Do-it-yourself furniture reupholstery. Ancient technologies. Restoring a worn out sofa with your own hands Repairing upholstered furniture with your own hands

Sooner or later, we all usually face the need to reupholster furniture. We are talking about upholstered furniture that just needs to be reupholstered. Furniture repair in the form of changing the upholstery is usually called furniture reupholstery. Today we will tell you how you can reupholster furniture with your own hands by replacing its upholstery with new one. As an example, we will describe the process of reupholstering a bed and show photographs of the main points of the process. Believe me, this is not such a difficult task (for those whose arms grow from their shoulders and not from somewhere else). In order to reupholster a sofa, bed or anything else, you will need three basic things:

• upholstery;
• staples for the stapler;

There are different reasons why upholstery fails, for example:

• Fabric upholstery may fade in areas regularly exposed to strong sunlight;
• leatherette upholstery may crack and begin to peel;
• any upholstery can be damaged by the claws of pets;
• any upholstery can simply be accidentally torn or stained;

Preparing to reupholster furniture

Preparation for reupholstering furniture should begin with the selection of upholstery material. Depending on your financial capabilities and tastes, I recommend choosing between genuine leather and fabric. Faux leather is not durable.

Leather upholstery

If you decide to buy genuine leather as upholstery, then choose it of such a thickness that it still remains quite elastic. Do not try to buy thick leather with a thickness of more than 3 mm (unless you are pursuing some goals known only to you). Thick skin will be difficult to work with. This is especially true in cases where the length of the purchased piece is not enough to cover any part and you will need to sew several pieces together. It is quite easy to work with thin leather (thickness up to 1.5 mm), just like with thick material. You need to work with dry skin. If the skin is wet, it stretches significantly in size, followed by shrinkage when dried. They work with wet leather only in cases where it is necessary to stretch it like a drum; in this case, it is wetted, stretched and secured. When the skin dries, it tightens even more. To buy genuine leather inexpensively and in the form of large pieces, you need to look in your city for shops selling materials and accessories for shoemakers. In St. Petersburg, one of these stores is located in the courtyard of a house at 93 Obukhovskaya Oborona Avenue (the intersection of Obukhovskaya Oborona Avenue and Elizarov Avenue). It’s easier to find by entering the courtyard through the arch from Elizarov Avenue (in the picture below) and immediately turning right. The shop is located immediately to the right behind the arch in the basement.

Fabric upholstery

If you decide to buy material for upholstery, then you don’t have to look for special upholstery materials, but take a regular tapestry. You may be surprised, but tapestry is often cheaper than many upholstery fabrics. A positive characteristic of the tapestry is that its structure practically eliminates the possibility of the formation of puffs. Even if your pet catches the thread with its claw and a snag is formed, it will not disrupt the pattern of the fabric and will not form a snag, so you can safely simply cut off the resulting loop and the tapestry will not begin to “crumble” in this place. In St. Petersburg, a fairly wide selection of tapestries at low prices is presented in the Uzor store, located at Pyatiletok Avenue, building 9, building 1 (the intersection of Pyatiletok Avenue and John Reed Street).

In our case, we chose a tapestry purchased in this store. It is this material that is present as upholstery material in all the photos presented below. Unlike genuine leather, material has the advantage that you can buy it in a size that will save you from the need to splice several pieces together to get one, but with dimensions sufficient for upholstering any large piece of furniture being reupholstered.

Tool selection

Reupholstering furniture will require the use of tools that can solve the following problems:

• Partially disassemble the furniture into individual elements and dismantle hanging elements, such as legs (for this you may need screwdrivers or a screwdriver, wrenches or adjustable wrenches);
• Remove the old staples holding the old upholstery in place. The task is not at all simple, given that there can be hundreds of such brackets and in order to remove them, you first need to pick them up with something (to pick up old brackets, a chisel, chisel, a sharpened unnecessary screwdriver or some kind of strong knife can be used). Once you've picked up the old staples and lifted them up a bit, you'll need to use something to grab them and pull them out. (Pliers or round nose pliers are perfect for this purpose);
• Stretch and secure the new upholstery (For this you need a stapler and the corresponding staples to it with the required length). If you are going to reupholster a bed or sofa, I recommend using an electric stapler (but not a manual mechanical one). A manual mechanical stapler is best suited for reupholstering a chair or similar small-scale work. It is also worth noting that staplers vary in power and not everyone may be suitable for you. Read more about the types of staplers and their comparison in our articleStapler... Which stapler should I buy?

Furniture reupholstery - where to start?

As we already wrote at the very beginning of the article, as an example we will talk about reupholstering a double bed and show photographs of the process.

First, you need to carefully examine the furniture whose upholstery you are going to change. The purpose of the inspection is to understand how it is disassembled and to identify attachment points. In our case, the first element to be dismantled was the headboard.

What happened to this back to make it look like this? It's simple - the old leatherette cracked and began to peel and roll off from the friction of the pillows on the back. So, having removed the backrest, you need to carefully examine it in order to understand where to start dismantling the old upholstery. Usually the upholstery is attached in a certain order and dismantled in the reverse order. When disassembling the backrest, we were faced with a dilemma when it was not clear how the upholstery was secured on the sides and how the side pads could be removed. The lack of visible fasteners and the inability to reach invisible fasteners led me to believe that the pads are attached with glue and/or pins. Therefore, using a chisel, we try to carefully pry the side pads around the perimeter and tear them off (without fanaticism, so as not to break them), they finally give in and separate.

