Restoring Naugahyde To A Shine

updated Dec 16, 2019
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We’re still in love with our Eames chairs and recently inherited a couple more that are covered in naugahyde. They’ve been sitting in storage for about 20 years and they’re dull and sad. We want them to look shiny and new like the picture above. Jump below for hot to restore them to their original lustre.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Here’s our baby, a dull pink with water stains and sadness. This weekend we plan to implement the tips we’ve gotten to get this naugahyde/vinyl chair to a shine again.

• Wash with warm dish soapy water and rinse well. We’ve also read that a combination of water and white vinegar will do the trick.
• For stains: mix some bleach with water and proceed cautiously. Best to test an inconspicuous area first. (For really bad stains, we read about using lighter fluid, but we’ll pass this round).
• For shine: try a light coating of spray on furniture wax, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then buff it off.
• For seriously dull chairs: use an automotive shine inducing product like meguiars natural shine vinyl and rubber protectant.

If you’ve got a fiberglass shell chair to restore, check out How To Restore a Fiberglass Shell Chair.

And for more Eames Inspiration, check out this post on the book Eames.

(Image: Door Sixteen)