The correct upholstery of the sofa with your own hands. Features of the implementation of sheathing sofas with explanations How to sheathe a corner sofa with your own hands

As you know, people are very attached to comfortable, favorite things. This is especially true for furniture. If your favorite sofa loses its original presentation, the upholstery on it is torn or worn, then it should be replaced. But what if good memories are associated with this piece of furniture, and buying a new sofa will cost a lot?

In this case, you can try to breathe a second life into your favorite thing. This is quite simple to do by dragging the old sofa with a new fabric.

The main thing is to think carefully and plan all the work, and you will see that this process is quite simple, creative and interesting.

Repairing wooden sofa frame

A sofa is not only an important piece of furniture for a person, but also an indispensable element of the interior of an apartment or house. Having settled down on it, you will have a rest after work, take a nap, read your favorite books and magazines, watch TV. It is precisely because the family spends quite a lot of time on the sofa that the upholstery wears out, and over time requires careful restoration.

Of course, there are cases in which it is easier to get rid of the old sofa and buy a new one. For example, an outdated model that went out of fashion many years ago, or a completely leaky frame that threatens to fall apart. Old wood shrinks and creaks, chipboard begins to release toxic substances over time, and dust mites appear in the stuffing and fabric. But even in this case, you can completely repair.

You will need tools and free time. First, carefully inspect the sofa to find out exactly what needs to be replaced. Take a flat screwdriver, use it to remove the staples that hold the upholstery, and remove the fabric. A screwdriver and pliers will help remove too tight staples.

Check the quality of the substrate. It will need to be removed, even if it is well preserved, otherwise you will not be able to properly inspect the frame. To remove old fasteners, you will need flat screwdrivers of various sizes, wire cutters, hex keys and side cutters.

After the substrate is removed, all wooden elements, especially the frame, should be checked for safety. Any broken or damaged boards and parts must be replaced or, if possible, repaired. You will also need to glue or additionally strengthen all joints.

After the repair of the wooden elements is completed, proceed to the dressing of the springs on which the batting and stuffing are located. The springs should not be tightened too much, 1/5 of full compression will be enough.

We lay the foam rubber

After the wooden frame is completely freed from nails, staples and the broken old fiberboard, fix a sheet of plywood on it, and stick the foam rubber on top, carefully checking the dimensions of the seat and back, leaving no margin for the collar, but without cutting off the excess.

When choosing foam rubber, be guided by the following conditions:

  • The optimal thickness of the foam used for the seat and backrest is 40 millimeters. For the sidewall, 20 millimeters of thickness will be enough;
  • Pay attention to the density of the foam rubber. The best material for covering the sofa seat is foam rubber with a density of 46 units, for the back - more than 30 units.

Low-density foam rubber deforms very quickly, especially on sofa upholstery. Therefore, for such work, it is better to choose a denser and more rigid material. But you should not go too far: too dense foam rubber will be very inconvenient during operation. In order for the sofa to be optimally soft and elastic, experts advise laying foam rubber in two layers: the lower one is hard, the upper one is soft.

First, glue the first layer of foam rubber to the plywood sheet, which must be cut strictly to the size of the frame. Glue a second, softer layer on top. Its optimal thickness is 30 mm, and when calculating the size, an allowance for bending to the base in its front part should be left.

After the interior of the sofa is completely restored, you can start upholstery work.

Making an upholstery

Before you start upholstery, prepare all the necessary tools for the job. You will need:

  • Construction stapler;
  • Crosshead screwdriver;
  • Flat screwdriver;
  • Staples;
  • A hammer;
  • pliers;
  • wallpaper knife;
  • Needle;
  • Coarse thread;
  • round nose pliers;
  • Scissors;
  • Nail Puller;
  • Drill;
  • Glue (PVA works well).

To reupholster your favorite sofa, you will need not only beautiful, but reliable and high-quality material. Choose special sofa coverings such as flock. Chinchilla, leather, tapestry, courtesan, velor or jacquard. The fabric should be dense and stiff, so the materials used for sewing garments, even outerwear, are not suitable.

It is also very important to decide what functions the updated sofa will perform. If you plan to only sit on this one, then take a fabric with the addition of synthetic fibers, it is more resistant to wear. If the sofa will be used for sleeping, it is advisable to opt for natural fabrics.

When fitting a sofa, it is very easy to make some mistakes. The most common of these is the incorrect calculation of the amount of fabric used. Try to buy material with a margin. It’s better to have extra fabric left (a good housewife, especially a needlewoman, will always find a use for such trimmings) than not enough at the most crucial moment, and you won’t be able to buy it in addition.

