Correct upholstery of a sofa with your own hands. Upholstering an old sofa with your own hands How to cover a sofa with fabric

The most necessary and important piece of furniture in any home, apartment or office is a sofa. Upholstered furniture gives you the opportunity to relax after a hard day, watch an interesting film with best friends or sit over a cup of delicious tea with your loved one. It is worth noting that even the highest quality and most expensive sofas need to be replaced over time.

When reupholstering a sofa with your own hands, you must first disassemble it to remove the old upholstery.

If you don’t want to part with your favorite sofa or your budget doesn’t allow for buying a new one, this piece of furniture can be easily restored.

Update appearance upholstered furniture You can replace its upholstery; in some cases, you will have to replace parts of the wooden frame.

It should be noted that a frame made of wood will creak, while a frame made of chipboard will stand out. toxic substances In addition, dust mites may be found in the upholstery of an old sofa. You can reupholster upholstered furniture by contacting specialists or reupholstering it at home.

In order to properly upholster a sofa, it is advisable to adhere to the techniques and advice of professionals. If everything is done correctly, the result will be comfortable, modern and beautiful sofa, which will be an excellent addition to your interior.

Before you start upholstering the soft part, you need to purchase the necessary tools and materials: pliers, a set of screwdrivers and wrenches, a stapler (you can also secure the upholstery with a hammer and small nails), upholstery fabric. Buying fabric is important stage, you should choose high-quality, dense and practical material, pay attention to color, texture and pattern so that the sofa fits into the interior of the room.

Depending on the filling and the number of layers of fabric, it becomes possible to change the design of the sofa, which is the main advantage of restoring upholstered furniture. The choice of material for upholstering a sofa depends on the fillers, which include: coconut fiber, cotton wool, horsehair, down, batting, foam rubber and padding polyester.

For example, if the sofa filler is cotton wool or fluff, the tension force of the fabric should be moderate, and if foam rubber should be medium. It is best to reupholster upholstered furniture with popular and common options: velor, tapestry and jacquard, which have the most practical characteristics. The upholstered furniture itself should be elastic, not sag or deform.

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Furniture installation

So how to reupholster furniture at home? If you intend to reupholster a whole set, it is best to start with small items, which will give you the opportunity to get the hang of it. It would be wise to disassemble the furniture into individual parts: seats, backs and sides for ease of work.

Should be assessed general state frame, to do this you need to remove the old upholstery. If you find damage wooden parts, they should be replaced immediately, all joints should be carefully taped, and the joints should be strengthened. After repairing the frame, you need to bandage the springs (about 1/5 of the compression).

After repair to wooden frame plywood is attached to which foam rubber is glued. For the back of the sofa, the thickness of the foam should be about 40 mm, and for the sides - 20 mm. The density of the filler for the back should not exceed 30 units, and for other parts it should start from 46 units.

Foam rubber should not be too soft, this will lead to rapid deformation, and too hard foam rubber will be hard and uncomfortable. The most best options It is considered to lay the 1st layer with hard foam rubber, and all subsequent layers with softer foam. It is worth remembering that the 2nd layer of filler is folded in the front part to the base of the frame.

After repairing the frame and attaching the filler, you can begin making the cover. To cover the sofa you will need about eight meters of material. You can calculate the fabric consumption for a sofa by measuring two lengths and two widths of the sofa, which, in the end, must be added.

If you choose a fabric with stripes or a large pattern, the fabric consumption will increase significantly, since the fabric is cut in one direction. It is best to choose a material that is plain or with a small pattern; in any case, the fabric is purchased with a margin of 1 m.

Before sewing the covers, you should make patterns. To do this, you will have to measure every detail of the sofa and transfer the measurements to paper, taking into account the direction of the cut. Then place the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric and trace it with chalk. When cutting fabric, it is important not to forget about seam gaps and hemming of edges.

