Yes, you should take the plastic off new dining chairs. The protective film and wrapping applied during manufacture and transit is intended to be removed on arrival. Leaving it on traps moisture against the upholstery or timber, can bond to the surface over time and, on faux leather in particular, may leave a permanent mark or texture imprint that cannot be removed later.<\/p>\n
The instinct to leave it on is understandable. New furniture is an investment and the plastic feels like protection. In reality it does the opposite once the chair is indoors, because packaging is designed for a warehouse and a van, not for a heated dining room.<\/p>\n
The wrapping serves three purposes during transit. It keeps dust and workshop debris off the finished surface, it prevents scuffing between stacked items, and it stops moisture reaching the chair while it sits in a container or a distribution centre.<\/p>\n
None of those risks apply once the chair is in your dining room. At that point the film is simply a sealed layer sitting against the surface.<\/p>\n
Different components arrive wrapped differently. Upholstered seats often come in a loose polythene bag. Timber and high gloss surfaces frequently have an adhesive backed protective film applied directly to the finish. Chrome and metal legs are often sleeved in foam or wrapped in printed film. Each behaves differently if left in place.<\/p>\n
Adhesive film is the main concern. The adhesive used on protective films is designed for short term use, typically a few months. Beyond that the adhesive migrates into the finish and hardens. Removing it later leaves a sticky residue that requires solvent cleaning, and on some lacquered surfaces the solvent damages the finish more than the residue did.<\/p>\n
On high gloss surfaces the risk is higher again, because the adhesive can dull the gloss unevenly, leaving patches that are visible under any directional light.<\/p>\n
Moisture trapping is the second issue. Polythene is not breathable. A chair wrapped in polythene in a room that goes through daily temperature changes will develop condensation inside the bag. On timber this can cause staining or, over a long period, warping. On fabric it can lead to a musty smell and, in poorly ventilated rooms, mildew.<\/p>\n
Texture imprinting affects faux leather most. If a wrapped chair is stacked or something is placed against it, the plastic can press a pattern into the coating. Over weeks in a warm room this becomes permanent.<\/p>\n
There is also the practical point that plastic covered seats are unpleasant to sit on, make a noise every time someone moves and tear into ragged edges within a fortnight of normal use.<\/p>\n
Start with the seat and back panels and work outwards to the legs. Removing everything before assembly is easier than trying to reach film in corners once the chair is built.<\/p>\n
Peel adhesive film slowly and at a shallow angle, close to parallel with the surface rather than pulling straight up. A shallow angle reduces the stress on the finish and stops the film tearing into strips.<\/p>\n
Warm the film slightly if it resists. A hairdryer on a low setting held at a distance softens the adhesive and makes the film release cleanly. Do not apply direct heat to faux leather or high gloss surfaces for more than a few seconds at a time.<\/p>\n
Use a plastic scraper or a fingernail to lift a corner rather than anything metal. A blade will score the finish beneath, and that damage is not reversible.<\/p>\n
For any adhesive residue, start with a soft cloth and a little warm soapy water. If that fails, a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a cloth usually works, but test on a hidden area first, particularly on painted or lacquered surfaces.<\/p>\n
Check the underside and the inside faces of the legs. Manufacturers often wrap these and they are the pieces most commonly missed, only surfacing months later when someone cleans underneath.<\/p>\n
Remove the plastic, but do not throw the outer packaging away immediately.<\/p>\n
Inspect each chair in good light before disposing of the boxes. Check the upholstery for marks, the frame for cracks and the finish for scuffs. Sit on each chair and check for movement or creaking.<\/p>\n
Keep the boxes flat somewhere for a short period. If a chair needs to go back, the original packaging makes that process considerably simpler. Returns are available up to 30 days, so a couple of weeks of storage is a sensible precaution.<\/p>\n
Retain any spare fixings and the assembly instructions. Chair fixings are often a specific length and finding an exact replacement later is more difficult than it sounds.<\/p>\n