Note the cardboard tape that was found nailed to both ends of the back. We damaged this cardboard strip when we used a chisel to pry up the wooden end caps. The purpose of this tape is to create a protrusion around the perimeter of both ends of the back. These protrusions are covered with upholstery material, after which the end plates are, as it were, “recessed”. This is done not only for beauty and to add volume to the upholstery material. No matter how tightly you fasten the end pads, there will be a certain gap between them and the back. And only the creation of protrusions, into which the linings are inserted, hides any gaps from the observer.

We decided to replace the damaged cardboard with leather, after making it more rigid. In order to give the leather stiffness, hardness and reduce its elasticity, you need to soak it in water containing a small amount of ordinary PVA glue, and then dry it. In the photos below you can see the result this gives - the strips of leather stand at an upward angle without bending.

After this, you can begin reupholstering the backrest with new upholstery. Before you start shooting the upholstery fabric, its edge should be folded (just as this is done when working on a sewing machine - by bending the edge, you protect it from starting to crumble into fibers. In general, reupholstering furniture is practically no different in its approaches from the approaches used when sewing on a sewing machine. For example, to hide the staples with which you fasten the first edge of the upholstery fabric, place the fabric inside out and attach it with a stapler, then turn the fabric over, covering the hammered staples. We forgot to photograph this moment separately, but if. If you take a close look at the photos of the back reupholstery below, you will understand what we are talking about.

So, having replaced the upholstery of the headboard with your own hands, you can move on to reupholstering the base of the bed. First we need to dismantle all the elements that prevent us from removing the old casing. In our case, these are legs and side shelves.

Next, we study how the old upholstery is fixed, from which side we need to start dismantling it. In our case, there was a hidden fastening on top, from which installation began at the factory, and an open (visible from the outside) fastening was found below (under the bed). Therefore, dismantling was carried out in the same order - first from below, then from above. To be honest, in our case, to simplify installation, we decided not to use a hidden fastener on top, since it still won’t be visible when the bed is closed. Therefore, we began installing the upholstery fabric not from above, but from below, then, evenly stretching, we began to fasten it from above. It is very important before attaching upholstery fabric to maintain the same tension of this fabric over the entire surface of the furniture. Otherwise, the upholstery will not lie flat, but in waves or folds (where it is stretched more tightly there will be indentations, where it is weaker there will be bulges). To evenly tension the upholstery, you can use a narrow strip cut from fiberboard. In this case, the edge of the upholstery fabric is attached to the strip, then the strip is rolled, twisting the fabric onto it one turn. After this, it is easier to stretch the entire upholstery fabric evenly along the entire length with a strip. Having stretched the fabric, the strip is fastened with a stapler, nailing it to the product along with the fabric.

As you can see, reupholstering furniture with your own hands is not such a difficult process. Re-upholstering the bed shown in the photo took 2 days.

No matter how high-quality the upholstery of a sofa is, over time it becomes unusable. Weak points are the armrests, the fabric on which wears out, seats that sag under weight, the location of seams that unravel from tension, etc.

The easiest option for updating upholstered furniture is to call a reupholstery specialist to your home, who will replace the upholstery material and filling for a small amount. However, you can do everything yourself, given that the reupholstery process is simple.

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Covering materials

To cover an old sofa with new fabric, you should choose the most suitable option, both in terms of beauty and style, as well as in terms of durability and functionality. Several types of materials are used for upholstery:

• Scotchgard (furniture cotton) is a durable, lightweight and pleasant-to-touch material, made using exclusively natural fibers. This upholstery is considered universal due to its high resistance to moisture and dirt. The material is easy to clean and retains its original color for a long time.

• Microvelour and velor are soft, silky fabric that is made by mixing synthetic and natural fibers. This gives the canvas strength while maintaining environmental friendliness. This fabric for upholstering a sofa is used in offices, living rooms, bedrooms or dressing rooms. Its use in the kitchen or children's rooms is not recommended. It gets dirty quickly and wears out quickly.
• Jacquard is one of the most durable and beautiful upholstery materials. It obtained its characteristics thanks to the original interweaving of threads in several layers, laid tightly to each other. The fabric does not fade in the sun, does not lose its shape, and is easy to clean. Patterns on the canvas are formed in the process of weaving fibers, which makes them voluminous and the fabric itself expensive.
• Thermal jacquard is a new fabric that is produced by applying thermal paper to an undyed classic jacquard fabric and then heating it. As a result of such manipulations, the dye penetrates into the fibers and is securely fixed. The material has all the positive characteristics of simple jacquard, but is much cheaper.
• Chennyl is made from synthetic and semi-synthetic threads, twisted in a spiral using both longitudinal and transverse weaving. The fabric is pleasant to the touch, has a fleecy surface, is environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic. The material quickly absorbs moisture and does not like wet cleaning, so it cannot be used in rooms with high humidity.