There is no need to try to exactly replicate the shape of the upholstered furniture: it is better that the cover is free. Before sewing a case from expensive fabric, you can practice on a cheaper one. Threads for sewing a cover should be chosen that are strong, since the seams will withstand heavy loads, and, ideally, it is better to stitch the fabric 2 times.

If you don’t have the time or desire to sew a cover, you can cover upholstered furniture with fabric using an ordinary stapler. The main advantage construction stapler simplicity and ease of use are considered.

If you decide to reupholster the furniture yourself, you should remember that reupholstery should begin from the middle of the sofa and move smoothly to the sides. The upholstery fabric is nailed with staples at a distance of 3 cm from each other. If there are long excess fabrics left, they need to be cut off or folded inside. should be reasonably tensioned.

Using simple and practical advice, you won’t have to part with your favorite sofa, it will become more durable and resilient. In addition, by choosing beautiful fabric for upholstery, giving upholstered furniture interesting shape, the sofa will become more modern and decorate the interior of your room.

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Any furniture loses its quality with frequent use, and then the question arises - how to reupholster a sofa at home with your own hands. Most furniture owners prefer to seek help from restoration specialists. Other citizens do not believe in the possibility of restoration and are ready to mercilessly say goodbye to old furniture. This decision forces you to incur additional waste of time and money.

Dismantling an old sofa

There is no need to make hasty decisions that lead to additional financial expenses. Although when self-restoration sofa, they will also be inevitable, but much less than buying new furniture or paying for the services of furniture makers.

Before proceeding with the actual reupholstery of furniture, it is important to carry out preparatory work. You should start preparing by dismantling the old sofa.

The disassembly procedure can be carried out in different ways. Sometimes you have to face problems if the design of the sofa turns out to be quite complex. However, in most cases, sofas come with a standard configuration, so disassembling them will not be difficult.

To perform such technical tasks, you need to prepare a set of tools in advance:

• screwdrivers;
• wrenches that can be used to unscrew nuts or bolts;
• pliers.

Dismantling is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Removing the sides of the sofa.
2. Disconnecting the lifting mechanism.
3. Removing the backrest.
4. Seat release.

Fasteners will still be required during further assembly, so they must be carefully assembled and placed in a safe place.

When disassembling, do not make sudden movements, especially if the parts are connected to each other using grooves and protrusions. If they are broken, it will be impossible to ensure reliable assembly without replacing individual parts.

Removing upholstery

Once you have managed to completely disassemble the sofa into its individual components, you can move on to the next stage.

Old upholstered furniture loses its attractiveness due to excessive wear and tear of the upholstery. It’s just that you need to mercilessly part with the old upholstery fabric. It will no longer be possible to return it to its original appearance.

Craftsmen recommend being careful, since the upholstery is always fixed with staples. It is completely undesirable for these staples to fly apart. different sides. The staples must hold the fabric securely, so removing them will be difficult. Be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort on this.

To simplify the task, you should prepare minimum set tools. Suitable assistants for performing such tasks would be:

• pliers;
• thin flat screwdriver;
• stationery knife.

You can optimize the process of removing staples if you first pry up all the staples, straighten their legs, and only then remove everything sequentially. With such an organization of work, you will not have to waste time constantly changing tools.

Buying new upholstery fabric is quite easy if you visit a specialty store. But to tailor new upholstery Not everyone can do it right. Old fabric will just be able to act as an excellent pattern. This template will help eliminate the need to seek help from a professional cutter.

In addition to the fabric, you need to carefully remove the filling. You should carefully examine his condition.

• If it is still in decent condition, it will be usable further.
• If the filler has already turned into dust, it is especially important to be careful when removing it. Otherwise, it will simply crumble and add difficulty to cleaning the room.

Inspection of parts, elimination of defects and malfunctions

After disassembling the old sofa, you need to carefully inspect it completely. The main purpose of such an inspection is to identify damage.

Unfortunately, no matter how beloved this piece of furniture is, it is better to say goodbye to it if the frame is seriously damaged. It is important to pay attention to the following points:

• the presence of pits resulting from loss of filler density;
• sagging of structural elements indicating a stretched spring block.

