Chair Seats: Wood or Padded?

The choice between wood and padded seats is a matter of personal preference, and there’s a lot more to consider beyond comfort! The thing that potential customers tell us most often is that they don’t want to worry about stains and cleaning the upholstery. That’s a valid concern – obviously it’s much easier to wipe down a wood seat. However, when talking to former customers, we tend to hear one story over and over: A visitor was wearing jeans with studded back pockets, and it scratched the wood chair seat.

Our furniture is protected by a catalyzed finish – the hardest type of finish coat in the industry – but wood is nonetheless susceptible to scratches. When considering the type of chair seat, we often remind our customers that it is typically cheaper & easier to reupholster than it is to sand & refinish.

If you decide to go for padded seats, we can offer several different options. Each has its own pros and cons, but our friendly associates can help you decide. One easy solution is to purchase the lay-on style pads to protect and cushion wood seats. Our Amish seamstress offers chair pads with welts, and she has this neat trick where she hides a square of non-skid grip liner to keep the pads in place without ties. These can easily be replaced due to stains or just a desire for a different style.

Careful fabric selection can also be the key to performance and satisfaction of your upholstered seats. One idea is to choose dark colors or busy patterns to hide any stains that may happen. Another option is to choose a leather – either real or fake can be easy to wipe off. However, leather could potentially be scuffed the same way as wood can be scratched. And don’t forget that we offer a small selection on Sunbrella-brand fabrics for our chair seats as well. Originally known as an industry leader in outdoor upholstery, Sunbrella has used their textile expertise to develop a line of ultra-durable interior fabrics that are resistant to stains and cleanable with bleach. Of course, if none of our options work for you, we can always send fabric purchased elsewhere to our builder’s shop for installation on your chairs.

With so many options available, we’re sure to have the perfect solution to suit your home’s needs. What type of chair seats do you prefer, and why?