• Flock is a fabric made of satin, cotton or polyester, onto which fine artificial pile is glued. The material is light and pleasant to the touch, resistant to stains and does not absorb moisture. It is represented by a large number of color and patterned varieties, and there is also an “anti-claw”. It implies complete protection from any type of mechanical damage, including from animals.
• Leather (eco-leather) is durable and practical. It is easy to clean, does not absorb moisture and odors, and is non-toxic. Natural material, whatever it may be, is able to withstand changes in temperature and humidity and does not deteriorate in direct sunlight. Eco-leather or leatherette does not have such characteristics.
• Faux suede is beautiful and durable, but requires only a dry cleaning method. It can be woven or non-woven. The first type is more durable, the second costs much less.
• Corduroy is made from various materials, weaving them in such a way that the fabric becomes fleecy over the entire surface or with stripes of different thicknesses. The material is designed in one color and requires careful care.
• Arpatek is another material that looks like leather. It began to be widely used as upholstery material for upholstered furniture. The coating contains 25% cotton, 33% polyurethane and 42% viscose, thanks to which it retains heat, does not become rough when cooled, is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and moisture, and is completely safe.

How to correctly calculate fabric for covers

The first step when upholstering a sofa with your own hands is to calculate how many meters of fabric you need to purchase. For a standard piece of furniture you will need 8 square meters. m of material. If the product has an angular design or is made to individual sizes, you will have to arm yourself with a tape measure and start taking measurements.

The simplest method of performing measurements is implemented as follows:

1. First, the width and length of the sofa are determined.
2. Then the resulting values ​​are multiplied by two, then it becomes clear what the dimensions of the required canvas should be.

You can independently measure the dimensions of the cladding fabric using the following method:

• Using a tape measure or tailor's yardstick, all elements of the sofa are measured.
• All components of the upholstery are schematically drawn on a sheet of paper with minimal waste and dimensions indicated.
• All data is summarized. Reserves for seams and cuts are taken into account.
• Based on the numbers obtained, the amount of fabric that will be needed to cover the sofa is determined.

Step-by-step instruction

To reupholster a sofa at home, you need to have basic knowledge of carpentry and sewing, but special difficulties can arise only sometimes:

1. Unusual design of furniture and difficulty in disassembling it.
2. The presence of parts of complex geometric shapes with the absence of old upholstery, which does not allow it to be used as a pattern.
3. The sofa is old. In addition to updating the upholstery and filling, it is necessary to replace or repair some frame parts.
4. Desire to use genuine leather as upholstery.
5. If a piece of furniture has antique value, DIY restoration and upholstery work can be harmful.

In other cases, the process of how to properly replace upholstery material can be divided into preparing fabric, tools and consumables, marking and cutting blanks with subsequent stitching them into a single product, replacing the filler and securing the covering.

Tools

Before upholstering a sofa with new fabric, you need to make sure that all the necessary tools are present in the house:

• pliers, pliers, a set of simple and hex keys;
• anti-stapler and stapler with staples;
• hammer, small furniture nails;
• set of screwdrivers, self-tapping screws;
• furniture glue;
• tailor's meter or tape measure;
• stationery knife, scissors;
• needle, thread;
• pencil, marker or chalk.

Laying foam rubber

Often, after the worn upholstery has been removed, it becomes clear that the filling also needs to be replaced. As a rule, in sofas it is foam rubber with synthetic padding.

From the very beginning, we expose the frame, carefully removing all pieces of old filler in order to use it as a pattern. It may be necessary to detach armrests and elements with plywood that are fastened with bolts or self-tapping screws.

You can use foam rubber of the same thickness as the previous one, or a little thicker. One by one, the blanks are installed on the sofa parts and secured with construction glue. To protect the foam rubber from abrasion on the upholstery, it is covered with a layer of thin padding polyester.

At the final stage, all furniture elements that have a common upholstery are fastened together according to the original position; with separate upholstery, the parts must be left to wait their turn.

When the upholstery of an old sofa becomes unusable and ceases to please with its appearance, and we do not have money for a new sofa, the most effective solution is to replace the old upholstery with a new one. In this article we will look step by step at the process of replacing the upholstery and reupholstering an old sofa with new fabric.

Before you start reupholstering the sofa, you need to determine what kind of fabric we need: color, texture, plain or patterned, natural or synthetic.

The fact is that today the textile industry offers the widest selection of various furniture fabrics. Each has its own technological characteristics, strength indicators and functionality.

For example, natural does not mean that the fabric is practical. A new sofa with tapestry or jacquard may quickly require repair. If not properly cleaned, they shed and, of course, lose their appearance.

Fabric characteristics

Flock fabric is suitable for those owners who have pets in the house. The density of the texture protects the top layer from so-called snags.

From the above, it is clear that when buying fabric for yourself, you should not immediately take the first one you come across just because you simply liked it. Be sure to consult with the seller about the characteristics of this fabric and its operating conditions.

Material for reupholstering a sofa that craftsmen use:

Anti-claw Flock Tapestry
Leatherette Microfiber Gozhka
Chenille Velor Jacquard

Features of furniture fabrics that everyone needs to know:

• Chenille based glue– Dry cleaning possible. If wet processing is used, it may become deformed and take a long time to dry.
• Fabric based chenille– resistant to moisture.
• Microfiber– resistant to abrasion. Not recommended for allergy sufferers as it may cause attacks.
• Flock– completely synthetic material. Cleans well, does not cause allergic reactions, and due to the density of the thread weaving, it is recommended for those who have pets.
• Anti-claw- very durable fabric. It is used as protection against pets, as well as various mechanical influences (cuts, punctures, tears). Due to the short pile and dense texture, the possibility of snagging and deformation of the fabric is eliminated.
• Tapestry– 80% natural material with the addition of synthetic thread, which gives it strength and wear resistance. There is a single-layer and two-layer tapestry, with a pattern and plain.
• Gozhka- a fabric that is especially popular because it has a durable base and an attractive appearance. In interior decoration in the “ethno” style, its appearance resembles burlap.