Sometimes sofas are equipped not with spring blocks, but with belts, which also tend to be stretched.

If defects are found, all parts will need to be replaced. Experts recommend writing everything down first and calculating how much such repairs will cost. And after the calculations, draw a conclusion regarding the financial rationality of reupholstering an old sofa.

Damaged wooden crossbars must be removed and new parts are put in their place, covering all joints with PVA glue.

In most cases, old filler has to be thrown away. As an alternative, purchase dense foam rubber with medium or high degree rigidity. It is better to give preference to foam rubber with a height of 60 mm. You can replace it with foam rubber with a height of 45 to 50 mm if suitable sizes are not available.

It is very useful to use secrets while working experienced craftsmen. In particular, if you wrap the foam rubber with several layers of padding polyester, you can significantly increase its service life.

When choosing filler for the back or armrests, you can opt for foam rubber of less rigidity. This will give the product additional softness, and it will be much more comfortable to relax on the sofa.

In the rarest cases, you don’t have to change anything in the design of the furniture, but simply limit yourself to changing the upholstery. This need arises when the furniture is in excellent technical condition, but the upholstery was torn up by a cat or liquid was poured on it, which cannot be washed off.

Choosing new upholstery

Having figured out how to reupholster it yourself at home, you can move on to choosing new upholstery.

Initially, it is important to decide how much upholstery will be needed to carry out the planned work. To carry out calculations, measure all removed old material. About half a meter is added to the result obtained. This margin is necessary because an error may be made during the calculations or something may go wrong during cutting.

When choosing upholstery, you need to pay attention to the following details:

• color scheme;
• drawing (it should be in harmony with other interior items);
• wear resistance indicators, which determine how long the sofa will look perfect;
• financial possibilities (if there is no need to save, then best choice will become genuine leather).

As excellent upholstery materials, whose performance characteristics worthy of attention are:

• microfiber;
• velor, plush;
• jacquard;
• tapestry;
• chenille

Fabric preparation

After purchasing a suitable upholstery fabric, begin cutting it out. An old one will be an excellent assistant when performing such tasks. upholstery. It must first be vacuumed and shaken out.

Step by step, these actions will look like this:

1. Spread new material on the floor.
2. Place the old upholstery on top.
3. Trace each piece, making sure to leave seam allowances.
4. You can outline all the elements with a piece of chalk or soap (to prevent displacement individual elements, it is recommended to pin all the parts together with sewing pins).
5. Sew all the parts on a sewing machine.
6. Overlock all edges.

Attaching new upholstery

After all the upholstery parts are ready, begin to secure it. This work especially requires increased accuracy. The formation of folds and distortions should not be allowed. Otherwise, upholstered furniture is unlikely to please with its appearance and ease of use.

1. Trying on all the details.
2. Put on the covers and smooth them carefully without using force. It is important to avoid tension on individual upholstery elements.
3. At the junctions of individual structural components, it is recommended to cut small holes for bolts and nuts.
4. The upholstery fabric is fixed with staples, between which a distance of 35-40 mm must be maintained.
5. It is recommended to purchase staples whose length is 14 mm.
6. If the staples do not penetrate the wood well with a special gun, you can tap them with a hammer.

It always brings joy when we acquire something new for our home, for example, furniture . Every apartment or house must have armchairs, a sofa, ottomans, and chairs. We use them all the time.

It's hard to imagine an apartment without a sofa, armchairs and other upholstered furniture.

Time passes, the upholstery becomes ugly, wears off in places, holes, stains, traces of paint, felt-tip pens, and plasticine stuck in places appear. All this remains, especially when there are small children in the house. They will take furniture to the extreme in just a few months. The stains cannot be cleaned, the holes cannot be mended, even a bedspread will not save you from their pranks, except perhaps a Euro-cover. Furniture becomes unusable and ceases to decorate the interior.

