The only wood chairs I had ever used were those straight-back, hard on the back of your legs chairs, that ended up with wobbly legs that had to be glued.
My father said I was too young to appreciate real furniture, but he also hated the chairs. After getting married, mom gave me her kitchen set. I loved the wood dining set, but I knew I couldn’t use those chairs without some changes being made. I took the chairs to the local upholstery shop and asked if they could add upholstery to the seats. I was surprised when he said he could take the wood chairs to someone he knew. They could shore up the legs and make them stronger than when new. It thrilled me when he said how easy it would be to add upholstery to the seats. With a fresh coat of paint, upholstered seats, and legs that held up to a little bit of weight, they would be like brand new chairs. It was going to take almost two months before I got my chairs back, so my husband and I bought some folding chairs to get us through that time. That was almost ten years ago, and my wood chairs continue to look brand new. The upholstery is beginning to fray around the edges and I’ll soon need to take them back to the shop and have them reupholstered. Our three kids have spilled juice, finger paint, and food on those chairs, but I don’t care. My parents still can’t believe how a little reupholstering changed plain and ugly chairs into wood chairs that will be cherished for years to come.