DIY IKEA Hacks | Reupholster IKEA Poang Chair

DIY Ikea hacks have skyrocketed in popularity in recent times. These IKEA furniture ideas are often relatively simple, and therefore appropriate for even the most novice DIY and upholstery crafter. With many DIY hacks focused on storage units, the often-straightforward construction of IKEA furniture makes their armchairs and seats an appropriate item to re-craft and upcycle. For example, the IKEA POANG chair can easily be reupholstered to suit your tastes, or indeed joined to another chair to make a small sofa or large armchair.

Due to its unusual composition, the POANG chair can be deconstructed and re-created. The design has been a success for IKEA for the last forty years, with its classic design making it a firm favourite for many. However, for the DIY IKEA hack world, it’s popularity can be attributed to its easily customisable nature.

To extend the chair, naturally, you will need two POANG chairs. First, remove the seats from both. If you are planning to reupholster the poang chair (which is typically a common step) you need not worry about firmly pulling the seat from the frame. This should be stuck on with adhesive glue, but a solvent can be carefully used to remove this glue if necessary. If you are planning to keep the same foam inserts, be careful not to soak the foam with the solvent.

Next, place your two chairs next to each other. At the left of the frame, unscrew the inner arms of both chairs and remove these entirely. This, in turn, removes one side of the chair base. Then, take a strong wood adhesive and line up the two horizontal support pieces at the front of the chairs, sealing these together using glue and applying a clamp to aid with drying. Proceed to do the same with the bottom rear floor support piece – line this up to the identical piece on the next chair, before glueing and clamping. Next, seal the inner seat support pieces together with glue (these should align nicely at this point). Let the chair dry completely, reinforcing these glued areas with long screws for additional support and reinforcement.

Now is the perfect time to reupholster the chair, given that the foam seating component that the POANG comes with is quite thin. To create a more luxurious, comfier chair, we recommend using eFoam’s cut to size tool to select an upholstery foam material approximately three to four inches in depth. Alternatively, you may wish to choose a combination of foams, such as a two-inch thick very high-density polyurethane foam, topped with two inches of memory foam to soften. Whatever you choose, ensure you select your new foam in the required dimensions to fit two POANG chairs – 100cm (W) by 82cm (D) for the seat, and 68 by 100cm for the backrest element and 136cm (W) by 100cm (H) for the backrest. You can then proceed with covering the foam cushions in your desired fabric and securing them to the frame using a strong adhesive.

Should you require any assistance with foam components for your DIY IKEA hack projects, please contact us.