DIY couch

Even the ancient Roman nobility preferred to spend their leisure time on a comfortable bed. The now famous couch came to us from medieval France, where it was proven that a small bed can be not only comfortable, but also beautiful. The main advantage of this furniture in the eyes of those who like to create with their own hands is its simplicity and ease of manufacture. A DIY couch is completely doable.

Couch - design features

The rigid base on which the mattress is located is an ottoman, the simplest couch. If you make it wide enough and, moving it close to the wall, add pillows, you will get an ottoman. A narrowed shortened model - a banquette. When the ottoman is equipped with a lifting headboard, a canape appears. There are many more varieties of couches that come with armrests and even backrests. But the 4 above are the most attractive from the point of view of a novice master. Their design is extremely simple, so to make furniture you only need to navigate the materials and tools.

Choosing material

Nothing beats the durability of furniture whose frame is made of metal.But to work with this material you need special tools, a separate room and skills in working with equipment. The wooden frame can be assembled directly in the room where you plan to place the couch.

There are several types of source material of this type.

Chipboard — the laminate completely imitates the structure of wood, and the board itself is light and easy to use. The advantages include low cost. Disadvantages include:

• harmful additives that may be released into the air;
• low strength;
• fragility;
• a small number of color options.

Furniture board is not inferior in strength to solid wood. The number of harmful additives in its production is reduced to a minimum, which makes it safe. But the high cost of the material deprives making a couch with your own hands one of the advantages - saving the family budget.

Solid wood is strong and durable. If you are looking for the optimal price-quality ratio, then you should pay attention to pine. Lightweight and quite durable, it lends itself to any processing without loss of properties.

How to make a couch with your own hands

The first step towards creating furniture is a drawing. It is enough to make a schematic sketch in two projections indicating the dimensions. It will solve several problems at once:

• calculating the amount of materials needed;
• preparation of structural fragments;
• facilitating the assembly process.

In order not to be disappointed in the finished product, it is worth deciding on its purpose and estimated location.

Determining the features and design of the couch

If you want to create furniture for a rest room, then you should make it wide enough. At the same time, excessive dimensions will be inappropriate in the kitchen or hallway.A small-sized ottoman is better suited for these rooms. And under it, a drawer would be appropriate, helping to save useful space.

REFERENCE. If the wall decoration is not designed for frequent contact with it, then it makes sense to make a couch with a back. And for the veranda it is better to make an ottoman with armrests.

All these details are reflected in the schematic drawing. This will allow you not to lose sight of anything important during the preparatory stage.

Required material and tools

To create a reliable furniture frame you will need:

• tape measure and pencil;
• hacksaw;
• sandpaper or jigsaw;
• screwdriver and screwdrivers;
• screws and metal mounting angles.

Regardless of what material was chosen for the frame, it would be useful to further strengthen the structure of the couch. To do this, you will need a 50x50 mm beam, which fastens the corners of the structure. It can also become the legs of a couch.

IMPORTANT. A long or wide structure is reinforced with transverse bars. They can be made from timber or boards with a thickness of at least 15–20 mm.

Detailing

Assembling the frame is half the battle. After it, you need to take care of the sufficient comfort and aesthetics of the couch. To do this, the wood needs to be processed and painted. Therefore, paint materials and brushes are included in the shopping list.

Then the finished mattress is installed on the frame. Or the couch is covered with filler and draped with fabric. In this case you will need:

• foam rubber or other filler;
• upholstery material;
• staples and a furniture stapler or a needle and strong thread.

REFERENCE. For additional decoration, buttons, overlays, curly legs and other accessories can be used.

Step-by-step instruction

Once the materials have been purchased, the work area has been prepared and the necessary tools have been collected, you can begin assembling the couch. The process is presented step by step in 3 steps.

1. Marking and preparation of structural elements. The parts are cut out in the required quantity and placed in piles.
2. Their grinding and assembly. The primary task is to remove burrs and identify areas requiring additional processing. After which the design details are assembled together.
3. Treatment of the external surface of the frame: additional sanding and painting.

The couch is half finished. All that remains is to finish it.

Tips for reupholstering

If you decide to install a ready-made mattress on the couch, then it will be enough to simply cover it. But when a master decides to do all the work himself, a few simple tips will come in handy.

NOTE. A slab of foam rubber or other filler is cut with a small margin. A protrusion of 1–2 centimeters above the outer edge of the frame is necessary to ensure that the upholstery is not damaged in the place of constant contact with a solid base.

The secret to good quality fabric draping is to move from the center to the edge. To do this, the material is first fixed on one long side of the base. Then they tighten and fix it in the center of the opposite side and move from this point to the edge. Then the upholstery is fixed on the sides of the base. And at the very end, fold and secure the corners of the fabric. By following the sequence of steps, you will be able to create a comfortable and durable couch. And to add beauty to it, just use the accessories stored in advance.