Lowe's and HD websites blow goats. Lowes is utterly worthless, while HD is just mostly worthless... I do buy from locally owned lumber yards when I can, I'm just trying to learn a little before I approach them. Thanks for the help: this does help a LOT. The 36 inch stuff at HD is solid hardwood, available in cherry, oak, hickory or maple. Not sure if it's a sheet good or not, but would hate to have to deal with those short pieces. Anyone know if the HD sheets are available in oak? This whole project started as a means to disguise the long, narrow nature of the space, so I'd probably do the beadboard with 'beams' to hide the joints and create rectangles running opposite the long axis. 4x8 sheets would give me the most choice as to how large to do the rectangles, and would save some serious installation time.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who falls closer to the opposite end of the "never replace furniture" spectrum. I haven't gone a year without buying at least a couple of new pieces of upholstery. I am kind of a furniture snob, so I buy good quality made in the USA only, but I get tired of things pretty quickly. I'm in the industry, so I see so many new products and designs. I sell some on Craigslist (usually making a little profit in the process) or simply move to other rooms. I buy new and used. It's just furniture. I don't feel an emotional attachement. I am not a big fan on vintage or antique furniture style or comfort. Re-upholstery has gotten so outrageously expensive. I know it's labor intensive skilled labor and a shame to see another industry lost, but often it doesn't make financial sense. I don't just toss my old furniture in the landfill. BTW, there is still a furniture-making industry that employs thousands of American workers. They need our business too!

Oh my, Gorgeous chair...They will be beautiful, when there done, I can't wait to see them! First smooth out the batting that is there. place a piece of foam over the top at least 1" thick 2" thick is even better. Cut the foam to the size of the seat. Then on top of that place a piece of Dacron Batting (over sized). Turn everything over and staple the over sized Dacron batting to the underside of the wood. Make sure you pull it tight and smooth, this will round out the edges of the foam and give you a nice smooth base. Next is the fabric. Pay attention to the pattern (if there is a pattern) so all the chairs match) Place the fabric face down on the counter and place your seat on top of it and begin stapling on the fabric. You have to pull tightly as your stapling. If you get any wrinkles or it is not perfectly straight, remove staples and pull some more. I would put welting, but it's your choice. I buy regular thin cording at Home Depot, rather than the cotton cording they sell at the fabric stores for welting. I like my welt to have body and be nice and crisp on the chairs. After the chairs are covered, then you apply the welt with the staple gun. Start at the center back of the chair When the welting meets cut it about 3/4" oversize, then cut out the cording on the 3/4 oversize just until it meets the other cording, then overlap the fabric on the cording on the part that you cut over sized (turning under the raw edge) Then finish stapling it. This sounds confusing, I'm sure, but if you look at any finished piece on your furniture you'll see what I mean about joining the two pieces of welt together to get a professional look. Here is a good link for making welt. There are two things you must do, cut the fabric on the bias and join (sew) the strips together as displayed in these directions. Here is a link that might be useful: How to make welting

Much better idea! Upholstering walls is really not a DIY project, as I quickly learned. It's a lot of work which is why pros charge an arm and a leg to do it.