You can use nails for hauling, but the furniture in this case may not look very neat, especially if you are new to this business. Therefore, it is better to use a special stapler.

In general, if this is your first time taking on such work, it’s better to practice first. Cover, and in the process, you will feel the fabric and learn how to use the tools.

How to make fabric calculations for covers

It will take about 8 meters of fabric to cover a standard sofa and sew a cover for it. In order to make more accurate calculations, measure the length and width of the sofa. The formula "2 lengths + 2 widths" is usually taken into account. Let's say the sofa is 200 cm long and 160 cm wide. In this case, you will need a piece of material 7.2 m long and 150 cm wide. This is an approximate calculation that will help you approximately determine how much money you need to buy fabric and decide which choose the material - more expensive or cheaper. It may turn out that it would be more expedient to turn to specialists for work on the upholstery of the sofa.

In order for the calculations to be as accurate as possible, you need to have some experience. To do this, you will need to accurately measure each section, each detail, mark the measurements on paper on a reduced scale, and make layouts using the shared line.

The pattern on the fabric can also affect the required amount. For example, materials with geometric patterns, especially stripes, should only be cut in certain directions, and the pattern should be monitored to match, which will significantly increase consumption and cost. The best option would be a plain fabric, working with it will not require special attention.

In any case, to your preliminary calculations, no matter how accurate they may seem, add another meter of material. You may always need it.

We make a pattern

The easiest way is to make a pattern on a sofa of a regular, rectangular shape, even if it is angular. Take accurate measurements for each detail separately, and place them on graph paper, taking into account the direction of the cut. After the outlines are drawn, transfer them to the fabric from the wrong side using chalk. Do not forget to leave an allowance for the seam and hem of the fabric, for dense furniture material they will be about 3 cm.

It is very difficult to give exact recommendations on the shape of the cover pattern and determine the cost of the work, since now there are many original models of sofas, and for each option there is a different method of tightening. But there are some standard tips that will save you from common mistakes.

For example, if you are new to this kind of work, leave a wider seam allowance when laying out the pattern on the fabric. During these fittings, you will adjust the size more accurately, the allowances will be adjusted, and the excess will be cut off. The more dense the pattern will be during construction, the more opportunities to make a mistake. The sofa only seems to be perfectly rectangular, but in fact its shape is quite complex, and it is almost impossible to make accurate calculations.

Even at the factory, upholstery for furniture is not sewn according to exact patterns, the edges of the fabric stretched over the body are fixed with bartacks, and after that they are aligned. Therefore, it is better to make a free-form cover, and after putting it on, correct the shape.

Sofa cover sewing

When sewing covers for the first time, try to get cheaper fabric. It will be a shame to spend a lot of money on beautiful material, and throw away the finished work because it did not live up to your expectations. Try your hand at the simplest, cheapest fabric. Such covers can be used if desired, for example, to fit old furniture in the country, or even used on rags. And when you realize that your level is high enough, and the necessary skills have been obtained, proceed to the upholstery of the sofa.

For sewing sofa covers, you should use especially strong threads - reinforced. At the place of the seams, the loads are especially great, especially if the cover was sewn on dense embroidery, and therefore it is strongly stretched. In these places you will need a double line.

With sewing covers made of dense fabric, an old hand-operated sewing machine will do just fine. Among modern household sewing machines, there are very few models that can handle thick material intended for furniture.

Of course, it is difficult to avoid mistakes in such painstaking work. But they can be covered if you use decorative elements: ribbons, bows, pillows. All this is easy to make yourself. In the same pillows, you can use excess upholstery fabric as stuffing.

A removable sofa cover is a great way to make work easier. It is enough just to put it on the sofa and fix possible flaws after that. But if you still decide to fix the skin on the body, then using a construction stapler, nail the fabric to the frame with staples after 2-3 cm. The main thing is to make sure that the coating does not sag and is not too tight.

As you can see, old furniture that you love can be given a second life. And it is not so difficult to do it yourself, at home. As in any manual work, you will need to equip yourself with the right tools, expert advice, patience and determination. Good luck!

Over time, even the most durable furniture upholstery can become unusable: the original color will be lost, cuts and scuffs will appear. It would seem that this sofa is still standing and standing, because the body is strong. But here's the upholstery ... And throwing away this miracle, which has been useful for more than one year, the hand will not rise. And not worth it! Breathe new life into your furniture with your own hands!

How to drag a sofa with your own hands, consider a specific example. For clarity, let's take a small sofa with the possibility of transformation. Such sofas, as a rule, are (or were) in every family.

First, remove the old upholstery using a flathead screwdriver. With its help, we hook the bracket, swing it and get it. In the event that the brackets are sitting firmly, we slightly push them out with a screwdriver, and then pull them out with pliers. We check the quality of the substrate. If it is in good condition, new upholstery can be pulled over it.

