Most often, chairs are made by hand from wood. This material is environmentally friendly and can be easily processed. When choosing a suitable option, you should pay attention to the breed:

1. Solid varieties. This category includes oak, maple, beech, birch, cherry, and walnut. Pros: characterized by increased strength, resistance to deformation, durability. Cons: high cost, the material is more difficult to process due to its dense structure.
2. Soft breeds. This group includes alder, pine, aspen, linden, spruce. Pros: they have a straight-layer loose structure, so the material is convenient to saw, cut, glue, and the finished products are lightweight and attractive in appearance. Cons: less practical compared to hard rocks, more susceptible to mechanical damage.

There is another group of wood varieties - especially durable ones. It includes boxwood, acacia, yew, the processing of which will require special equipment.

Wooden chairs are usually made from boards 10–15 mm thick or timber with a section of 60 x 40 mm or 40 x 40 mm. Logs are used less frequently, but they must first be cut using a circular saw or grinder. An array is also suitable for work, but it is expensive, so beginners are not recommended to use this material.

When choosing suitable lumber, you need to carefully check its quality. First, pay attention to several important signs:

• boards, beams are smooth, without distortions, bends, knots;
• no chips or cracks;
• the material must be dry, without wormholes or fungi.

Varieties of chairs for bathing babies in the bathroom, manufacturers
It is recommended to make chairs with your own hands only from high-quality materials. Violation of drying rules can be visually determined. This is noticeable by cracks, warping of the surface, various irregularities, and protruding resin. Lumber that has been stored in a damp place for a long time is not suitable for furniture production.

Boards without distortions, bends, knots

No chips or cracks

Dry material, no wormholes, fungi

Drawing, standard dimensions

Before making any model of kitchen chair yourself, you need to make a well-thought-out diagram. On it, display not only the design of the product, but also the materials of its manufacture, dimensions and fastening elements . You can make a drawing of a chair in different ways:

• draw by hand;
• find a suitable option on the Internet;
• order from specialists;
• use computer programs.

Each individual option has its own characteristics.

The standard sizes of a kitchen chair with a backrest can be called:

• height from 70 to 100 cm;
• height from floor to seat - 40 cm;
• seat depth - 50 cm;
• seat width - 40 cm;
• back width from 40 cm.

Kitchen Stool Tools

To make furniture with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

• 
  Jigsaw. It will help you evenly and accurately cut out the necessary parts of a chair from wood or plywood. With its help, all corners and cuts are smooth and aesthetic.

• Fraser. This tool is useful for working with natural wood. It will help give the product an original appearance, round corners and make holes and grooves for fastening parts.
• Sander. Its presence will significantly speed up the process of cleaning wooden surfaces. Of course, you can sand a chair with sandpaper, but this work process will be less comfortable and efficient.
• Screwdriver. Used for screwing in self-tapping screws and confirmations. It can replace almost all screwdrivers in the house. But then you will need to select a set of drills of different diameters for it.
• Drill. It is necessary for drilling holes for self-tapping screws and confirmations.
• Clamps. They are used to tighten parts after gluing them.

In addition to the above tools, in the process of manufacturing and assembling a kitchen chair you may need:

• pencil and ruler;
• wood hacksaw;
• hammer;
• plane;
• furniture stapler;
• building level.

The materials you will need to purchase:

• 
  2 beams with a section of 40 by 60 mm and a length of 90 cm for making legs;

• 2 beams with a section of 4 by 4 cm and a length of 44 cm for the front legs;
• 2 beams with a section of 4 by 4 cm and a length of 43 cm for the longitudinal base;
• 2 beams with a section of 4 by 4 cm and a length of 36 cm for the transverse base;
• one wooden edged board measuring 36 by 80 cm and 2 cm thick for the back of the product;
• board or plywood measuring 52 by 45 cm for seating;
• foam rubber for arranging a soft seat;
• upholstery fabric (for the kitchen it is better to choose wear-resistant materials that do not absorb odors and dirt: velor, tapestry, velvet jacquard);
• paints and varnishes;
• furniture glue;
• screws and other fasteners;
• mounting angles.

The order of work taking into account the type of model

When the drawings with dimensions are completely ready, you can start cutting out the parts. Place a pattern on the beams or boards, trace the contours with a pencil, then cut out the workpiece. Experts recommend treating wood with antiseptics to protect it from water, fungi and other negative factors.

With soft seat

To create a chair from solid wood, you will need 15 mm boards, timber with a section of 40 x 40 mm, a piece of plywood 45 x 45 cm, foam rubber for a soft seat 45 x 45 cm, upholstery fabric 55 x 55 cm. The work is carried out in stages:

1. The tree is cut to produce a pair of legs, transverse slats, 4 drawers. A seat is cut out of plywood.
2. Markings are applied to connect the back, drawer, and legs in accordance with the drawing.
3. Make the necessary holes and clean them with a chisel. On the slats and prongs, mark the dimensions for the tenons and carefully cut them out.
4. The edges of the backrest, necessary for joining, are treated with glue and inserted into the grooves of the rear legs of the chair. The element is secured with clamps.
5. The front drawer is glued to the legs and dried.
6. The frame is assembled without the use of glue; if there are no defects, the product is glued and finished assembled.
7. To create soft seats, plywood is used, foam rubber is glued to it with an allowance of 1.5 cm around the entire perimeter. Upholstery fabric is fixed on top.
8. After the parts have completely dried, the legs are screwed on, the slats are secured, and the seat is mounted.
9. The caps of the tenons are cut off and the holes left from the screws are filled with putty. The surface of the entire chair is carefully polished.

Drawings and procedures for assembling a step stool with your own hands

Chairs with an upholstered seat are often produced without a back. To do this, you can use the presented description, having previously removed this element from the drawing. The result is a stool that is convenient to use in the kitchen.

Cut wood

Make holes

Fasten elements

Glue the front part

Assemble the frame

Glue connections

Assemble the structure

Make a soft seat

Secure the seat

Folding

Simple chairs are suitable for use at home and outside the city. To create a folding model, you will need short and long legs, crossbars, wooden slats for the backrest, and a seat. The work process is carried out according to the instructions:

1. The bars that are used to support the seat are drilled to install a metal rod.
2. The slats are fixed to the bars using self-tapping screws.
3. At the upper end of the blanks for long legs, holes are drilled with an indentation of 110 mm, and cuts are made in them for the backrest. When performing, use a drawing of a chair.
4. A metal rod is installed in a specially designated hole, the edges are secured in the grooves of the legs.
5. In the center of the block of small legs, holes are drilled to connect with the long ones. The crossbars are fixed slightly above and below the middle.
6. The manufacture of the structure is completed by assembling all the elements, which are fixed with screws.

A beautiful chair needs finishing and decoration. Today, decoupage techniques, carved elements, leggings, and various capes are increasingly used to decorate wooden furniture.

Before making a chair, you need to determine the appropriate dimensions. Only in this case the furniture will turn out to be truly useful and practical. Thanks to the wide variety of designs and finishing options, you can create exclusive things with your own hands.

How to decorate?

There are many ways to decorate a kitchen chair. Some people prefer to leave varnished woodwork so as not to hide its beautiful texture. Some people like chairs painted with enamel, while others prefer decoupage or burning techniques. In addition, you can decorate a kitchen chair with beautiful wood carvings or sewing a fabric cover.

Tip : In the kitchen, you may also need a baby feeding chair or a regular wooden stool. The furniture set will be complemented by a comfortable kitchen table and wardrobe.

Photo

Ideas for decorating the resulting furniture can be seen in the following photos: