Do Nathan Furniture Reupholster Their Own Dining Chairs?

Nathan Furniture is a British cabinet making brand best known for its teak and cherry wood ranges, and it does not operate a reupholstery service for chairs already owned by customers. The company manufactures and supplies furniture. If you own Nathan dining chairs with worn seat pads, the practical routes are to recover the pads yourself, commission a local upholsterer, or replace the chairs. Many Nathan dining chairs use a removable drop in seat pad, which makes recovering them one of the easier upholstery jobs a homeowner can take on.

We are often asked whether heritage furniture makers refurbish their own pieces. Almost all of them do not, because manufacturing and restoration are entirely separate trades with different equipment, skills and economics. Understanding that distinction helps you take the right next step with chairs you want to keep.

Why Manufacturers Rarely Offer Reupholstery

Furniture factories are set up for repeatable production. Frames are made in batches, foam is cut to standard profiles, and covers are sewn from bulk rolls of fabric bought against forecast demand.

Reupholstering an existing chair is the opposite of that. Every chair arrives in a different condition, the original fabric may no longer be produced, the frame may need repair, and the work is entirely manual. It is craft work rather than production work, and it belongs in a small workshop rather than a factory line.

There is also a practical issue with older pieces. Fabrics are discontinued regularly, so even a manufacturer willing to help often could not match the original cover. An independent upholsterer, who buys from a wide range of suppliers, has far more flexibility to find something close.

How Nathan Dining Chairs Are Usually Built

Most Nathan dining chairs follow a mid century inspired construction: a solid timber frame, often teak or cherry, with a shaped back and a separate padded seat.

That separate seat is the important detail. It generally sits in a rebate in the frame and is held by four screws driven up through corner blocks from underneath. Undo those screws and the pad lifts out as a self contained unit: a plywood or timber base, a foam layer, and a fabric cover stapled to the underside.

Some models use a webbed base rather than solid ply, which gives more give underfoot. Others have a shaped back panel that is upholstered separately and screwed on from the rear. In both cases the components come apart, which is why these chairs respond so well to refreshing rather than replacing.

Recovering a Drop In Seat Pad Yourself

If your chairs use drop in pads, the job is well within reach for a first time attempt.

Turn the chair upside down and remove the four screws holding the pad. Keep the screws somewhere safe, since replacements of the correct length are annoying to source.

Lift out the pad and inspect it. If the foam has flattened or crumbled at the edges, replace it with high density upholstery foam cut to the same outline. Add a layer of polyester wadding over the top to soften the edge and prevent the foam profile showing through.

Strip the old cover using a staple remover, keeping the fabric intact to serve as a template. Cut new fabric with roughly 50mm of surplus all round. Lay it face down, place the wadding, foam and base on top, then staple the centre of each side in turn, working outward in alternating pairs to keep the tension even.

At the corners, fold the surplus into one clean pleat and trim the bulk from inside the fold before stapling. Refit the pad, drive the screws back in, and the chair is done. Most people manage a chair in under an hour once they have completed the first one.

When to Use a Professional Upholsterer

Some jobs benefit from experienced hands. If your chairs have a fixed upholstered back rather than a removable pad, if the frame joints are loose, or if you want piping, buttoning or a patterned fabric matched across a set, a professional will produce a noticeably better result.

When approaching an upholsterer, take one chair with you and ask for a price per chair rather than for the set, so you can decide how many to do. Ask whether the quote includes new foam and webbing, since these are often listed separately. Ask about fabric supply too, as most upholsterers have trade accounts and can source at better rates than retail.

Be realistic about the total. Professional reupholstery of a full set of six or eight dining chairs can approach the price of new chairs, which is why the decision often comes down to how much the originals mean to you.

Deciding Between Restoring and Replacing

Restoring makes sense when the frame is sound and the design still suits your room. Solid timber chairs from established makers were built to outlast their upholstery, and a fresh cover can make a twenty year old chair look current again.

Replacing makes more sense when the frames are wobbly beyond repair, when the seat height no longer suits your table, or when the style genuinely no longer fits the space. There is little value in spending on fabric for a chair you have already stopped liking.

Comfort is worth assessing honestly too. Older dining chairs sometimes have shallow seats and upright backs that felt normal when they were made but sit awkwardly against contemporary dining habits, where people linger longer at the table. If that describes your set, our modern wooden dining chairs UK sale offer similar timber warmth with deeper, better supported seating.

Keeping the Look You Like Without the Restoration

Plenty of people want the character of mid century timber chairs without taking on an upholstery project. That look translates well into current ranges: tapered legs, a shaped back, a slim upholstered seat, and a warm wood tone.

If you are replacing chairs but keeping an older table, take a photograph of the table in daylight and note the wood tone before you shop. Warm teak and cherry sit better with mid to warm timber chairs, while cool grey oak tends to clash. Alternatively, breaking the match deliberately with upholstered chairs in a neutral fabric avoids the near miss that happens when two wood tones almost agree.

You can see how these combinations work across our full range at Furniture in Fashion, and if you are updating table and seating together our modern dining table and chairs sets UK take the guesswork out of matching.

Caring for Timber Framed Dining Chairs

Whether restored or new, timber chairs last longer with a little attention. Check and tighten the seat screws once a year, since they loosen gradually with movement. Wipe the frames with a barely damp cloth and dry immediately rather than using spray polish, which builds up over time.

Keep chairs away from radiators and direct sunlight where possible. Heat dries out timber and can open joints, and strong light bleaches wood unevenly, leaving pale patches where the sun falls.

Fit felt pads to the feet if you have hard floors. This protects both the floor and the leg ends, which chip easily when chairs are dragged rather than lifted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Nathan Furniture offer a repair or reupholstery service?
No. Nathan Furniture manufactures and supplies furniture rather than restoring pieces already in customer homes. Reupholstery is handled by independent upholsterers or as a home project.

Can I buy replacement seat pads for Nathan dining chairs?
Replacement pads for older models are rarely available, but a local upholsterer can make new pads to match your existing ones using the original as a pattern.

How difficult is it to recover a drop in seat pad?
It is one of the simplest upholstery jobs. If you can use a screwdriver and a staple gun, you can recover a drop in pad in around an hour per chair.

What fabric suits mid century timber dining chairs?
Wool blends and textured flat weaves suit the period best, while performance velvet gives a more contemporary reading. Choose an upholstery weight fabric with a high rub count.

Is it worth reupholstering old dining chairs?
Yes, provided the frames are solid and you still like the design. If the joints are failing or the chairs are uncomfortable, replacement is usually the better investment.