After a few years, the upholstery may lose its former attractiveness, become unusable and no longer fit into the interior of the room.

Many people simply get rid of it, throw it in a landfill or take it to their country house. Others, on the contrary, cannot get rid of the old furniture simply because it is convenient or it would be a pity to throw it away and buy new sofa or a chair is simply not possible. What to do in such cases? There is only one thing left - to restore, make sofa reupholstery . Of course, you can turn to specialists, but it’s easier and much more profitable, in order to save your budget, to do it yourself.

Not everyone knows that reupholstering a sofa with your own hands is not a very difficult task.

A big plus if the sofa has quality basis. Old items furniture much better quality than those that are produced now.

Replacing the upholstery will not take much time and effort.

Furniture restoration at home has some advantages.

• Are you reupholstering a sofa? any material you like, and you can add pictorial elements to your liking.
• When performing work to replace the upholstery, you can repair the frame or spring unit if necessary.
• Outdated sofas, as a rule, are the strongest and best quality, prevailing in all properties over modern furniture.
• By doing this work yourself, you will not spend big money, and a new sofa or chair costs much more.
• You don’t have to throw your favorite soft corner into a landfill because it has become unusable.

It’s worth deciding whether you will reupholster the sofa yourself, in which case the work will take more time, or trust the specialists, they will do it in no time. short period, maybe at your home, without transporting it to the workshop.

Deciding on the design

To change the appearance of an old sofa, you can sew new case, make pillows and capes of various models. Furniture will sparkle with new colors. If you want to constriction , then it can be done partially by replacing some upholstery elements. There are many varieties here - from typical to creative.

It is important that everything is in harmony.

A cape made using the patchwork technique will look extraordinary. You can make an unusual applique and glue it to the upholstery. For sofa reupholstery denim will do textile or faux leather. The most commonly used furniture tapestry, high-quality leatherette, leather, special synthetic velor, artificial fur With strong foundation, furniture jacquard. It is quite possible to sew removable covers from clothing fabrics.

If the sofa is not intended for decoration, but for relaxation of all family members, then you will need strong upholstery that will last for quite a long time.

Necessary materials

To begin replacement work old upholstery, the first step is to decide which textile you choose the color scheme, with or without a pattern, artificial or natural material. There are many different furniture fabrics.

Each fabric has technologically advanced and multifunctional quality levels.

Let's decide what materials will be needed. Besides the fabrics Need accessories, foam rubber required thickness, piping to cover the seams, felt, padding polyester or batting as a filler, zipper, marker needles, decorative buttons.

Required Tools

Selected fabric – it needs to be taken with a margin for the possibility of error, now let’s prepare the tools that will be needed: a sewing machine, a set of needles, strong threads (polyester), a flat-head screwdriver, a hammer, an anti-stapler to remove old staples, pliers, spanners(from 8 to 19 mm), side cutters, furniture stapler, scissors, staples (6-8 mm), sewing meter, square, metal ruler, chalk, screwdriver, drill, glue.

The necessary set of tools.

The reupholstering process: step-by-step instructions

All work is divided into stages. First you need to disassemble furniture . We remove all pillows, cushions, and decorations. Then, using the necessary tools, we separate the back and sides of the sofa.

Disassembly with removal of individual components in the form of pillows, sides, poufs.

We dismantle the seat and separate furniture from the base. The parts needed for fastening need to be placed in some container; they may be needed.

All fasteners are placed together so as not to lose them.

The next step is to remove the worn upholstery using an anti-staple gun or a flat-head screwdriver. old textile You can leave it - it will be easier to cut out patterns using it. We remove dirt and dust accumulated inside. Old foam rubber should be thrown away and replaced with new one.

The work requires a certain amount of care so as not to tear the old covering and use it as a template for cutting out parts from new fabric.

Let's look at the condition of the spring block and frame. If necessary, we carry out repairs. We strengthen all the joints and tighten the screws.

