Updated · Everywhere Chair, Burnsville, NC
Director's chair cover sets may be replaced from time to time to keep a the chair functional and appealing. A new seat and back can be purchased and it will fit any director's chair perfectly, right? Wrong! Different manufacturers use exclusive measurements and patterns for their designs. By doing this, it creates a world where there is no standard size that fits all chairs. We offer what we call stock sizes - cover sets that perfectly fit the The Gold Medal and The Telescope Casual brands. While these same sizes may fit some other brands of chairs, they will not fit them all. This is where custom sizing comes in and often confusion can begin. The most important thing to guarantee the correct size seat and back is measurement, knowing what to measure, and understanding terms used on our site. The information below should clear up any confusion ...
There are three main pieces to most director's chair cover sets: the seat, the back, and the sticks that attach the seat portion to the frame. There are some instances where sticks are not needed, but for the most part, they are a crucial part to all cover sets.
THE SEAT
When selecting a seat, there are 4 factors that need to be considered. What type of sticks does the seat need? What is the seat width (measured from side to side)? What is the seat depth (measured front to back)? What is the size of the seat loops? All measurements are determined by having the seat removed from the chair, laid out completely flat, and measuring from the edges of the material.
The type of sticks determines not only how the chair attaches to the frame, but also factors in on the seats sizing (explained in greater detail below). Stick types are not interchangable and selecting the wrong one will cause the seat to not work with the chair.
The seats width and depth are the measurements of the footprint of the seat. The width is typically the larger measurement and is measured from left to right. This is the most important measurement to get correct when measuring the seat. The depth is tyically the shorter measurement and is measured from front to back. See the image below for better clarification.
When we say loops, we are referring to the pockets or slots that are on each edge of the seat, where a stick will go through to attach the seat to the frame. The loop is measured from the edge of the fabric to the first stitch line with it pressed as flat as possible. The image below shows the loop and the arrows indicate how to get the measurement.
THE BACK
All backs have three things when determining the correct one for the director's chair. They are similar to the seat: the back width, back height, and back loop size.
Like the seat, the back width is the measurement from left to right as it goes on the director's chair. It is important to get correct, otherwise, the back may be too loose or too tight. The height of the back is how tall the back is. The image below is a visual of the measurements.
The back loops are in reference to the pockets or holes on each end of the back piece; this is where the back post/ spindle of the chair's frame will go through.
If you have the old cover, it's easy to measure the back loop from the edge of the fabric to the first stitch line, the one closest to the outside. It's typically around 2.5 inches.
If you only have a frame, you'll need to do some math. Measure the the diameter of post itself, then add 1.5" to the diameter. That will give the back enough clearance on each side of the post to go on with ease.
See image below.
THE STICKS
The correct stick type for the director's chair is just as crucial as the correct measurements. While some seats are tacked on or slide over an aluminum portion of the frame, the vast majority have either a round dowel (stick) or flat stick that go through each seat loop that affixes it to the chair frame. If the stick is round, then it is what we call a round stick style of director's chair cover. If the stick is flat and rectangular, it is what we call the flat stick style of director's chair cover. Below are examples of the flat and round sticks that are used in our director's chair covers.
With the anatomy of the director's chair cover having been fully discussed, you should have a better and more confident understanding of measuring and some of the verbage we use on our site. Check our our stock sized Gold Medal and Telescope Casual cover sets and see if the sizes needed for your chair line up with either of those. If not, it is time to move to the custom sizing and put this new knowledge of the director's chair cover to use.