Necessary tool

After we have decided on the choice of fabric, we proceed directly to the process of reupholstering the sofa. For work we will need:

• Sewing machine, needle, thread (polyester),
• Hammer, flat screwdriver, stapler,
• Pliers, side cutters,
• Stapler, staples 6-8 mm,
• Sewing meter, metal ruler, square.

Necessary accessories and materials

In addition to the basic tools and fabric, you also need to prepare the necessary accessories and additional materials that will also be involved in the work:

• Foam rubber of the required thickness
• Edges for closing seams (depending on design)
• Batting, padding polyester, felt - as fillers.
• Zippers, fasteners, marker needles.

How to take measurements and make markings

With the right cut, you can save a certain amount of fabric, which is enough for additional accessories: pillows, poufs, bolsters.

The first thing to do is remove the fabric from the sofa, keeping the old cut. It is from this that we will make patterns. Those. Our task is to remove the fabric without damaging its overall dimensions.

This can be done using a flathead screwdriver or pliers. With their help, we carefully remove the staples and put them in the designated place.

After we have pulled out all the staples and freed the fabric, we use a blade to sew out all the existing seams (longitudinal and corner).

We get individual parts, which we economically lay out on new fabric.

Using flat chalk or a felt-tip pen, we outline the old details on the new fabric (for convenience, the fabric can be laid out on a regular home table).

The details must be numbered so as not to get confused in the future.

Sewing covers

• It is advisable to baste immediately in place, this way you can achieve the most accurate fit of the part. To prevent the fabric from slipping on the surface, we fix it with marker needles or sewing clothespins.
• After all the parts are sewn into a common case, you can do the fitting.
• The final stage will be sewing on a sewing machine. Here you need to take into account all the additional details: zippers, piping, stripes, ruffles, etc.

If you do not have sewing skills, this can be done by a professional seamstress at home or by craftsmen in any sewing studio. To do this, they just need to provide old parts, from which they will make precise blanks and sew covers.

Installing the cover on the frame

The cover is placed on the sofa and turned upside down. This is the standard position for fixing it.

We pull the rest of the fabric, this is about 4-5 cm, towards ourselves, but so as not to overtighten, and use a stapler to hammer the staples into the folded fabric.

We punch each subsequent staple at intervals of 3-4 mm.

Uniform tension of the fabric over the entire area is achieved due to some nuances of its “shooting”:

• You need to fasten the fabric in four places of the frame frame, not reaching the corners by about 5-6 cm.
• The corner parts are fixed last.

The photo shows a simple method for making corners:

If for some reason it is not possible to accurately calculate the old cut, you can use the presented fabric consumption table:

If this is a furniture corner, then divide the amount of fabric for the sofa in half

Using this table, you will approximately understand what yardage of fabric you will need for your type of sofa.

1. Always buy fabric with a reserve in case something doesn’t work out. It will NOT always be possible to purchase the missing quantity!
2. Since reupholstering a sofa at home is a task that requires certain skills, you need to follow safety precautions, especially when removing old staples!
3. To make the upholstery process more convenient, you can use a regular table.
4. Before disassembling the sofa, take a photo of it, preferably each element separately. Also take a photo of the position of the sofa folding mechanism.
5. When sewing, do not forget to allow allowances of 1 cm.

Good luck to all masters!

There are different furniture upholstery materials, some of which quickly fail. Often, the product itself is suitable for use - it has an intact frame, filler and fittings, but it no longer looks aesthetically pleasing. For such a situation, there is a practical solution - this is reupholstering the sofa at home, calling specialists from a furniture company or a private craftsman. Reupholstering gives furniture new life.

Sofa upholstery material

Textile

It is known that all good materials for creating new upholstery for home furniture must have certain properties. The special qualities of the fabrics ensure long-term use for their intended purpose while maintaining an aesthetic appearance. The material must have high wear resistance so that the upholstered furniture can be used for years without being damaged. An important property of the fabric is 100% hydrophobicity. This quality means repelling moisture, which is very useful in everyday life.

The material must be very durable so that it does not rupture under the pressure of people sitting on the sofa. This indicator reflects the durability of the new upholstery. Ideally, the fabric is smooth and soft so that it is pleasant to the touch, which ensures the highest comfort for users - adults and children.

For example, these practical materials are in demand today:

• jacquard;
• chenille;
• anti-claw;
• velours;
• flock;
• matting;
• tapestry;
• microfiber;
• leatherette

Leather

Genuine Leather

Today, a very useful service exists and is gaining popularity - specialists visiting your home to reupholster furniture with genuine leather. If necessary, craftsmen take the sofa for a while and work in their workshop. Genuine leather requires more investment than woven upholstery. A professional approach involves careful planning of new furniture upholstery - a set of patterns is made and the parts are sewn together according to the pattern.