All screws must be carefully tightened, the joints of the parts must be strengthened, and the wooden joints must be glued.

On old fabric We cut out new patterns from the selected material, leaving seam allowances. We fasten the parts with special needles and stitch them on a sewing machine. If you don't know how to sew, entrust the work to a seamstress.

The result of the entire reupholstery of the product largely depends on the quality of the new patterns.

Now you need to cover the sofa. We attach new upholstery to each separate part, beginning with decorative elements, then the seat, sides, back. We carry out the tension carefully so that there is no distortion, using a stapler in the work.

In order not to make a mistake with the amount of material, it is recommended to buy it with a small margin.

The fabric on the sofa parts is stretched evenly so that there are no distortions.

Four centimeters - this should be the gap between the staples. Use the remaining material at your discretion. We attach the foam rubber, and its remains will be useful for upholstering other furniture.

Having finished with the reupholstery, we assemble the structure and return the legs and other fittings to their place.

How to cover a sofa with your own hands?

The most significant point in this work is the acquisition of the required quantity fabrics . You can roughly calculate how much you need by adding the length and width of the sofa and multiplying the resulting amount by two. For example, a sofa has a size of 2 x 1.8, then you will need to buy 7.6 m of fabric. To find out exactly, draw the layout necessary elements, taking into account the fractional direction. You need to be very careful when calculating corner sofas, because they have a complex shape.

When choosing fabric, you should avoid synthetic and very coarse varieties.

It must be remembered that material with a large pattern or stripes must be cut in one direction; accordingly, fabric costs will increase. It is very important to consider seam allowances. You definitely can't go wrong if you buy upholstery textile with a margin of one meter. It is worth considering the fact that you will need to change the filler. Compacted foam rubber and a layer of padding polyester are quite suitable for this purpose.

The structure of some pieces of furniture may include parts filled with thick foam rubber. This causes certain difficulties. To avoid this, foam rubber is wrapped in thin padding polyester, then attached and wrapped in upholstery fabric.

High-quality foam rubber has very small pores in its structure. After squeezing with your hand, it immediately straightens and takes its previous shape.

How to reupholster a sofa with your own hands competently and avoid mistakes when sewing parts? It will be better if you familiarize yourself with master classes, watch video and photo lessons, and read the necessary information on the Internet.

This will contribute to short time and carefully execute necessary work and assemble the parts correctly.

The final stage is decoration

The sofa is the most important piece of furniture. We gather there with the whole family, relax after work, watch TV, and sometimes it’s just great to lie around, covered with a cozy blanket. Its color scheme is significant in the design of a room.

How to make it so that old sofa sparkling with new colors?

To begin with, you can change the area around the furniture, for example, change the wallpaper or stick photo wallpaper. Picturesque prints will look original. They decorate pillows - choose some image and apply it to the cover. This is best done in a workshop.

You can do it yourself using fabrics different colors, sew stripes or squares, or combine them.

Most perfect option- This is a replacement cover. If you don't want to sew it yourself, buy it at the store. Now presented very big choice various color range and models. They have different features, including water-repellent ones, and even those that don’t mind the sharp claws of your pets. Well, the simplest option is to cover the sofa with a blanket or two.

This will create cozy atmosphere, setting the mood for relaxation.

Pillows with new covers of different colors will add some zest to the sofa. Saturated shades are best placed in the center, neutral shades are preferable at the edges. If you like a style such as eclecticism, then feel free to use all your imagination - combine incompatible things. Cushions can be square, round or triangular, large and small, different colors, different fabrics, even fur.

The color of the pillows can be matched to the curtains, lampshade, and chair.

Padding furniture is a fun activity that doesn’t present any particular difficulties. The main thing is to do everything according to the rules, and you will have original old furniture at home that will serve for many years to come.

VIDEO: How to change the upholstery of a sofa with your own hands.

