If an old sofa or armchair has lost its former attractive appearance, then the owner has two options. The first is to throw away the old furniture, and instead, purchase a fashionable sofa in the new furniture salon. The second option is to give an old sofa or any other upholstered furniture a second life. Many choose the first option for themselves, since there is practically no hassle with it. But there are those who make furniture upholstery with their own hands. Well, let's see how it's done.
Dismantling and dismantling of old upholstery
At this stage, it is necessary to disassemble a sample of furniture for future upholstery. You need to dismantle a sofa or chair into components - this is directly the seat, back, side parts. Some elements, such as the wooden frame of the sofa, may need minor repairs. It can be done at this stage of the work.
Forin order to completely disassemble any type of sofa, it is necessary to dismantle the side parts - unscrew the screws that are screwed into the base-frame. Next, remove the seat and back. This is done after the sofa mechanism has been removed. When the mechanism is dismantled, you can easily completely disassemble the entire remaining structure - the seat and back will easily separate from the base. In some models, the back and seat are a single unit. Before undertaking dismantling work, it is advisable to sketch the order of fastening of all elements of the mechanism - you can fix it on paper or use the camera on your smartphone. Modern sofas have a rather complex design - marks on paper or a photo can greatly help with reassembly.
Features of upholstery removal
In the process of removing the upholstery from each of the details of a sofa or chair, you need to act as carefully as possible - it is important not just to remove the old upholstery fabric at any cost, but to do everything so that the base is not damaged and it is possible to preserve the shape of the fabric as much as possible. The fact is that for do-it-yourself upholstery of upholstered furniture, old upholstery elements are used as a pattern. Then, when all the upholstery is removed, the state of the internal filler is examined - this is most often foam rubber, synthetic winterizer. Inside some models you can find batting. If the sofa sank, the filler is worn out (and this is most often the case), then it must be replaced with a new one. Also, in sofas with springs, in the process of hauling furniture with their own hands, they also change the spring block - it also wears out.
Upholstery at furniture factories is attached to upholstered furniture with special brackets. Furniture makers' favorite attachment points are areas facing the walls and floor. To make removing the upholstery easy and simple, you will need a flathead screwdriver and pliers.
If the task is to replace the sofa filler, it is completely removed from the base - usually it is glued. When removing the synthetic winterizer, you should try to keep the pieces of foam rubber as much as possible in the places where the bolts for mounting the sidewalls are installed. Next, the new foam rubber will stretch over the part, and on top it will be closed with a canvas or padding polyester. It will then be stapled to the sofa frame.
Tools and materials
For upholstery of upholstered furniture with your own hands, you will need a certain tool. First of all, you will need a furniture stapler - if possible, it is better to purchase professional pneumatic models, but a mechanical tool will also work for once. You also need a screwdriver, powerful screwdrivers, a hammer, a nail puller, measuring and marking tools, scissors, chisels. In addition, you should prepare an appropriate place for cutting the fabric. To sew a new case, a reliable and powerful sewing machine will come in handy.
Furniture Repair
After removing the old upholstery, serious damage can be found under the scuffs of the fabric. But you don't have to be afraid of them. Any problems can be solved with minimal investment and a set of tools.
Cracks in frame beams
All models of old sofas and armchairs are based on a frame. The latter consists of wooden parts interconnected with locks and glue. This is a very strong and almost eternal system. According to the reviews of the masters, such a frame can be operated much longer than the joints on the screws, which are very often in new sofas now. When the life of upholstered furniture comes to an end, the frame at the corners weakens and cracks appear in these places. Beams need to be changed.
For replacement, it is recommended to choose dry wood. There should be no defects on the board - knots, cracks, bark. The bast or middle with a smooth and straight structure is best suited for these purposes. Otherwise, the beam, which carries heavy loads and does not have sufficient strength and integrity, will burst very quickly. Raw wood in apartments dries and warps for a long time. It is better to repeat the lock milling, this can be ordered in carpentry workshops. The joints of the beams are pre-impregnated with wood glue.
Broken fiberboard elements
In the process of do-it-yourself furniture upholstery, owners often have to deal with a broken sofa bottom or any other fiberboard parts. Everything is very simple here. It is enough to measure the size and cut out new parts yourself using a jigsaw. It is advisable to prepare separate jumper elements - in most older sofa models there are three of them. This is the middle part, as well as two side parts. In the event of a break, they are easy to change. Attach the parts to the frame with nails, a stapler.
