I am reupholtering a chair

Several months ago, I purchased 2 easy chairs off Craig's list. They are of good quality and exactly what I had in mind for my sewing studio. Not too big, not too small. They recline for when I am not really sewing, but hiding from other things that need to be done. This is what one of them looks like:

It took me almost 2 months to remove the old fabric! They must have used a hundred pounds of staples in just one arm! If anyone has a faster or easier way to remove upholstery staples, I would sure love to hear about it. I used a hammer, a screwdriver and pliers. Needless to say, I am not anxious to start on the second chair. Here is how the first one turned out:

I loved the colors in the fabric. We have a salvage fabric store where I live and most of their inventory is upholstery fabric. I got this for $5 a yard.