It is important to choose the right thickness of the natural material. Supple leather performs best in upholstery. It is not recommended to reupholster a sofa with leather thicker than 3 mm, as it is too rough and difficult to work with. It is easier to stitch leather with a thickness of 1.5 mm. New upholstery is made from dry leather, but if it is wet, it can subsequently shrink.

Eco leather

Today, upholstering an old sofa with practical and aesthetic eco-leather costs half as much as purchasing the same new furniture. Eco-leather is cheaper than natural leather and holds its shape perfectly. It is not recommended to do this operation on your own, especially since you can’t just buy the material in a store. It's better to turn to professionals. Eco-leather is good because it has high wear resistance and lasts up to 10 years. The material is water-repellent, very pleasant to the touch and surprisingly elastic. New upholstery will be easy to care for. Moreover, at first glance, eco-leather is completely indistinguishable from genuine leather.

When using such a sofa, allergies are excluded and there is no irritation on the most delicate skin. Eco-leather does not attract dust and does not deteriorate under the influence of high and low temperatures. The reupholstering process is very labor-intensive and requires many tools and skills.

How much material will be required for restoration?

Only professionals can correctly calculate the consumption of materials. If you take on this matter yourself, you will have to study some of the nuances. First you need to decide what kind of material will be used. Next you need to take accurate measurements of all the details of the sofa. The parts are cut out taking into account seam allowances and folds of the fabric. Be sure to measure the longest and widest parts of the backrest, seat, cushions and armrests. Draw the diagram of the sofa as a sketched diagram. Add up all vertical indicators and divide by 100.

It is important to depict vertical and horizontal details correctly, in the correct position. The resulting number approximately reflects the length of the piece of fabric in meters that will be needed to cut all the details. To determine the required width of a piece of fabric, you need to start from one of the horizontal parts, the one that is the widest. When you calculate the width and length, add another 1 meter for every 5 meters for ease of cutting.

Approximate fabric consumption:

• double sofa - up to 9 sq.m. m;
• three-seater sofa - up to 12 sq.m. m;
• kitchen sofa (corner) - up to 6 sq.m. m;
• corner sofa or regular sofa with 2 armchairs - up to 22 sq. m.

Typically, fabric consumption increases greatly if it has a complex pattern that must be carefully adjusted when joining parts. It can also waste a lot of material if there are no patterns and the design is done on site. In the case of very thick armrests, backs or seats, or complex non-standard furniture shapes, a lot of fabric is also consumed.

Types of sofa reupholstery

Corner sofa

Updating a corner sofa involves certain specifics; it is more difficult to work with than a classic one. If you contact craftsmen who reupholster furniture, the work will begin with inspection and disassembly of the furniture. All details are signed for convenience, since we are dealing with a corner structure. Next, the upholstery and filling are disposed of. The new material is determined by the user. Then measurements are taken and new parts are cut according to the model of the old ones. If you make a mistake at this stage, the upholstery will be uneven and wrinkled.

After cutting, the reupholstery process begins, and then the craftsmen assemble the corner sofa, and it looks like new. Although the process is labor-intensive and takes a lot of time, it is worth it.

Kitchen sofa

It is known that modern budget kitchen corners with a sofa wear out quickly and the upholstery looks unpresentable. It can be damaged by children or pets. This picture spoils the interior of the kitchen. If the kitchen sofa has become unusable, there is no need to rush to dispose of it. It’s worth calling specialists; they will be able to quickly restore warped furniture and completely replace the upholstery. This can be a left-handed or right-handed corner. It can be re-stretched without sewing the parts together or with sewing.

Craftsmen know how to update kitchen sofas with decor, for example, sew buttons, piping and lay stitches. It is possible to replace padding polyester or foam rubber, replacing them with similar new insides. Broken frame parts must also be replaced. The new upholstery can be genuine leather.

Sofa book

Each of us knows well what a sofa-book looks like; many have been using it for a long time. A favorite piece of furniture can be refreshed in a short time by replacing the upholstery with a new one. The tightening technology has been proven over the years and requires standard tools. Any furniture craftsman can handle the job, even with little experience. Some even try to reupholster a sofa themselves, but you still need to have an idea of ​​the process. To update the book, you need screwdrivers, a stapler, a hammer, pliers, PVA glue, coarse threads, a drill, a wallpaper knife, scissors, chalk pliers and a nail puller.

New covers can be made from any fabric that the customer chooses. As a rule, book sofas are cheaper than other complex structures. Often, reupholstering a book at home is combined with replacing some outdated parts.

Sofa armrests

It often happens that the sofa looks like new, with the exception of the armrests. Worn or holey sides spoil the appearance of the furniture. The armrests of upholstered furniture are the most vulnerable place with which people come into contact the most. We place our hands on the sides or sit on them, or this part can be ruined by a pet due to the need to scratch everything in the absence of a scratching post. New armrests are covered with genuine leather, eco-leather or any dense material that will match the color and texture of the main part of the sofa.

Repairing armrests will be inexpensive, since there is no need to dismantle other parts. Very little material is used, so you can save money. All the workers have to do is disconnect the armrests, remove the upholstery and cut out exactly the same parts, attach the upholstery and sides in place.

How much does it cost to reupholster a sofa at home?