If your concern is protecting the chairs, there are better approaches than leaving the film on.<\/p>\n
Fabric protector spray on upholstered seats gives you time to blot a spill before it soaks in. Apply it to a clean chair before first use, in a ventilated room, and test on a hidden area first.<\/p>\n
Washable seat covers or throws work well in households with young children. They come off, go in the machine and go back on, which is far more practical than a plastic layer that degrades.<\/p>\n
Felt pads on the feet protect both floor and chair, and they should go on before the chairs are first placed. Fit them while the chair is still upside down after assembly, since turning six chairs over twice is avoidable work.<\/p>\n
Position matters too. Keeping chairs out of prolonged direct sunlight prevents fading on fabric and prevents faux leather from drying and cracking. A chair in a south facing bay window will age considerably faster than the same chair two metres further into the room.<\/p>\n
With the plastic off, assemble on a soft surface such as a blanket or the flattened cardboard box, which protects both the chair finish and your floor.<\/p>\n
Leave every bolt finger tight until the whole frame is together, then tighten in sequence. This pulls the joints square. Tightening as you go usually leaves one leg fractionally short and the chair rocking.<\/p>\n
Check the fixings again after two weeks of use. New chairs settle as the joints bed in, and a second tighten at that point locks everything properly.<\/p>\n
Wipe the chairs down before first use. Even wrapped furniture picks up a light film of dust during transit and handling, and cleaning it off before it gets pressed into the upholstery is worth two minutes.<\/p>\n
Once the plastic is off and the chairs are in use, the maintenance is straightforward. Vacuum fabric seats occasionally with a brush attachment to lift grit out of the weave, since grit acts as an abrasive every time someone sits.<\/p>\n
Wipe faux leather with a barely damp cloth and avoid alcohol wipes, which strip the surface coating over time.<\/p>\n
Rotate the chairs occasionally. In most households one or two chairs take the majority of the use, and swapping their positions every few months evens out the wear across the set noticeably.<\/p>\n
If you are still choosing chairs, it is worth considering how they will handle daily life from the outset. Our modern dining chairs UK sale<\/a> covers fabric, faux leather, velvet and timber options, and the matching dining table and chairs sets UK sale<\/a> take the coordination guesswork out of it. Browse the full range at Furniture in Fashion<\/a>, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.<\/p>\n No. Packaging film is intended for transit only. Left on indoors it traps moisture, can bond to the finish and may leave permanent marks, particularly on faux leather and high gloss surfaces.<\/p>\n Try warm soapy water on a soft cloth first. If that fails, a small amount of isopropyl alcohol usually lifts it, but test on a hidden area first as some lacquers react to solvents.<\/p>\n Yes on a low setting held at a distance, which softens the adhesive and helps the film release cleanly. Keep heat brief on faux leather and high gloss finishes.<\/p>\n Until you have inspected and used the chairs and are satisfied with them. Returns are available up to 30 days, and the original boxes make that process much easier.<\/p>\n Fabric protector spray on upholstery, washable covers where children are involved, felt pads on the feet from day one, and positioning the chairs away from prolonged direct sunlight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The plastic on new dining chairs should come off as soon as they arrive. Packaging film is designed for a warehouse and a delivery van, not a heated dining room, and leaving it in place traps moisture against the upholstery or timber, allows adhesive to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":60448,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3334],"tags":[10,5318,902,282],"class_list":["post-60446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-guide-for-your-home","tag-dining-chairs","tag-furniture-assembly","tag-furniture-care","tag-new-furniture"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n
Should I leave the plastic on new dining chairs to protect them?<\/h3>\n
How do I remove sticky residue from protective film?<\/h3>\n
Is it safe to use a hairdryer to remove protective film?<\/h3>\n
How long should I keep the chair packaging?<\/h3>\n
What is the better way to protect new dining chairs?<\/h3>\n