Over the past ten years, it has become popular to restore old upholstered furniture - Soviet book sofas, seats of dining chairs, favorite armchairs. Reasons that make people give new life old things, practically sentimental - a relic sofa brought by a great-grandfather as a trophy from the war, or an armchair in which the grandmother knitted a lot of socks for a family of three generations.

But more often we are surprised to realize that good quality soviet furniture in terms of the quality and integrity of the frame, it is much better than a new one, located in the low and medium price ranges. Such furniture is often made from raw timber, cheap spring blocks, and covered with cheap and low-quality fabric on top.

A great many master restorers have appeared - there are even craftsmen who can so transform the appearance of an old sofa that it will not differ from its modern counterparts in design and content. But, in fact, with minimal business skills, desire and patience, reupholstering upholstered furniture with your own hands is an easy and even creative task.

Do-it-yourself methods for restoring and upholstering furniture

Furniture restoration allows you to completely transform old interior items

There are two ways to update the appearance of upholstered furniture: washing and replacement. Both options are quite labor-intensive and technically cumbersome, but doable! All your efforts will pay off when you see and feel the fruits of your labor with a feeling of complete satisfaction.

This option is best suited for small items furniture: seats of chairs, stools and small armchairs. If you like the upholstery fabric on your favorite old sofa and it is well preserved, has a unique woven pattern, and you understand that a modern analogue is unaffordable, then the sofa cover can be put in the wash.

To wash large furniture covers, it is better to use the services of a professional laundry.

• Saving money - you only spend time with small expenses including cost detergents And furniture fittings(staples, lining fabric).
• Reviving the authentic look of a piece of furniture.

There is one minus, but a significant one - there is a high probability that the cover will “shrink” during washing or even fall apart. Since upholstery fabric is not designed for washing, it is not treated for shrinkage, like clothing fabrics, for example.

Complete replacement of furniture cover

This path is the longest and most difficult, but true. Old and shabby upholstery is mercilessly thrown away, and the sofa can please you with brand new fabric in fresh colors. Complete replacement It is quite possible to make a furniture cover yourself at home. But be prepared for problems hidden under a leaky cover: cracked frame beams, broken springs, broken fiberboard or a faulty locking mechanism.

If, upon opening the cover, you are saddened to discover internal damage, do not despair - simply the operation of replacing the cover develops into a more complex, major phase of reupholstering upholstered furniture.

Padding

This relatively new concept includes not only replacing upholstery, but also: complete renovation frame, replacement of foam rubber, locks, spring blocks, everything that is needed. In essence, reupholstery is a major overhaul of upholstered furniture, as a result of which you will receive a new interior element made to your taste.

Major renovation allows you to save even the most “dead” furniture

Required tools and materials

In order for the work of reupholstering upholstered furniture to proceed comfortably, smoothly and without unnecessary nerves, you need to prepare the necessary tools in advance.

Tools d For disassembly and assembly work

• A large flat-head screwdriver and pliers are used to pick up and pull out old staples.
• A Phillips or flat-head screwdriver that matches the size of the slot in the heads of the screws securing the lock to the frame.
• Set of wrenches for nuts and bolts.

Almost all upholstered furniture frames are bolted, so you can’t do without a set of keys

• Tape measure - take the necessary measurements when replacing body parts.
• Stapler - construction or pneumatic. The second is preferable because, without effort on your part, it drives long, strong staples deep into the wood of the frame, even through several layers of fabric.
• Staples - from 6 mm to 10 mm depending on the thickness and density of the selected upholstery fabric.
• Garbage bags (larger and denser).

To sew new covers you will need:

• New upholstery fabric - the choice in stores is mind-boggling, choose according to taste and cost. In order not to make a mistake with the footage, sketch out approximate details before purchasing. Consider standard width roll - up to 145 cm (together with the edging of the edges of the canvas) and the location of the patterns relative to the pile and shine of the material.
• Lining fabric for padding the back surfaces of the back and seat. This is not necessary, but a layer of lining will protect the furniture from dust getting inside, and the cost lining material small. Therefore, it is better not to neglect this simple operation.
• Sharp scissors, preferably special tailor's scissors for cutting.