When choosing a new upholstery fabric, first determine the functions of your "new" sofa. If it is designed solely to be sat on, opt for a more durable and hard-wearing fabric with synthetic fibers. If you are going to use it for sleep, choose a fabric that contains natural fibers. Such upholstery will allow the body to "breathe", warm in cold weather, cool in the heat.

How to pull a sofa with your own hands

The first step in replacing old upholstery is to cut the fabric.
After you have dismantled the pillows, measure them for length, width and height. On each side, add 5 cm to the fold of the fabric(this way we will fix the fabric to the wooden frame on the back side of the pillow). Marking is best done with chalk on a flat surface. As a result, we get the square of the parameters we need. Cut it out along straight lines.

We straighten the resulting blanks on a flat surface with the right side down. In the middle we place a pillow, also face down. We tuck the fabric of the workpiece from all sides and fix it with staples to the wooden frame. Staples should be located at a small distance of up to 4 cm from one another.

To make the process easier, pin the fabric in several places on the side of the pillow, then flip the pillow over and tuck the opposite raw edge in to secure the fabric at the same distance on the back. In the same way, we fix the fabric on the two remaining untreated areas of the pillow, having previously wrapped the corners of the workpiece inward.
Similarly, we change the upholstery on all parts of the sofa.

DIY sofa upholstery video tutorial

Good changes are loved, if not by all, then most for sure. The old, but such a familiar and beloved sofa has worn out to the end, but there is no money for a new one, or are you just so close to it that it’s a pity to throw it away? Update it, put on it a beautiful, in harmony with the interior of the room, upholstery and it will change, and you will not have to be upset, looking at the old junk every time. How to fit a sofa with your own hands and at the same time repair it will be discussed below.

Tool

In order not to be distracted by searches during such an exciting process as covering a sofa, pre-assemble the tool that is in the house, and if not everything, then purchase the missing one. Here's what you need to stock up on:

  • a set of screwdrivers;
  • hammer;
  • scissors;
  • stapler with staples. The most suitable 8 or 10 mm;
  • pliers;
  • different wrenches;
  • self-tapping screws;
  • screwdriver;
  • glue - PVA is best.

sofa upholstery material

decorative material

Upholstery fabric must meet the basic requirements:

  • be strong;
  • retain its original appearance when in contact with the external environment;
  • easy to clean.

Most often used:

  • tapestry - a dense, noble fabric, has a dust-repellent property. Suitable for retro design;
  • jacquard - very aesthetic, with a double-sided pattern, artificial silk. Looks solid, cleans well;
  • flock - the basis is natural or artificial: cotton, polyester, respectively. Velvety, voluminous, pleasant to the touch. The main advantage is that the cat can scratch as much as it likes, no traces will be visible. It tolerates cleaning well, both dry and wet;
  • velor - durable material, low pile, does not wrinkle;

  • Shinil - resembles velor, but of better quality. The material is semi-synthetic or natural, fleecy, durable, breathable;

  • non-woven and woven artificial suede - the material is environmentally friendly, strong. At first glance, it is difficult to distinguish from natural suede. Cleans well, can even be washed with warm water;
  • leather - natural or artificial. The material is practical and durable.

What else?

In addition to decorative, you will also need another consumable. So take care and get:

  • furniture tape;
  • foam rubber;
  • braid;
  • include edging here.

How to upholster an old sofa?

To determine how much it costs to cover a sofa, first disassemble it and determine which elements need to be changed. For clarity, consider a specific sofa with a telescopic mechanism.

Sofa components

The sofa consists of the following parts:

  • backs;
  • seats;
  • armrests;
  • lower part - kings;
  • back locks.

Disassembly

  • We unscrew the bolts that hold the armrests on the base;
  • remove the seats;
  • disconnect the king;
  • we lay out the sofa and turn it over with the front part to the floor;
  • remove the back
  • remove locks;
  • dismantle the seats;
  • remove old fasteners: nails, staples;
  • remove the old upholstery;
  • we take out everything that filled the sofa;
  • if the springs are intact, then we leave it as it is, and if there are faulty ones, then we take out the block.

Note: Do not throw away the removed upholstery. When you sew new covers, the old ones will serve as patterns for your pattern.

Repairing internal parts

First, we repair the spring blocks located in the armrests and backrest:

  • unscrew the faulty springs with pliers;
  • install in the block, if necessary, new springs;
  • fix the blocks with nails on the frame.