Here are approximate prices for professional sofa reupholstery:

• covering the sofa elements with thick natural leather - 19,500 rubles;
• updating a corner sofa with leather - 17,000 rubles;
• restoration of a large sofa with leather - from 12,000 rubles;
• restoration of a medium-sized sofa with leather - 7,000-10,000 rubles;
• updating a leather sofa with wooden or fabric armrests - 3000-6000 rubles;
• full leather sofa cover - from 15,000 rubles;
• updating a corner sofa with leather and leatherette - from 14,000 rubles;
• upholstery of a soft corner sofa - from 8,000 rubles;
• restoration of a sofa for 2-3 seats with soft leather armrests - from 5,500 rubles;
• covering a sofa without armrests with leather - 3,500 rubles;
• stretching a 3-seater sofa with new eco-leather - from 9,000 rubles;
• stretching a 2-seater sofa with new eco-leather - from 6,000 rubles;
• eco-leather upholstery of a sofa-book or sofa bed - from 1600 rubles;
• updating the upholstery of a corner sofa - from 8,000 rubles;
• upholstery of a classic sofa with leather or fabric - from 4,000 rubles;
• restoration of a sofa-couch or sofa-book with wooden armrests - from 2,300 rubles;
• cover of a modern book without armrests - from 3,500 rubles;
• restoration of a sofa without armrests - from 2800 rubles;
• renovation of a very old sofa with replacement of springs - from 9,000 rubles.

The prices for the work are indicated; perhaps the visit of the craftsmen will be paid separately.

Restoration by a private master

A private craftsman is the one you need to reupholster your sofa with high quality without removing it from your home. The fact is that contacting a special large furniture repair company is good, but more expensive, since the payment includes remuneration to the company and workers for their labor. If you are dealing with a self-taught furniture maker, who is called a “jack of all trades,” then you will not lose. The fact is that usually a private owner has a lot of experience behind him and has approximately the same knowledge as qualified craftsmen from a furniture company.

Don’t be afraid to contact private craftsmen, as their services will cost you little. But try to discuss in advance all the nuances of the upcoming work to update your furniture, and also control the work process.

How to reupholster a sofa with your own hands?

Below are step-by-step instructions for reupholstering a sofa yourself:

• disassemble the furniture - carefully remove all parts (sides, poufs, back, seat and pillows);
• Place all fasteners in a container so as not to lose them;
• using a flat-head screwdriver and an anti-stapler, remove all the old upholstery (in some places you will need to open the staples);
• replacement of the internals is carried out if the old ones are out of order and wrinkled (for example, you often have to change the foam filling, it is short-lived);
• replace belts, nets and correct defects in springs, if required;
• cutting new parts from a single piece of fabric will be accurate and fast if you take the old parts as a basis (be sure to take allowances into account);
• Pull the new upholstery moderately tightly and evenly, gradually aligning the parts with a furniture stapler to the base;
• When all the parts are covered with fabric or leatherette, you need to assemble everything in the reverse order.

In addition, when reupholstering furniture at home, padding polyester, metal dowels, glue, wire, nylon thread and self-tapping screws can be useful. There are many tricks to the process of updating furniture; this matter can be learned, but it requires practice.

As you can see, if you wish, you can reupholster the sofa without leaving your home. This event will not take much time. The update will definitely cost much less than buying new furniture, which means it will allow you to save a lot. New upholstery can be made from any available material, have any colors and textures, at the request of the owner.

Any thing becomes unusable over time and upholstered furniture is no exception. But in the case of furniture, it is possible to restore its original appearance and properties. This article will discuss reupholstering a sofa yourself. How, what and in what order should be done, what materials should be used.

Damage and types of repair

Damage to a sofa or other upholstered furniture can vary in severity. Depending on the existing injuries, a different range of work is required. Here's what could happen to your furniture:

So reupholstering a sofa can involve different jobs. From simply replacing the upholstery to a complete renovation, including part of the frame. The most troublesome part is with the spring blocks. This is long and painstaking work. If the “historical accuracy” of your furniture is not important to you, it is easier to replace a failed spring block with foam rubber or (better, but more expensive) furniture silicone. If everything is done correctly, the sofa will become even more comfortable: incorrectly tightened springs cause a lot of inconvenience.

Types of "soft part"

Let's talk in general terms about what the seat and back of the sofa can be made of. There are options:

• Without springs:
  • High-density foam rubber (polyurethane foam, also called PU foam) (also called furniture foam).
  • Foamed latex. In terms of quality and convenience, it is better than foam rubber, but also much more expensive.
• With springs:
  • with classic springs connected into one block;
  • snake springs that support the foam/latex filling.

These are the most common types of sofa seats. In more expensive models, the spring block can be supplemented with a layer of polyurethane foam or latex, which makes the seat more elastic and comfortable at the same time. When reupholstering, they then look at the condition of both parts, replace or leave them - depending on desire and capabilities.

But that's not all the layers. In addition to springs, polyurethane foam/latex, padding polyester or thermal felt (or regular felt) are also laid. This is if the sofa is more or less modern and not too expensive. Older exhibits may contain matting or burlap, batting (or something very similar), horsehair, dried seaweed and other now almost exotic materials for sofa stuffing. When repairing a sofa, they will need to be replaced with the same ones (if you want to look) or similar in thickness and properties. So, to understand how a sofa should be reupholstered, first understand what’s inside it.

