How to update a sofa at home

The sofa is one of the main elements of a modern interior. Under the influence of various factors, furniture may lose its attractive appearance. It is often impractical and unprofitable to replace sofas due to their cost. There are many opportunities to update your favorite item on your own.

How to update a sofa with your own hands

There are several ways to give your sofa a new look. You can use new decorative elements such as bedspreads, pillows, throws or covers. These items can be purchased in many stores or made to order. More drastic methods are reupholstering and changing the filling of upholstered furniture.

New cover for an old sofa

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

Measurements

Before purchasing or ordering a cover, you should take some measurements of the furniture using a measuring tape. The following data is required:

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

Next, according to the available data, you should make a pattern. It is better to draw it in a reduced size on special graph paper, since a large amount of paper or film is needed to create a pattern of original sizes. It is also better to think about the consumption of fabric and the location of patterns in advance, this will allow you to manage the material wisely.

Selecting fabric by type and color

It is better to select the fabric for the cover taking into account its performance characteristics. You should have a good understanding of the purposes for which the furniture is used and where it will be placed. The color of the fabric is chosen by the owner of the sofa, taking into account personal taste preferences. Properly selected fabric and a well-sewn cover can make a sofa a real highlight of the room. Or, conversely, you can make it invisible, allowing you to increase the emphasis on other interior items. Skilled craftswomen can knit a cover.

Sewing

There are no special tricks in sewing this product. When cutting out parts, especially if there are a lot of them, it is better to make symbols in order to follow the order of their stitching in the future. Sew the parts together on a machine using thick threads and a thick needle. Next, turn the product right side out and place it on the sofa. You can come up with a variety of decorative elements and decorations. Many craftswomen can knit a cover from beautiful, eye-catching yarn.

Update the upholstery

This method of updating the coating is more complex and time-consuming.During the work, beginners may have some difficulties with developing a pattern, as well as dismantling the structure.

Choosing fabric for upholstery

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

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

Measurements

One of the main preparatory stages is taking measurements and creating a pattern. For these purposes, you can use the previous coating parts if they were removed carefully enough. The pattern is usually drawn on a flat, clean surface. The floor is perfect for these purposes. The fabric is straightened out on the floor and pre-prepared patterns are traced. When applying, you should take into account the direction of the grain threads of the fabric, the direction of the pile, as well as the pattern. The parts should be laid out compactly across the material so that there are fewer unnecessary pieces. Be sure to leave allowances of about 5 cm for further processing and joining of parts. Next, the parts are cut out and sewn together.

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

Required Tools

To reupholster a sofa yourself, you need special materials and equipment:

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

Progress

The resulting parts are stitched on a sewing machine with strong threads. To begin with, place all the parts in their appropriate places. The fabric is connected to the frame using a hammer, construction nails or a mounting stapler. The edges should be folded inward. The interval between nails should be small and approximately 4 cm. During upholstery, the fabric should be stretched so that it lies evenly and bends well around the surface. The filler is placed while the fabric is being fixed to the part or when the fabric is almost fixed. Next, the remaining parts of the sofa and other parts, such as bolsters, legs, and removable pillows, are assembled.

REFERENCE! Don't be afraid to make a mistake, because you can always take out a paper clip or a nail and start the upholstery again.

Content update

The filling requires more frequent replacement compared to other parts of the sofa. This is especially true for outdated materials.

What you can do yourself

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

1. Overhead parts and decorative elements are removed from the sofa.
2. Next, unscrew the sides, backs, seat and legs, and also remove the sliding elements and fastening mechanisms. If parts are damaged, they must be repaired or replaced.The fixing elements should be put in a separate place so that they do not get lost.
3. The upholstery is removed using an anti-stapler or a flat screwdriver. It is better to save it to use as patterns in the future.
4. Inspection of springs. With use, they weaken and wear out. These mechanisms cannot be repaired, so most often new parts are installed.
5. Cleaning the surface from dirt.
6. Checking the condition of the filler, which is most often foam rubber.

Materials

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

Instructions

The filler also needs to be cut to size. Next, it is laid on the base of each part and fixed using a construction stapler. Due to the additional layer, you can add volume to the back and armrest. But this point needs to be thought through at the stage of making the pattern. If you lay the filler in several layers, then you will need much more material for the upholstery. In the case when the seat is made on the basis of a spring, thick fabric is first placed on it and fixed.Next, all parts of the filler are covered with canvas or other fabric to protect it from dirt and to obtain a more even surface.

Tips and tricks

It is quite difficult to update a sofa yourself for the first time. Therefore, it is recommended to watch various master classes and training materials. You can take photographs at each stage of furniture disassembly. This will help in the future to repeat the arrangement of parts and mechanisms during assembly. It is also better to make special marks on the parts so that you know from which side they were removed.

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

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