How to Replace a 2-Piece Sling Chair

 You have an old 2 piece patio chair. The frame itself is good but the fabric sling has seen better days. What to do? Well, how about you replace the slings? Let’s have a look at how to do it.

Firstly, you need to get yourself a 2 piece sling chair replacement fabric. You should measure your old chair to ensure that you order one that’s the right size. To measure, you should begin at the top rail about two inches from the top and measure all the way down to the bottom of the sling. Do this on both sides and to both sling pieces. This is so that you can take an average measurement if one length measures slightly differently due to use over time. You need to measure the width and the lengths of the slings. It might be wise to enlist the help of someone else to help you! Make sure you measure to the top of the fabric, not the cap at the top. If you’re not sure, err on the long side, you can always trim in a bit later.

Slings normally come with a new dowel. To measure the dowels in your sling you could compare them with your drill bit sizes to get an accurate measurement. Once you have the width, length and dowel size you should be able to order a 2 piece sling chair replacement online fairly easily.

Next, take off the end caps. To do this, you could slide a screwdriver into the cap itself and pop it off carefully. Make sure you don’t break the end caps with the screwdriver (although you can buy replacement caps if you do!). There should be a cap at each end of a fabric end or at the end of each of the chair rails.

Turn the chair on its side. You need to remove one of the rails so that it’s loose and then you can slide the sling out. You could use a socket wrench or a hex key. You could even set up a drill to do it so that it’s quicker. Usually, there are only a couple of bolts to take out. If doing it by hand, it will take longer and will be more tedious.

If you pick up the removed rail, the braces will come out. Then set the chair back upright again. Pull a little to release the sling from the rail. Someone could help you, which will make it easier. Pull the fabric right out from the rail and free it from the edge. Pull it down to get it all out.

Next, you need to get your new sling. Make sure you're putting it in the right way. You don’t want the unfinished edges visible. Give a stretch as you do it to iron out as many wrinkles as you can. Wrinkles tend to gather in the center the most. Once you have got a sling on the rail, get the other rail which should be still attached to the chair’s frame. This can be a little tricky but do the same with the fabric on the other rail. Give the whole thing a last check before you begin the next stage.

Now you need to fix that loose rail in place. You’ll need a bit of downward pressure, so a clamp would be a useful tool to use to help you out. Tighten the first bold and use a drill if you can to fasten it in. You can then remove the clamp and place it on the other end near the other bold to allow you to tighten that one more easily.

Now you need to put the braces or spreader bars back out. These should be able to be put in place fairly easily. Once it’s done, take the clamp off.

Lastly, you need to finish the edges. Grab an edge and pull it out a little to trim off the edge by a maximum of a quarter inch. Once you’ve done this, it’s easier to put the caps back on. Tap each cap gently with a hammer to fix it in place.

And, voilà! One chair with a 2 piece sling chair replacement!

Finish off the edges. Grab it with cutters and pull it out and trim it off about a quarter inch. Then push back in a set the end cap back on, tap back in with a hammer.