My patio chairs are old and the plastic strapping on them has broken. When I look to see if I can replace them it seems to be hopeless. The straps seem embedded into the metal frame with no way of replacing them. Any ideas?
By Gloria Z from Chicago, IL
This may sound real trashy but it turned out well for me. I used duct tape!
I bought some brightly colored purple duct tape at WalMart. I laid out strips of the tape and stuck it to itself so I had a strip with no sticky sides left. I attached another piece of duct tape to the ends and wrapped it around the frame of the chair on one side and stuck it to the double thick pieces that I had prepared in advance.
I then wove it in and out of the remaining plastic straps that were left on my chair. At the other side of the chair, I attached another piece of duct tape, wrapped it around the frame and stuck it to itself on the underneath side.
I ended up with a purple and green chair which looks really neat! It's really durable, too. The duct tape sticks really well so it's not necessary to have any screws or fasteners.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My deck chairs are cloth with a small rope type tubing inlaid on each side. They are coming apart, but the chairs are still solid. Does anyone know how to redo them?
By Karen from Butler,PA
I do know how to avoid this when things are new. Some Fabric paint on the back side painted over the stitches makes the stitches hold up longer.
The easiest way to have new covers for your deck chairs are : 1) Buy new ones, or 2) Take them to an upholstery or auto seat cover shop to have them re-do them. BUT. With patience and a few sewing skills, you can re-cover them yourself. Just take the cushions apart and use the old pieces for your pattern. Be sure to purchase "outdoor" fabric so that it will last the longest, and get new cushion insides if they need it. Just noticing the cushion construction as you dismantled them for patterns will give you the guide to assembling the new ones. (If you get stuck check out the library for books on upholstery.) Be fearless and patient with yourself, you'll do a fine job. And remember that practice makes perfect--- the second one will be even easier.
If you know how to sew just make a pattern out of the covers including the piping, out of waterproof fabric, you can also add a zipper so you can take the covers on and off. Dianne
The chair is either thin steel or aluminum. The webbing is OK, but rivets are broken. Is it worth trying to repair? If so what is easiest way to remove rivets? Instead of new rivets are bolts recommended?
By Bewildered Bob
If this is an aluminum lawn chair with plastic webbing, it is NOT worth trying to repair. It is very, very old, and new, much better chairs, can be purchased new for about $10.
I beg to differ. I have old aluminum chairs that are very lightweight and hard to find. My mother-in-law who is thrifty has similar chairs replaces the webbing and has owned her chairs for 50 years. The new chairs look the same but are not aluminum and are very very heavy. For my money it's much better to replace the webbing. Repair, replace, re-purpose and save the planet.
I have seen where someone recycled old lawn chairs using macrame. Is there a pattern for this? If so, where can I get a copy?
By Pat
My lawn chair covers were suffering from sun rot and needed a lot of help. In one afternoon, I crafted four chair covers from some worn jeans I had on hand.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Where can we buy the nylon webbing or the lace up seats to repair folding aluminum lawn chairs?