Since the springs that we did not replace still have wear, especially on the seat, we make them more elastic:

  • cut into small pieces of foam rubber;
  • we tightly stuff the spring block with pieces of foam rubber;
  • well, if there is an old blanket - they can cover the spring block from above, if not, then we select some other similar material. You can use burlap for this purpose;
  • we nail a layer of material with nails to the frame;
  • we sew the springs to the covering material using a thick needle and twine;
  • depressions may form between the springs. We add stuffing to them: either foam rubber, or cotton wool;
  • we cover everything with calico or calico with binding material, pulling it tightly and fixing it with nails;
  • we spread foam rubber sheets on one side with glue;
  • with the smeared side we lay them on top of the material. It will stick and lie flat.

On a note: if sagging springs come across, then it is not necessary to throw them away, instead this, stretch them. They will continue to serve. To make the sofa look more voluminous, you can lay a sindepon on top of the foam rubber.

All the work that needed to be done before covering the old sofa is behind. Now the fun part:

We sew covers

  • lay out on a large table or on the floor the fabric that was chosen for upholstery, on top of the pattern. They left the old covers - remember?
  • we circle the samples with chalk;
  • cut out, leaving allowances;
  • we cut on a typewriter.

Dressing up the sofa

  • We put covers on the armrests, back, seat;
  • the places where new clothes will be attached should remain in the same place where the old covers were fixed;
  • we fix the covers with a stapler, while we stretch the fabric every time we drive in another fastener.

This will help you: so that the upholstery lies flat, start working on a long side and move to short.

Assembly

Assembly is carried out in the reverse order of disassembly:

  • we strictly monitor the coincidence of labels;
  • we fasten the lock to the back, then to the seat and to the side;
  • we mount the sidewalls;
  • we attach armrests to the sidewalls;
  • we fix the wooden panels, having previously varnished them, if required.

As you can see, anyone who really wants to can upholster a sofa, because nothing is impossible for an addicted person.

How to fit a sofa book

Many homes still have book sofas or, as they are also called, sofa beds. The design of this old-timer sofa is simple:

  • seat;
  • back;
  • sidewalls.

The main thing, how it differs from other sofas, is that the back and seat are covered with one common cover, which simply bends when folding and unfolding. Just the inflection is the weak point in its design: there the cover most often breaks. If you have this legacy of the Soviet era in your apartment and have already decided to get rid of it, do not rush: repair it, cover it with budget material and take it to the dacha, there it will be like a godsend.

We dismantle and repair

The work will consist of the following operations:

  • remove the side walls;
  • we disconnect the mechanism by which the sofa folds and unfolds;
  • remove the bed from the pallet and turn it over;
  • we disconnect the back and seat;
  • we study the condition of the removed mechanisms. If damaged, you will have to change;
  • remove the cover;
  • We take out the springs, most likely they are already quite worn out. What to do with them, you know, since we talked about this above;
  • with everything else we do the same as in the case of a sofa equipped with a telescopic mechanism.

And is it important: since the sofa has two mechanisms, try not to confuse them: the right install on the right side, and the left one on the left, otherwise you will not be able to fold the finished sofa.

How to upholster a sofa in leather

Sofa with leather upholstery looks respectable. If you cover a sofa with this natural material without even a little experience, then you can fail. First, study the issue thoroughly. How to cover a sofa with leather, the photos available on the Internet will certainly help you somehow navigate in terms of choosing a material, but it’s better if you see the whole process. On the topic of how to fit a sofa, the video will allow you to get acquainted with all the problems that arise along the way, small nuances.

Got some theoretical experience? Then let's get started. The process will consist of several stages.

Sequence of work

  1. Parsing:
  • first dismantle the armrests;
  • detach the back and seat;
  • very carefully remove the old covers;
  • check what is being done inside;
  • we change what has fallen into disrepair.

2. We will not use the old upholstery as a template. Great accuracy is needed here, because in order to cover the sofa with such material, you will have to pay a decent price, so we make patterns. Along with the details of the exterior trim, we also cut out the lining, and for this you will need a special adhesive material.

3. Having checked everything again, we cut it.

4. Can be stitched, while:

  • we exclude the sweeping operation - the needle will leave holes;
  • we fix the upholstery elements from the inside with adhesive tape;
  • The foot of the sewing machine moving over the fabric can cause it to warp. To prevent this from happening, lubricate the skin with petroleum jelly, it will slide easily without lingering under the foot.

5. The allowances that we left for the seams when cutting out, after the parts are sewn, will fold together and will bulge out from the front side with a tubercle. To make the surface smooth, we separate the allowances and iron them with a slightly warm iron through gauze soaked in water and wrung out.

