How to update a sofa at home

The sofa is one of the main elements of a modern interior. Under the influence of various factors, furniture can lose its attractive appearance. Often changing sofas is impractical and unprofitable because of their cost. There are many opportunities to update your favorite thing with independent efforts.

How to update a sofa with your own hands

There are several ways to give a sofa a new look. You can use new decorative elements, such as bedspreads, pillows, capes or covers. These things can be bought in many stores or made to order. More cardinal ways are hauling and changing the filler of upholstered furniture.

New cover on an old sofa

Purchasing a new cover is one of the quick and easy ways to upgrade your sofa. It will help to hide all flaws and defects. Finished products are sold under furniture of standard sizes. If the sofa does not fit this category, then you can order individual tailoring in a specialized sewing workshop for specific dimensions. One of the indisputable advantages of these products is the ability to wash them in the event of contamination.

Measurements

Before buying a cover or ordering it, you should make some furniture measurements using a centimeter tape. The following data is required:

  • the length of the widest part of the sofa: back or seat;
  • armrest length;
  • seat depth;
  • seat height from the floor;
  • the length of the protruding sectors on the corner sofas.

Further, according to the available data, a pattern should be made. It is better to draw it in a reduced size on special graph paper, because a large amount of paper or film is needed to cut the original sizes. It is better to think over the fabric consumption and the arrangement of patterns in advance, this will allow you to correctly dispose of the material.

Choice of fabric by type and color

Fabric for a cover is best selected taking into account its operational characteristics. It should be well understood for what purpose the furniture is used, and where it will stand. The color of the fabric is chosen by the owner of the sofa, taking into account personal taste preferences. Properly selected weave and high-quality stitched cover can make the sofa a real highlight of the room. Or, conversely, you can make it invisible, allowing you to increase the emphasis on other interior items. Skilled craftswomen can knit a cover.

Sewing

There are no special tricks in sewing this product. During the cutting of parts, especially if there are a lot of them, it is better to make conventions in order to further observe the order of their grinding. Stitch the parts with each other on the machine with thick threads and a thick needle. Next, the product is turned on the front side and put on the sofa. You can come up with a variety of decorative elements and decorations. Many craftswomen can knit a cover of beautiful, spectacular yarn.

Refresh Upholstery

This method of updating coverage is more complex and time consuming. In the course of work, beginners may have some difficulties with the development of the pattern, as well as the dismantling of the structure.

Upholstery fabric selection

With great care, you need to approach the issue of choosing a material for upholstery. It is worth considering the indicators of wear resistance of the strength of the material, as well as its color component and texture features. The sofa should harmoniously fit into the overall interior of the apartment. The material should be pleasant to the touch, hypoallergenic and not emit unpleasant odors. You can choose washable, smooth, pile and other types of surfaces. Pet lovers pick up durable fabrics that are more resistant to possible scratches. The following types of fabrics are most recommended for upholstery:

  • cotton tapestry;
  • jacquard;
  • velours;
  • flock;
  • microfiber.

Measurements

One of the main preparatory stages is to take measurements and build a pattern. For these purposes, you can use the old parts of the coating, if they were removed quite accurately. The pattern is usually drawn on a flat clean surface. For these purposes, the floor is perfect. The fabric is straightened on the floor and outlined in advance prepared patterns. When applying, the direction of the shared threads of the web, the direction of the pile, and also the pattern should be taken into account. Lay out the parts according to the material should be compact, so that there are less unnecessary pieces. Be sure to leave allowances of about 5 cm. For further processing and joining parts. Next, the details are cut out and stitched together.

IMPORTANT! To calculate the amount of material, you need to add the length and width of the fabric, and then multiply the resulting number by two. More carefully do the calculation for corner sofas. Experts recommend buying fabric with a margin of up to one meter in length.

Necessary tools

For the constriction of the sofa yourself, special materials and devices are required:

  • a piece of fabric or a stitched cover;
  • hex keys;
  • flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
  • scissors;
  • threads
  • sewing machine;
  • furniture nails;
  • marker, crayon or bar of soap;
  • construction stapler;
  • side cutters and pliers and others.

Working process

The obtained parts are ground on a sewing machine with durable threads. First, place all the parts in their respective places. The fabric is connected to the frame using a hammer, construction nails or a mounting stapler. The edges should be bent inward. The interval between the nails should be small and approximately 4 cm. During upholstery, the fabric should be pulled so that it lies evenly and bends around the surface. The filler is laid while fixing the fabric on the part or when the web is almost fixed. Next, the remaining parts of the sofa and other parts, such as rollers, legs, removable pillows, are collected.

REFERENCE! Do not be afraid to make a mistake, because you can always get a paper clip or carnations and start upholstery anew.

Content update

The filler requires more frequent replacement, unlike other parts of the sofa. This is especially true for obsolete materials.

What can you do yourself

First you need to disassemble the sofa and check the springs. Dismantling is done in the following sequence:

  1. Overhead parts and decorative elements are removed from the sofa.
  2. Next, unscrew the sidewalls, backs, seat and legs, and also remove the sliding elements and mounting mechanisms. If parts are damaged, they must be repaired or replaced. The locking elements should be removed in a separate place so that they are not lost.
  3. The upholstery is removed using an anti-stapler or a flat screwdriver. It is better to keep it, to use as patterns in the future.
  4. Inspection of the springs. During use, they weaken and wear out. These mechanisms are not subject to repair, therefore, most often they install new parts.
  5. Surface cleaning from contamination.
  6. Checking the condition of the filler, as the most often used foam rubber.

Materials

A variety of materials are used as filler, such as foam rubber, cotton wool, syntepuh, PPA and others. They are used both separately and in combination with each other. For example, polyurethane foam is most suitable for a seat, and syntepuh for pillows. A layer of batting and coconut coir is often placed on the spring part, and already covered with a layer of synthetic winterizer. When choosing a filler, special attention should be paid to its brand. Typically, the manufacturer indicates a density indicator and a stiffness index. They determine the final cost of the material and its characteristics.

Instruction manual

The filler also needs to be cut to size. Then it is laid on the base of each part and fixed using a construction stapler. Due to the additional layer, you can add volume to the backrest and armrest. But this moment needs to be thought out even at the stage of manufacturing the pattern. If you put the filler in several layers, then the material for upholstery will require much more. In the case when the seat is made on the basis of a spring, a dense and fabric is placed on it and fix it. Further, all parts of the filler are covered with canvas or other cloth to protect it from contamination and more to obtain a more even surface.

Tips & Tricks

For the first time, updating the sofa yourself is quite difficult. Therefore, it is recommended to look at various master classes and training materials. At each stage of the analysis of furniture, you can take photos. This will help in the future to repeat the arrangement of parts and mechanisms during assembly. It is also better to make special marks on the details in order to know which side they were taken from.

ATTENTION! Before starting the repair of upholstered furniture, it is necessary to determine, if possible, what kind of work will need to be done and weigh your strength in this matter. Also, in order not to lose the sofa for several days, it is worthwhile to prepare the required tools and materials in advance.

Thus, you can update your sofa with your own hands in various available ways. In stores you can find all the special devices and not resort to the services of specialized firms. We hope that this article will be useful and will help give your beloved upholstered furniture a second life.

Watch the video: HOW TO REUPHOLSTER A COUCH SOFA Part 1 - LifeWithQueenii (March 2024).

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