How to repair arm of vinyl chair?

Hayley007

I bought this chair second-hand, it already had the tear on the armrest so it's an old injury. I want to fix it up without resorting to gaffer tape (I'm a complete diy amateur where furniture's concerned). I think it's vinyl, might be pleather? Any instructions or creative, out-of-the-box solutions would be very much appreciated; wondering if giving the chair a kinda patchwork appearance using materials other than vinyl might be a good idea, or if I should lower the hot glue-gun before it's too late? 

JacobZ

Hi @Hayley007,

Thank you for your question.

Unfortunately, it looks like the material is quite thin and has been torn in a way that would make it very difficult to stretch and reattach without causing additional damage. If you wanted to repair the existing covering, I'd suggest you would need to contact a reupholstery professional as they'll be able to assist in either repairing or replacing the material with one of a similar style and colour.

If you wanted to add a patch, I would suggest that it would need to be stitched into place instead of gluing. Gluing to the foam would work for a time, but the flexible and porous nature of the foam would cause the glue to fail quickly.

Allow me to tag some of our crafty members to see if they have any thoughts: @prettyliving, @Renowayoflife.

Jacob