How Much Leather You Need for Bar Stool?

Covering a bar stool takes roughly 0.5 to 0.9 square metres of leather, with a plain round seat at the lower end and a padded back, piping or wrapped shell at the upper end. A standard hide of 4.5 to 5 square metres will usually cover four to six seats, though the usable area is smaller than the total because the belly stretches and the neck carries wrinkles. This guide shows how to calculate the area for each panel, why a 20 to 30 per cent waste allowance is realistic, and which leather thickness works best on a seat that gets daily use. It also compares faux leather, which is far easier to calculate from a uniform roll, explains how to use an old cover as a pattern when recovering, and covers buying enough from a single hide so a set of stools actually matches....