We disassemble the sofa and assess the scale of work

Reupholstering a sofa begins with disassembling it. During the process, you will be able to assess the extent of the damage and decide what exactly you need to do. For this part of the job you will need:

• a large screwdriver to unscrew visible bolts (if any);
• a small flat-head screwdriver, pliers or staple remover - to remove the staples that secure the upholstery.

The main thing is to remove the old upholstery. Then everything will become clear

Actually, that's all. First, remove the individual pillows, if any, and remove the side panels. It’s difficult to suggest here - there are many designs. Look carefully, you are sure to find something. If you have retractable parts, you can try starting with them.

Separating the upholstery

The next step is to separate the fabric from the frame. It is attached with staples to the wooden bars of the frame. We pry the staples with a flat screwdriver and pull them out. Some may fit very tightly; it is easier to pull them out by grabbing them by the raised back with pliers or pliers.

We remove the fabric carefully, trying not to damage it too much. We will then use it as a sample for new sofa upholstery. There are several layers underneath the upholstery fabric. Maybe felt, padding polyester, some kind of fabric. If the sofa repair was started only to replace the upholstery, look at the condition of these materials. If there are signs of wear, it is better to replace. After all, it will be a shame if in a few months the sofa needs to be reupholstered again, but this time because the layers of the lining have been removed.

Once the fabric is removed, it's time to evaluate which parts you'll need to replace. Everything is clear with the upholstery and lining underneath. It is advisable to keep the pie in the same composition. If old materials were used that are not currently on sale or are too expensive, replace them with modern analogues. The main thing for folding sofas is to reach the same height of the seat and back that were before, since folding mechanisms are designed for certain parameters of the “pillows”. In order not to be mistaken with the thickness of materials, find unworn (or least worn) areas and measure the thickness.

Assessing the damage

This stage is needed if the sofa seat is uneven, there are humps and depressions, protruding springs (and from below too). In seats that consist only of foam rubber, everything is simple: they are usually replaced. They can be made from high-density foam rubber by folding several layers; you can order ready-made foam rubber at a store that sells furniture spare parts. It is wise to order a latex mattress according to exact dimensions (measure after removing the fabric and all layers).

If the sofa has springs, remove all the covering layers to get to them. If there are no burst springs, the frame and its connections are strong, without play or cracks, the backing for the springs is in good condition, you can stop there. We change the covering layers, sew a new cover, stretch it and fasten it. This completes the reupholstery of the sofa.

One of the common defects of spring blocks is a broken spring. There are also sofas with spring snakes that are attached to the frame and give elasticity to the foam mattress standing on top

If there is any damage listed above, the spring unit will have to be separated. It is attached to the frame frame using U-shaped brackets or nails. Now you have completely disassembled your sofa into its components. Next is the replacement and repair of damaged parts, and then reassembly.

Classic sofa pie with a spring block and possible problems

To understand how to repair a sofa at home, you need to know what layers of materials are needed and in what order. For example, in a sofa seat with a spring block the sequence will be like this (from bottom to top):

1. Frame made of plywood or wooden blocks. A plywood frame is more reliable, but it takes longer and is more difficult to make. Therefore, pine bars are usually used. They are connected according to the tenon-groove principle, gluing the joint with wood glue. If desired, the connections can be strengthened with dowels or corners (aluminum).

   

2. Spring block base. There may be options: lamellas (straps of elastic material), fiberboard, plywood. The most budget option is fiberboard, the most expensive is lamellas. The lamellas are attached to special stops (lamella holders). When using plastic stops, there is a risk of them breaking. At the same time, low-quality lamellas can bend (in normal condition they are curved slightly upward) or break - to reduce cost they are often placed at large intervals. All this leads to the fact that the sofa seat is pressed through. Instead of wooden slats, there may also be snake springs. They also have sufficient elasticity, but cost less. The problems with them are the same.
3. The spring block itself. The block can be with independent or dependent springs. The first one is cheaper, the second one supports the body well. Such mattresses are also called orthopedic.
4. Felt or thick fabric(teak or other similar dense fabric will do). This layer is needed so that the springs do not push through the foam rubber located above.

   If the fabric is thin, it will tear, and then the foam will begin to crumble. But this is not the saddest thing - the lamellas were bent in the opposite direction. In normal condition they should be curved upwards

5. Polyurethane foam(PPU, foam rubber - all names of the same material). Special dense foam rubber is used. If you choose, in addition to density, look at such an indicator as the durability coefficient - the higher the number, the better (and more expensive). This indicator reflects how long the foam will take to restore its original shape after removing the load. Its thickness is taken according to the original, factory cake. You can make it thicker without restrictions only on upholstered furniture that does not fold out (banquette, sofa, armchair).
6. Sintepon. This is necessary so that the fabric does not “erase” the polyurethane foam. It is usually glued to a layer of foam rubber so that it does not bunch up during use. The glue is taken in a can.
7. Upholstery fabric. The best are tapestry, chenille. They don't fray and it's easy to sew with them. Flock and jacquard are good fabrics, but some of them “creep” at the seams. Therefore, when you sew, the seams need to be strengthened. By the way, it is better to sew upholstery for a sofa with special Tytan brand threads. Regular ones, even thick ones, will quickly tear.

These are all the layers and their features. You can add something (for example, a double layer of padding polyester), but removing it is highly undesirable.