6. Glue the allowances from the wrong side;

7. We impose a self-adhesive lining;

8. It is better to strengthen the seams using braid.

Padding

  • We put on covers very carefully, smoothing them along the way;
  • we attach the covers to the details of the sofa with a construction stapler;
  • assembling the sofa.

A little about the skin as a material for covering

If you cover the sofa with leather yourself, its cost will, of course, be lower than if you bought a new one. But, the skin must be of really high quality, then it will fully justify the price paid for it. Skin has obvious benefits:

  • easy to clean;
  • it is hygienic;
  • abrasion resistant;
  • elastic;
  • frost-resistant;
  • soft and pleasant.

The excellent leather of the Pelle Nobile group for furniture is produced in Italy. Here there are samples and very expensive and with an average price. The peculiarity of Pelle Nobile leather is naturalness. During processing, a minimum of chemicals is used, the natural top layer with its inherent pattern is preserved.

In Russia, they also produce high-quality furniture leather - this is Dizzaro. The manufacturer is a tannery in Ryazan. The quality of the skin provides:

  • verified source material;
  • the use of only high-quality chemistry;
  • the latest equipment;
  • control at all stages;
  • international certificate.

Naturally, leather from a Russian manufacturer is cheaper than from an Italian one.

Choosing foam rubber

When buying such a filler for a sofa as foam rubber, or rather polyurethane foam, you need to pay attention to its following characteristics:

  • density. For parts with different loads, foam rubber is selected with an unequal density: for a seat with a larger one, and for the armrests and backrest a little less:
  1. The seat is most loaded, so you need to take PPU with a density of 30 kg per 1 cubic m - brand EL3040, or even higher - EL4050, only then cover it with super-soft polyurethane foam brand HS;
  2. On the armrests and backrest, a density of 25 kg / m3 is suitable.
  • Softness;
  • elasticity.

High-quality, safe PPU that meets all standards is produced by the Russian company Muromporolon. Its advantages include:

  • environmental friendliness;
  • hypoallergenicity;
  • democratic value.

Sooner or later, even the highest quality and modern sofa can lose its former appeal. With each year of operation, the upholstery of this furniture becomes thinner, stains and bald spots may appear on it. Correcting the situation will help hauling the sofa, which, if necessary, can be done independently.

Peculiarities

You can drag the upholstery on a sofa of any shape and size, while this work can be done both independently and with the help of specialists in a furniture workshop. In the case of performing a hauling with your own hands, it is worth remembering that such a process has some features that you will definitely have to face in the course of work.

First of all, you will have to take care of choosing and acquiring not only the right material, but also a sufficient amount of it. So, for a leather sofa as an upholstery material, it is better to purchase not natural leather, but eco-leather, while the material should always be taken with a margin.

Not only the appearance of the restored furniture, but also the subsequent period of its operation will depend on the right choice of fabric.

Must be taken into account structural features of a particular model of furniture. Some sofas have a rather complex shape and when replacing the upholstery they cannot be completely disassembled, so you will have to try to ensure that in such places the fabric completely repeats the shape of the sofa itself. So, pulling a corner sofa, it is necessary to pay special attention to the degree of stretching of the fabric precisely at the corners and joints of the connection of the parts of the frame of this furniture. With the implementation of this work, some difficulties may arise without the proper skills.

The second feature is that if the furniture is too old and not only the upholstery fabric itself has worn out, when hauling it will be necessary to replace not only the material, but also partially the filler in the furniture, and possibly some parts of the frame.

This should be taken care of in advance.

Thanks to the upholstery of sofas at home, you can not only extend the life of the furniture itself, but also visually advantageously change its appearance, and with it the room itself. After all, many people know that the overall style of the interior of the room is still set by the furniture that is located in it. Therefore, the process of restoration itself must be approached very seriously. During the work itself, one should not rush and be distracted by foreign objects. It is best to do the sheathing at a time when no one and nothing can disturb you.

You need to be prepared in advance for the fact that the work itself, and especially the one performed for the first time, will take you quite a lot of time and effort.

By and large, any sofa can be sheathed at home, regardless of its dimensions. The main thing is to stock up in advance with all the necessary materials and tools, carefully study the instructions for performing this work and be ready to fully follow it. If such work seems rather laborious, then you can practice on a chair or armchair, or even entrust the upholstery pulling to specialists.

Material selection

In any case, regardless of whether the upholstery work will be done by yourself or by specialists, the first thing you will have to face is the choice of the right material. Experienced craftsmen recommend in this case to use the following tips:

  • Necessarily it is necessary to change the soft filler of the sofa and not just its top fabric. If a synthetic winterizer acts as a filler, then preference should be given to one that has a pure white color, as this is evidence of its high quality. If the filler is foam rubber, then it is necessary to use two of its sheets 2 cm thick at once, and lay a sheet of felt between them.