When cutting new covers, tailor's scissors will be simply irreplaceable.

• Crayons or thin pieces of soap.
• Threads - no less than No. 10, and better - special reinforced ones for rigid fabrics.
• Meter ruler.
• Paper for patterns if you are going to modify the appearance of the product: change the shape of the legs, back and seats.
• Sewing machine.

Constriction technology

Dismantling old furniture

This is the first and dirtiest stage - you have to unscrew and remove the bolts, locks and disassemble the frame. Then remove all the old staples that fasten the upholstery to the frame.

After removing the upholstery, a rather unsightly picture may be revealed to the eye.

Take care of the disassembly site - you will have to stir up the “dust of centuries” that has soaked the sofa or armchair. And staples have a sneaky habit of scattering across the floor and digging into the soles of sneakers (or feet). If it is not possible to disassemble the sofa outside, cover the equipment (TVs, computers, etc.) with film, and take everything that is possible into another room.

Keep garbage bags on hand - you will have to throw away a lot of rubbish that the inside of the sofa (chairs, chairs, etc.) has become. Once you've finished disassembling, immediately remove all resulting debris from your home. Various nasties can lurk in the interior dust of upholstered furniture - from allergens to dust mites.

Repair work and replacement of parts

Having removed the old cover, you may find a number of serious damages under the harmless abrasions of the upholstery; do not rush to give up and throw away the sofa, calculating in your head how much it will cost to buy a new one.

All repair problems can be solved, and parts are replaceable - the list of breakdowns and ways to fix them is not as extensive and scary as you might think at first glance.

Cracked frame beams

All old sofas and armchairs are based on frames held together lock cuts and glue. It is a strong and durable system, much better modern installation self-tapping screws. But when the service life ends, the corners of the frames become weak and crack. The beams need to be replaced. Choose a dry tree, without knots, cracks and bark - bast or middle with a smooth, straight structure. Otherwise, the beam, which carries a large load and lacks strength and integrity, will quickly burst. Damp wood in warm and dry apartment conditions will belatedly begin to dry out and warp. It is better to repeat the lock cut - order it from a master carpenter or do it yourself. It is better to soak the joints of the frame beams with PVA glue before joining.

Broken fiberboard parts (lintels of the seat frame and backrest)

Everything is simpler here - you measure the size and cut out new parts yourself with a jigsaw or make them to order in a furniture workshop. It is better to prepare separate parts of the jumpers (in old sofas there are usually three of them - the middle and two side ones), which are easier to replace in case of a break. They can be attached to the frame with nails or a pneumatic stapler.

Broken springs not only impair the cushioning properties of furniture, but can also cause injuries and cuts.

The sore spot is the middle of the seat, where children love to jump and guests love to sit. Some craftsmen manage to “twist” spring blocks, replacing broken springs with new ones. However, there is no guarantee that after some time another old spring will not burst and for its sake it will not be necessary to start all the work again. Therefore, it is more rational to replace the spring blocks completely.

Replacing seat belts

Any dense tape of suitable width can act as belts.

Typically, the frames of the seats and backs of old chairs are tightened with intertwined wide belts, on which foam rubber is laid. And the belts very rarely break; most often the place where the belt and the frame meet is worn out. Any belts that you consider durable will be suitable for replacement. The main thing is that they are tightly woven, preferably from synthetic materials and a width of at least 5–7 cm.

Caked foam rubber

Any type of foam rubber has this technical characteristics, as the number of compressions. This is an indicator of how many times the material will withstand compression and be able to restore its original shape and elasticity. Almost always in old furniture foam rubber has long outlived its usefulness in this respect and has turned into dust or into a viscous substance reminiscent of sticky plasticine. Throw it away without regret and lay down new foam rubber.

