Over time, scuffs or even holes appear on the sofa, which prompts the owner to get rid of old furniture and buy a new one, spending a significant amount of money. Do not rush to throw away your old sofa, because with the help of a few meters of fabric and synthetic winterizer you can make a completely new piece of furniture out of it. Carrying out the restoration of the sofa yourself is not as difficult as it seems. The process itself is very interesting and creative. In the framework of this article, we will consider the stages of the restoration of the sofa with our own hands.
What is sofa restoration?
The choice of sofa restoration method depends on the degree of deterioration of the materials from which the sofa is made. If there are stains on the upholstery, you can simply treat the fabric with a cleaning agent. Nowadays, it is possible to use the detergent without even removing the upholstery from the sofa. Surface treatment is carried out usingactive foam, which is then removed with a dry cloth.
If you see slight deformations of the surfaces, then the foam has worn out. If the upholstery is worn out, you will have to use more serious methods of restoration. It will be necessary to completely replace the old soft elements with new ones. Do-it-yourself restoration and upholstery of the sofa will allow you to completely change the look of your old sofa and transform it beyond recognition. The work on the upholstery of the sofa will take several days and will require accuracy and attention. If experience in this area is not enough, then the upholstery of a sofa of complex design or antiques should be entrusted to a professional. In the article you can see in the photo the sofa after restoration. After tightening and replacing the foam rubber, it is difficult to recognize.
Necessary equipment and supplies
To restore the sofa with your own hands, you will need a minimum set of tools. Without them, the work will not work:
- hammer;
- furniture stapler;
- staples for stapler;
- nails, self-tapping screws;
- roulette, level;
- marking pencil;
- scissors;
- pliers;
- screwdriver;
- glue;
- sandpaper;
- brushes;
- sewing machine;
- jigsaw.
Let's list the materials that will be needed when hauling and restoring an old sofa:
- furniture fabric;
- foam rubber thickness 10cm, 5cm, 2cm;
- synthetic winterizer;
- lacquer, acrylic paint or stain;
- boards of the right size;
- Fibreboard, plywood.
In some cases, you may need a new sofa mechanism or new fittings. The replacement of the mechanism is carried out in case of deformation or damage to metal elements that cannot be replaced. Perhaps the mechanism just needs to be lubricated.
Sofa Fittings
Modern fittings will not only add functionality to your sofa, but also update its appearance. The most important mechanical element of fittings for folding sofas is the transformation mechanism. When restoring a Soviet sofa with your own hands, it is recommended to change the transformation mechanism to a new one. If the old sofa began to unfold poorly, then you can try to lubricate the moving elements of the mechanism with a special lubricant. In case of breakage or deformation of the elements, a new transformation mechanism will have to be installed.
The legs of the sofa can be equipped with furniture wheels, if the periodic movement of this piece of furniture is expected. The wheels must be correctly selected according to the weight of the sofa. Otherwise, they won't last long. Connecting elements, if necessary, should be replaced: corners, ties, etc. Some sofas require drawers. You can change the guides: instead of roller ones, put, for example, ball ones. Such a drawer will slide out smoothly and easily.
Preparing the sofa for hauling
First you need to remove all fabric upholstery. Detach it carefully so that the patterns do not tear, they will still be needed. Do-it-yourself leatherette restoration on a sofa is complicated by the fact thatheavily worn material can simply tear when it is separated from the frame. Assess the condition of the foam. If visually it seems asymmetrical and deformed, and in some places even torn, then the filler will have to be changed. If the foam rubber is suitable for further use, and the synthetic winterizer needs to be changed, then it may be necessary to use a clerical knife to separate it, since the synthetic winterizer is connected to the foam rubber with glue.
In most cases, when creating a sofa, a thick layer of foam rubber is first installed, then thinner, and on top they are covered with several layers of padding polyester. In some cases, it is enough just to replace the synthetic winterizer, and leave the layers of foam rubber from the old upholstery.
Some frame elements may lose their strength and deform over time. Especially often this happens with materials such as chipboard, fiberboard. After the sofa is completely disassembled, they will have to be replaced with new elements.
Repair of frame and transformation mechanism
The frame is the basis of the sofa. Most often, the frame is made of wooden beams and boards. It is not difficult to replace broken elements, you just need to take measurements, cut out new parts and install them in place of the old ones. You will also have to replace elements that have cracks. You can see in the article in the photo the restoration of the sofa, the frame of which is made of timber and boards.
The transformation mechanism can be repaired in extremely rare cases. If it fails or metal elements break, you will have tobuy a new mechanism of this type. Before buying, you need to make careful measurements or take the elements of the mechanism with you so as not to make a mistake when choosing the right model.
Choice of upholstery
When choosing a fabric, it is not enough just to decide on the color and pattern depicted on the canvas. It is very important to know the characteristics of the canvas that will be used to cover the sofa. Consider some options for furniture fabric.
- Mattling. Inexpensive and affordable option for furniture fabric. The fabric is strong enough and not prone to stretching. Most often there are variants of a monophonic type, but there is a matting with a coating. The material is easily cleaned of dirt due to the synthetic components in the structure.
- Velor. Quite an expensive material. Possesses the high level of durability and resistance to pollution. The surface of the velor resembles velvet, the pile can be arranged vertically.