  • As the material of the upper upholstery, it is better to choose dense fabric with a small pattern without large and voluminous prints. This will save on material, because its pieces will not recline due to a mismatch in the pattern. In addition, as practice shows, such sofas get dirty less and retain their appearance better during operation.

  • It is better to give preference to fabrics that do not have pile, for example, from leatherette. If there are villi, it is necessary to ensure that they are short and of the same length. Please note that the fabric does not have a sharp and strong unpleasant synthetic odor. If it is, then this indicates a low quality and its unsuitability as a fabric for furniture restoration.
  • It is better abandon too rough materials and replace them with eco-leather or tapestry, which will give the furniture a refined, beautiful and stylish appearance. The word "rough" refers to a fabric that is unpleasant to the touch and has an unpresentable appearance. Using such material, you can not update your furniture, but on the contrary, artificially age it even more.

  • It is worth remembering that natural cotton materials wrinkle too quickly and when used during dragging, they lose their original appearance, so it is best to discard them. Otherwise, after a few months of regular use, the sofa may need restoration again.
  • Jacquard fabric fits perfectly, it is quite dense, wear-resistant, has an attractive appearance and at the same time is realized in various color variations. But it is better to give preference to jacquard in dark colors and without bright color accents on the fabric. They are the first to be erased and spoil the entire appearance of the upholstery.

  • Flock and velor have a beautiful appearance and are quite pleasant to the touch, but at the same time they quickly rub off and lose their attractiveness, so the use of such fabrics is also highly undesirable.
  • material such as chenille, has good wear-resistant performance, is attractive in appearance and is perfectly cleaned of any dirt, so it is recommended to use it as a material for dragging sofas.
  • Arpatek it may well become a worthy replacement for genuine leather or eco-leather, as it has the same characteristics as them, but at the same time has a lower cost.

As the main material for pulling sofas, you should choose a dense, lint-free fabric with a small pattern or plain materials that have high wear resistance. It makes sense to choose only such fabrics, because they will allow you to use the updated sofa for a very long time.

I would also like to note that if the sofa has wheels or legs, they should also be changed to new ones while the upholstery is being pulled. This will completely refresh the appearance of the sofa and improve its stability.

Preparatory stage

After the necessary material is selected, you can proceed to the first stage of dragging the sofa, which consists in creating a pattern from the fabric. Particular attention should be paid to this stage, because the result of all the final work will depend on the quality of its implementation. In this case, the pattern can be made in two different ways:

  • Make a pattern based on the old upholstery, which was previously dismantled from the sofa. In this case, the removed upholstery is applied to the purchased fabric and outlined. Be sure to leave an overlap of a few centimeters - 5 will be enough. In the future, the resulting pattern is applied to the frame of the furniture, and if it matches its contours, then it is cut out.
  • The second option is more labor intensive. First, all parts that can be removed are removed from the sofa - armrests, backs and pillows, carefully measured with a tape measure from all sides, and the results obtained are transferred to the fabric, taking into account the addition of 5 cm to each side. Further all parts of the pattern are cut out and applied to suitable places on the sofa. If everything is in order and the parts of the pattern are of the required size, you can proceed to further steps.

When creating a pattern using any of the methods described above, experts recommend double-checking the correctness of the measurements taken before cutting the pattern out of the fabric. It is in this situation that the proverb “measure seven times, cut once” is more relevant than ever.

Required Tools

In order to carry out the upholstery of the sofa at home, as well as to perform its preparatory stage - creating a pattern, the following tools may be required:

  • Upholstery material.
  • filler material.
  • Scissors.
  • Chalk or bar of soap.
  • Stapler and staples for it.
  • English pins.
  • Sewing machine or just a thread with needles.
  • Extra strong threads.
  • Screwdriver.
  • Pliers.
  • Pliers.
  • Roulette or regular measuring tape.

Depending on the type of sofa, you may also need a glue gun, medium thickness felt, a spring block, a screwdriver and self-tapping screws. The number of tools always directly depends on which model, shape and dimensions of the sofa chosen for restoration.

If everything is clear with the material, scissors and chalk, then pliers and a screwdriver, as well as pliers, can be used to unscrew some parts of the sofa while directly pulling the material. Not in all cases it may be necessary to use all of the above tools, but just in case, it is better to prepare everything in advance than to run around the apartment later in search of a suitable tool.

How to do it yourself?

Covering a sofa at home is not such a difficult process. If this procedure is performed for the first time, then of course, some difficulties may arise. In order to avoid them and fit your favorite sofa on your own as simply and quickly as possible, we will tell you step by step how to drag two types of sofas - regular and corner.