The design of a sofa on snake springs and options for its restoration

Snake springs in expensive models are used as an additional means to increase elasticity. In budget models, a foam block can be placed on this base. They are attached to a wooden or metal frame across the seat - each spring separately. The installation step depends on the planned load. If your sofa begins to sag, or the springs have lost their elasticity or broken, the solution is to replace it.

To increase elasticity and extend service life, when reupholstering a sofa, the number of “snakes” can be increased. Another option is transverse reinforcement with rigid corsage ribbons (which are used for straps on bags and backpacks).

The tape is nailed on one side to the frame. Professional furniture makers then tighten it using a special tool, but it can be replaced with a regular block wrapped around the middle with coarse-grain sandpaper. You wrap a couple of turns of tape around this beam, pull with both hands (make sure that the frame does not bend), secure the tape with staples or nails, release and cut off the excess. The same method is also suitable for increasing the service life of a mattress with slats.

An example of sofa repair with step-by-step photos

The old sofa became completely uncomfortable, began to sag in places and creak. There is no way to buy a new one, it was decided to reupholster and change the upholstery. As usual, reupholstering a sofa begins with disassembly. The legs were removed first. The railings were fastened with two large bolts; they were unscrewed and removed without any problems. Further disassembly is also not difficult - we unscrew the bolts that appear one by one.

When all the components were separated, the old upholstery was removed. The staples were easy to remove - the frame was made of pine timber. The spring block itself turned out to be without defects, but there was a crack in the frame, one of the frame beams sagged, the fiberboard sagged, although there were no cracks.

Frame repair

Since the frame bears the main load, it is better to replace damaged elements. We carefully measure them, draw them schematically, and put down the dimensions in millimeters. With the drawing we go to the carpentry shop. Please pay special attention: the wood must be dry, preferably kiln dried. If you know how to work with wood yourself, you can do it yourself.

It was decided to connect the frame, as it was, with a tongue and groove, coated with wood glue. But to prevent it from coming loose, the connection was reinforced with metal dowels.

First, the connections are glued and clamped in a vice. A small diameter hole is drilled under the dowel and the dowel is hammered in. The frame stands in a vice until the glue dries.

We will use 4 mm thick plywood as the base for the spring block. The sheets are standard, a little more than 1.5 meters, and the length of the sofa is almost two. It turns out two pieces. It is better to make the joint of the pieces on a jumper, it is more reliable. We cut out rectangles of the required size, coat the frame with wood glue, lay plywood, and nail it with small nails. The length of the nails is so that they do not stick out outside the frame. We additionally support the joint with a plank (50*20 mm).

The updated sofa will serve in the country house, so we try to keep the budget to a minimum; we use an old blanket instead of a backing for the springs. We stretch it well and fasten it with staples using a hand tool.

The base for the springs is an old fleece blanket

If possible, it is advisable to put thermal felt here. It is more reliable and not so expensive. It is cut to size, straightened and nailed around the perimeter. You can use staples or nails with large heads.

Repairing and fixing the spring block

To fasten the spring block, you can use powerful U-shaped brackets, and it is better if their legs are sharpened. But the stapler does not work with these, so we cut staples from steel wire with a diameter of 1.5 mm and hammer them in with a hammer.

In addition to being attached to the frame, the springs are also secured with nylon straps. Twine was taken, folded in two layers, secured with the same wire staples. We tighten the constriction so that it does not press down on the springs, but the tension should be sufficient so that the block “does not move.”

Some dense material should be placed on top of the springs, usually felt. In this case, old flooring was used. Something like felt. It is quite dense and durable. Fold in two layers, cut to size. This layer must be attached to the spring block. The coating is dense, you can’t pierce it with a needle, even a gypsy one. A large diameter awl would be suitable, but there isn't one. We pierce the coating with a nail, which we push through with the handle of a screwdriver. We thread a thick thread into the holes made. The stitch pitch is about 3.5 cm. To speed up the process, we use several nails at once.

Next “according to plan” there should be foam rubber, on top of which a padding polyester is placed. In this project, it was replaced with two layers of densely elastic material, which had been stored in the attic for a long time. Instead of padding polyester, another old blanket was used. To prevent the blanket from moving around, it was grabbed around the perimeter with threads (in conventional technology, synthetic winterizer is glued to polyurethane foam or latex using glue from a can).

Case and cover

Upholstering this sofa turned out to be easy: the shape is simple, without decoration. The old cover was ripped open and a pattern was made from new, not very expensive upholstery fabric. In the place that falls on the corner of the sofa cushion/seat, a thick tape was sewn from the inside to prevent the fabric from fraying. The fabric is inexpensive, so the edges had to be rolled up to prevent fraying. They are often left unprocessed.

The finished cover was laid out on the floor, and the restored part of the sofa was placed in it. At this stage it is important that the fabric is stretched evenly and does not wrinkle. We started nailing the cover from the middle, moving towards the edges. Staples with thick backs were used to avoid damaging the fabric.

The back of the sofa was restored in the same way, the armrests were covered, then all the parts were screwed to the folding mechanism. The thickness of the pillows matched, so there were no problems.

The reupholstery of the sofa is finished. The result has been verified :)

According to the test results: the seat turned out to be a little hard, but it’s just right for a tired back. For the home, of course, it is better to use foam rubber, and for those who like comfort - latex.