Cindy Piccoli, host of HGTV's Decorating With Style, brightens an old ladder-back chair with a new seat made from woven neckties. This would be a great gift for Dad, to add a decorative touch to his office or dressing room. Materials:
Ladder-back chair
Optional: sandpaper and spray paint
8 to 10 men's ties
Staple gun
Tack hammer
Scissors
Optional: decorative upholstery tacks
- Purchase inexpensive ties at a thrift store, keeping in mind that narrow styles are easiest to use for this project.
- Completely remove the seat of the chair. Sand and repaint the chair, if desired.
- Cut a piece of paper or cardboard the size of the seat, and arrange the ties on it to determine placement and number needed (figure A). To avoid open spaces, place one tie with the wide end toward the seat back and the next with the narrow end toward the back. Alternate wide and narrow ends when weaving the ties as well.
- Use a staple gun to fasten the ties to the underside of the seat frame. Staple the first end in place, pull the tie tightly, and staple the other end in place. Use shorter staples if stapling into hardwood. Use a hammer to tap in staples that don't go in all the way (figure B).
- When the chair seat is covered with a parallel row of ties, weave ties in and out of the taut ones. After attaching each tie to one side of the chair seat, pull it tight before securing it to the opposite side.
- Cut off any excess material.
- For added strength, add decorative upholstery tacks along the front and sides of the chair seat, if desired (figure C).
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