- Jacquard. This material is often used in the manufacture of furniture. Jacquard is a very durable and wear-resistant material that does not give in to deformation. The fabric, as a rule, has a pattern that is embroidered with threads of different colors. If you have a cat in your house who likes to sharpen his claws on furniture, then this fabric is the best option for upholstering a sofa.
- Chenille. Durable and wear-resistant material. You can choose a model that will be resistant to animal claws. The material is easy to clean, does not stretch. The cost is affordable for the average citizen of Russia.
- Flock. The basisfabrics are made using cotton and polyester, after which pile is applied to the surface by an electrostatic method. The fabric is soft and rough to the touch. High strength and resistance to deformation are very important parameters when choosing a fabric, flock has both of these qualities. The material is easily erased.
Open upholstery fabric
Cutting fabric for new upholstery is made according to old patterns. To do this, straighten the patterns, attach them to a piece of fabric and secure with pins. Next, trace the pattern along the contour and cut it out, making indents along the edges. When cutting, be sure to pay attention to the direction of the longitudinal thread.
If the old upholstery fabric is severely deformed or stretched out, then some parts of the sofa will have to be measured with a flexible ruler. To make the seams strong, choose a more secure type of connection, zigzag the free edges of the fabric.
Choice of filler
To create a soft sofa surface, you will need foam rubber 10 cm wide. Back cushions are made from this material, if they are separated from the main structure, the seat base. For the sidewalls, foam rubber 5 cm wide is used. The armrests are fitted with it. For the rest of the frame, foam rubber 2-3 cm wide is suitable. The back of the sofa can not be covered with foam rubber.
Foam rubber can be of different density. It is this parameter that determines its softness. For a sofa, it is better to take the densest foam rubber. Pay attention to the durability factor. The higher this figure, the longer it will last.foam rubber and the more expensive it will cost.
Installing a new filler
Foam rubber is attached with a furniture stapler to the parts of the frame. In some cases, glue is used. If the design of the sofa assumes the presence of smooth rounded transitions, then the foam rubber will be laid out in the directions of these bends, and the fastening will be carried out at the most extreme point of the rounding. The stapler staple should be in an inconspicuous place on the edge of the foam sheet.
The synthetic winterizer is stretched over the foam rubber so that the upholstery fabric does not erase the foam rubber coating. When restoring a sofa with your own hands, you can take several layers of padding polyester. Their fixation is carried out with the help of glue in spray cans. The composition is sprayed on the surface of the foam rubber, after which a synthetic winterizer is applied, stretched and fixed with staples of a furniture stapler on the frame. Sintepon is a very soft and airy material. If you want the surface of the sofa to have increased softness, then increase the number of layers of synthetic winterizer.
Treatment of sofa wood surfaces
Over time, the wooden elements of the sofa wear out and begin to look unaesthetic. To fix this, it will be necessary to carry out a series of measures for their restoration. First you need to disconnect all the wooden inserts from the frame. The photo of the restoration of the sofa with your own hands shows that the wooden elements are part of the frame, so they will have to be processed without separating them from the frame.
To clean old layers of paint or varnish, you canuse sandpaper or a grinder. It all depends on the complexity of the surface to be treated. Old paint material must be completely removed.
When restoring an old sofa with your own hands, you can observe deep scratches on the wooden decor elements. To remove them, you will have to use putty. It must be of the right composition. After processing the surface with putty, you need to wait for it to dry completely and once again process the surface with sandpaper, achieving a perfectly smooth texture. Wooden elements that have been treated with putty can no longer be coated with varnish alone, since a transparent layer will give out uneven color of the surface. Will have to use acrylic wear-resistant paint.
Sofa decoration
Usually, sofas are decorated if the furniture is made in a classic style. When restoring an old sofa with your own hands, you can add a twist to its appearance. The presence of ruffles and hanging tassels - these are the signs of the classic direction. The material for such a sofa needs to be chosen expensive and elegant. You can sew a cover.
Wooden elements are varnished or stained. Stain gives the texture of wood a noble shade. In the XVII-XIX centuries it was fashionable to do decoupage on solid furniture elements. It looked incredibly elegant. To perform this technique, it is necessary to prepare a paper drawing cut along the contour. This pattern is glued to the surface of the furniture with PVA glue. When the surface is completely dry,the decorated element of furniture is covered with several layers of varnish.
For decoration, you can make small pillows. In the case of a classic sofa, the cushions can be fringed at the edges or decorated with ornaments. The fabric of the cushions must be identical to the fabric of the upholstery. For modern sofas, you can also use pillows for decoration. And it is not necessary to use the same color, but the fabric must be the same as the upholstery fabric.
Decor is unacceptable for furniture made in the style of minimalism or high-tech. The sofa should be strict and monophonic, its forms can only be linear.
In conclusion
If you have patience and make an effort, then the result will always be positive. And now a few recommendations for the restoration of the sofa: before cutting or cutting the material, be sure to check the correctness of the workpiece several times. Do not mask old worn foam with new upholstery fabric. Such upholstery will not last long, it will quickly begin to wipe. Don't rush to get the job done. Think over all the little things, and you will definitely get a decent result.