It’s better not to skimp on foam rubber - it’s not only a soft layer, but also protection internal structure from breakdowns

Replacing locks

Also common problem– over time, the steel mechanism of the lock becomes loose, play appears in it, or the springs that snap the lock into the “sitting” or “lying” position fly off. Inspect the lock carefully; you may need to change the screw or install a new latch spring. If not, then the lock will have to be changed - fortunately, this is not a problem; furniture fittings stores will offer you a large selection of modern locks.

Master class on sewing new covers

The most creative stage of work. You can leave the look of the furniture the same; in this case, you can use old covers as patterns. Before work, they should be thoroughly shaken and vacuumed.

When cutting new parts, carefully monitor the location of the weft and warp threads, as well as the direction of the pile. This is especially true for fabric patterns and seat-backs, if the width of the fabric does not allow making a one-piece cover (meaning the upholstery of a sofa-book).

With creativity and sewing skills, you can transform the look of old furniture to make it more modern, comfortable and suit your taste.

The main part of the modifications is achieved with foam rubber overlays - soft bolsters are added on the side panels, and backrest headrest pads are added. You can take into account the position of the body in a sitting position and add foam pads on the seat (under the knees) and inserts under the lower back. When using darts, folds, and curly details, the covers will be completely new uniform

and become more modern.

In order to do a high-quality and beautiful job of modifying the appearance of upholstered furniture, you need basic cutting and sewing skills. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better not to risk doing it yourself, but hire a specialist to do the work.

• Nuances of cutting and sewing

Leave seam allowances of 1 – 1.5 cm depending on the density of the fabric.

• When cutting fabric, be sure to leave 1-1.5 centimeters for seams

• It is advisable to process the edges of the sewn parts with an overlock or zigzag stitch.
• Upholstery fabric with a large pile must be basted by hand before machine stitching to avoid moving parts. If leatherette, artificial or natural leather is chosen for the upholstery, then when making facial finishing seams, use it as a presser foot sewing machine use a special roller. As a last resort, you can coat the surface of the fabric under the presser foot. thin layer
• machine oil.

As often as possible during the sewing process, do fittings - foam rubber, a softening hard spring frame, a pliable material, the shape of which is determined by the cover.

Attaching new covers to upholstered furniture parts

The repair work has been completed, the covers have been sewn, it’s time to begin the important stage of stretching the new upholstery. You need to clearly understand that the final result and appearance of your chair or sofa depend on the quality of this stage. You will need patience and accuracy in your work.

At the stage of the last fitting, it will still be possible to correct mistakes - sew in or loosen the corners a little, alter the darts. Don’t be alarmed if the cover fits very tightly onto the frame - in the process of attaching it, you will still “shoot” it even tighter. It's worse if the cover is put on loosely, because... By attaching it with staples, there is a high probability of getting unsightly folds and creases.

The sequence of work on attaching new upholstery covers:

• First of all, put the covers on the parts and, while they are in a free position, straighten them as much as possible. The seams should be positioned evenly and parallel to the edges of the parts; match the corners of the covers with the corners of the frames.
• Then start attaching the cover with staples - holding the stapler in right hand, with your left hand, constantly, using ironing movements, pull the fabric from the middle of the part to the edge. Make sure that the bevel is even and evenly rounded - this especially applies to the edges of the backs and seats of chairs and sofas. It is better to start “shooting” staples from the middle, so any excess tissue will move to the edges, where they can be sutured manually.

Stapler - best tool for fastening furniture covers

• When upholstering the former, carefully cut out the holes for the bolts with scissors and fill the edges of the cutouts with staples. If necessary, use a hammer to drive the staples into the wood more tightly.
• After stretching the upholstery, you need to cover the wrong sides with sheets of lining fabric. There is no need to waste time carefully cutting out the lining with scissors. Having outlined the approximate length, taking into account the folding of the edges 3-4 cm on each side, make a notch with scissors and tear the fabric; the synthetic lining breaks exactly along the thread, which you will not get when cutting with scissors. The inside of the lining should be shot from the corners, pulling the fabric tightly.