Straight without springs

Work should begin with the dismantling of individual components of the sofa, such as corners, pouffe, backs and pillows:

  • If necessary, use a screwdriver or pliers. The main thing, dismantle with the utmost care so as not to damage all parts of the sofa. It is best to put them together sequentially when removed.

  • Further the old upholstery is removed from the sofa body and the removed parts. This process is quite time-consuming and requires extreme accuracy, because the removed material can later be used as the basis for a pattern. It must be laid out on a flat horizontal surface for its leveling. This will help in the future to take measurements more accurately and correctly create a pattern.
  • After tissue removal cleaning the interior of the sofa, dust, debris and stuffing particles are removed. Now, if necessary, you should remove all the packing and replace it with a new one, or simply straighten it and give it the correct position.
  • The next stage is creating a pattern. How it can be done correctly was described in detail above, so we will not describe this process again.

  • Now you need cut details attach directly to the sofa. This work should be done in stages and carefully. The material itself should be stretched as evenly as possible so that the pattern does not squint and as a result the sofa looks like a new one. It is best to start the hauling from the back, sides and seat of the sofa.
  • After the upholstery is replaced on them, you can proceed to direct pulling of the frame the sofa itself. The fabric is attached with needles and threads to removable parts and with a stapler to the frame. You can also use a standard glue gun.

  • Now you need reassemble the sofa in the reverse order of its dismantling. In the event that pieces of fabric remain, they can be used to haul ottomans or decorative decoration of the backs or armrests of the sofa itself. Decor, of course, should be selected independently, in accordance with the overall interior of the room and the style of the furniture itself.

Angle with spring mechanism

The corner sofa itself has a more complex design, and the level of complexity of the upcoming work on replacing the upholstery is also increased by the existing springs. Therefore, I immediately want to say that the sheathing of a spring sofa will be longer and more troublesome compared to the restoration of a simple model that does not have spring blocks. In any case, the process of pulling the sofa can be divided into the following stages:

  1. Dismantling the sofa into two components. Here it is necessary to separate the corner parts from each other. With the correct execution of this stage, you should get a free-standing small sofa and a corner chair.
  2. Now you need to remove all the components that you can dismantle yourself.
  3. Next, we remove all the stuffing from them and do the same with the material on the frame of the sofa itself.
  4. We remove the filler and take out the spring block itself, which is attached to the bottom of the sofa with twine, which must be carefully cut. If the springs are intact, then we carefully straighten them and set them in place, if not, then we go to a hardware or furniture store and get new ones.
  5. It is necessary to intertwine all the springs together with very strong linen or cotton threads.
  6. We make a pattern from the removed packing, and carefully fold it and lay it on top of the springs, lay out the filler on top, new or previously cleaned of existing contaminants.
  7. Now we cut out the patterns obtained and sheathe the removable parts of the sofa with new upholstery, then its frame. As in the previous case, you should carefully monitor the uniform tension of the material on the parts of the sofa.
  8. After all parts of the furniture are overstretched, you first need to assemble the sofa, that is, connect the sofa itself and the corner chair, and only then install its removable parts.

According to a similar scheme, almost any model of sofas with spring blocks can be restored. The main thing is to carefully follow the instructions and perform all the stages of work slowly.

Speaking of self-retensioning sofas at home, one cannot fail to mention the useful advice of experienced professionals in this matter. It is their recommendations that will help to perform such work as correctly, safely and quickly as possible, but most importantly, the result will please you for a very long time.

First of all, it is worth mentioning once again about the choice of the material for the upholstery of sofas, it should not only be dense, but also quite heavy. The fact is that such furniture is used in various situations, and the heavier the fabric, the longer it will last you. The material is exactly the part on which you should not save.

Often, when performing such work, many people prefer to change the upholstery inside the furniture itself. It makes sense to do this if the internal packing is in a satisfactory condition. If it has completely become unusable, and the spring block, if available, also has to be changed, it is better to abandon the restoration of such furniture and purchase a new one. Many competent furniture experts often say that a complete restoration of a sofa is often more expensive than buying a new one. Therefore, you can re-tension the sofa if its springs or padding are in good condition.

If such work is performed for the first time, you should first practice on smaller furniture. If the sofa is expensive or antique, it is better to give it to specialists for restoration.

Pulling sofas is actually quite a fun and creative activity. Many people admit that after doing the restoration of their furniture on their own, they began to practice such work regularly. After all, such upholstery allows you to change the appearance of the furniture when you want, and with constant practice, restoration takes little time and does not cause any inconvenience.

How to give a second life to an old sofa, see the next video.