Springs
If the springs burst in the sofa, then not only depreciation worsens, but there is also a riskgetting injured. The weakest point is the middle part of the sofa. It is here that children most often jump and guests sit. In some cases, you can twist the spring block by replacing broken springs. But there is no guarantee that any old spring will not burst during operation and you will have to re-tear the upholstery from the sofa and disassemble the structure. It is much more rational to change the entire spring block when hauling furniture with your own hands.
How to change seat belts?
Most often, the frames of the seats and backs in old armchairs are pulled together by special intertwined belts, on which foam rubber is laid. These belts break very rarely. But they rub more often. This especially happens in places where the belt is connected to the frame. Any suitable durable belt will do for replacement. The main thing is that the weaving is sufficiently dense and durable.
Old clogged foam rubber
Furniture upholstery, do-it-yourself repair and upholstery involve the replacement of foam rubber. Regardless of the grade, the latter has one technical characteristic - the number of compressions. This indicator means the number of compressions, after which the material will restore elasticity and shape. Always after opening the upholstery, the owner sees the already old and "tired" foam rubber, which has long become obsolete in this characteristic. It should be thrown away without regrets.
Choice of upholstery and filling
When choosing materials for do-it-yourself furniture upholstery, it is importantpay attention primarily to the appearance of the fabric, the strength of the material and performance. An important nuance that affects the choice of upholstery fabric is the type of filler. The softer the upholstery material, the softer the upholstery fabric should be. Rigid materials break quickly. Batting, synthetic winterizer, foam rubber are used as fillers for sofas and armchairs.
When choosing a fabric, it is worth considering the size of the furniture or element that will be pulled. About 15 percent more should be added to this size. Consider popular fabrics for do-it-yourself furniture upholstery:
- Microfiber is very soft and flexible. She is pleasant to the touch. To improve its characteristics, manufacturers cover the fabric with Teflon - due to this, dust and moisture-repellent characteristics are improved. Such a fabric will not lose its appearance for a long time, will not stretch and will not roll.
- Chenille has a thick soft pile and a huge range of shades. The fabric has a unique appearance over the years. The material is not afraid of water, dust, resistant to all kinds of mechanical damage.
- Jacquard is a rather dense, light and high-quality fabric. There are many ways to weave jacquard. The material does not fade, does not wear out and retains color for a long time.
- Eco-leather is a modern material that, in terms of its performance, resembles natural leather.
Creating new cases
This is the most creative part of the whole DIY upholstery process. You can leave the old look of upholstered furniture, and inIn this case, you can use patterns for old covers or old covers if they are in good condition.
With some creativity and sewing skills, you can easily change and improve the look of old upholstery of upholstered furniture with your own hands. The main modification of the appearance is achieved through foam pads - you can add soft rollers on the formers, make headrests on the backs. You can add padding on the seat under the knees and lower back.
Cutting and sewing
For cutting, the old parts are placed on the fabric and marked with chalk or pencil. According to the markup, blanks are cut out for subsequent upholstery of furniture with their own hands.
Be sure to leave an allowance for future seams - 1-1.5 centimeters, depending on how dense the fabric is. It is advisable to pass the edges of the parts with an overlock or a zigzag. Coarse pile upholstery fabric is hand-sewn before sewing on a typewriter so that the details do not move.
If leather substitute, natural or artificial leather is chosen as the material, then for facial seams it is necessary to use not a presser foot of a machine, but a special roller. In the process of tailoring, you need to try on the foam rubber cover as often as possible.
Installing the cover
When it is ready, you should start stretching it on the details of upholstered furniture. If the design of the sofa or chair is wooden, which is most often the case, then an excellent solution would be to pre-varnish the wood.
To the main elements and parts of the structure with a furniture stapler with tucked inthe details of the new upholstery are attached to it with brackets. It is important in the process to properly straighten the material. When upholstered, folds and irregularities are not allowed, unless it is a do-it-yourself carriage upholstery of furniture. Any irregularities must be corrected promptly. In the process of installing the cover, it is important to carefully stretch the upholstery fabric. If it is loosely attached to the frame, then such a cover will not serve for a long time.
Carriage tie
This is one way to change the look of an old sofa or chair. The carriage coupler is an unusual, original and beautiful solution. This technique is performed in several stages and is quite complicated. Before you try to upholster furniture with a carriage screed with your own hands, you should practice and gain experience.
For upholstery in this way, special fabrics are needed. A template is cut out of cardboard, with the help of which a pattern of decorative nails or buttons will be made. Holes are drilled in the wooden base according to the template. Next, staples are hammered in with a stapler in places under the buttons. Further, at the points, holes are already made in the upholstery. Then a crochet hook is threaded from the inside and a cord is hooked to fix the button. The lace is fixed on the reverse side.