It is no secret that the upholstery of upholstered furniture loses its original appearance very quickly. Mechanisms and fittings are often still in excellent condition when the fabric is already badly worn. It is useful to know how to pull the sofa with your own hands. This skill does not require the knowledge of an experienced furniture maker, you only need desire and accuracy. Here are step-by-step instructions with photo and video tutorials.

Preparatory stage

The first thing to do is to assess the difficulty and expediency of the work. If the design of the sofa is very ornate, consists of many elements of complex shape, there may be serious difficulties in constructing patterns and directly sheathing. It is almost impossible to bring antique, antique things that require a particularly careful attitude of a professional restorer at home. However, if a completely ordinary sofa is distinguished by a strong base, fully functional fittings and a mechanism, replacing the upholstery will give excellent results. Here is a step by step guide.

You need to stock up on simple tools in advance:

  1. Pliers.
  2. Screwdriver.
  3. Anti-stapler.
  4. Wire cutters.
  5. Screwdriver.
  6. Scissors.
  7. stapler.

When everything is prepared, proceed to disassemble the sofa. First, the sidewalls are disconnected, then all the dilapidated elements are removed from the central part. Watching a video demonstrating the disassembly of the sofa can save a lot of time.

If there are springs in the sofa, they are inspected and replaced if necessary. Belts should be replaced. Foam rubber and other soft stuffing elements in almost all cases must be replaced. When disassembling a sofa into its component parts, it is important to be careful about the integrity of the old upholstery. Since this fabric will serve to build new patterns. After all, the home master does not have the knowledge of a cutter.

Advice. When disassembling the sofa, take step-by-step photos of the process. This will eliminate any confusion in subsequent hauling and assembly. You will know exactly where to attach what and in what order.

The removed upholstery must be carefully smoothed and the elements transferred to a new fabric. When cutting, allowances for bending are taken into account. You also need to pay close attention to the shared thread. That is, the elements should be placed on the fabric directly, along the weave of the threads. If one of the parts is placed obliquely, the material acquires excessive plasticity and may deform.

In some cases, an important part of the beauty of the new upholstery is the arrangement of patterns on the fabric. For example, large floral motifs, stripes along or across, combinations of different prints. If a fabric with complex patterns is chosen, it is necessary to cut even more carefully. It is also recommended to buy material with a margin. By analogy with wallpaper that has a large pattern that requires alignment.

Upholstery upholstery process

Cut out all the details with sharp scissors on a flat surface. At home, this is best done on the floor. Depending on the complexity and configuration features of the sofa parts, a sewing machine may be required. But usually the elements are sewn together simply, according to traditional technology. Therefore, the ability to lay a straight seam on a sewing machine is quite enough. The choice of fabric for new upholstery is very wide, but if there is no furniture assembly experience, it is better not to choose materials that are difficult to work with, such as eco-leather, suede, slippery fabrics. The following types of furniture fabrics are well suited:

  • chenille;
  • microvelour;
  • mat;
  • jacquard;
  • flock;
  • thermal jacquard.

In most cases, the frame of the sofa, suitable for hauling, is made of wood. Therefore, it is most convenient and practical to attach new upholstery with a furniture stapler. You should try to place the staples as evenly as possible, at an equal distance from one another. This will ensure uniform tension in the fabric.

Advice. A number of sofa designs involve details filled with thick foam rubber. Working with such elements often causes difficulties, the fabric wrinkles and lays unevenly. It is recommended to first wrap the foam rubber with a thin padding polyester, and then install it in place. So it is much more convenient to work and the result is much more accurate.

The raw edge of the fabric should be folded inward. The most important stage is to ensure uniform tension of the material on the furniture, without distortions and folds. If we talk about this part of the work step by step, then first you need to determine the middle on the pattern and the center of the fitted part. Fasten the fabric in the designated place. Then the upholstery is attached in the corners, then on each side. Further, evenly and neatly breaks through with brackets around the entire perimeter. This is a very responsible job, it requires a firm hand and a sharp eye. To notice possible errors in time and easily correct them.

Replace the foam with a new one

When the individual elements and the central parts are fully upholstered, you can start assembling the sofa. Here the photo instructions that we made earlier will help us. We perform all the manipulations in reverse order. As a result, many owners do not recognize their old sofas, so replacing the upholstery and interior filler changes the thing.

Of course, pulling a sofa at home on your own is not so simple. However, this will not only save a lot of money, but will also give you the opportunity to create a unique thing. Bring your own design ideas to life. Sometimes, knitted fabric, fabric of very bright colors, etc. are used as non-standard upholstery.

Padding a baby sofa: video

How to drag a sofa: photo