If the old sofa or chair lost its former attractive appearance, then the owner has two options. The first is to throw away the old furniture, and instead, in the new furniture salon, buy a fashionable sofa. The second option is to give an old sofa or any other upholstered furniture a second life. Many people 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, consider how this is done.
Dismantling and dismantling of old upholstery
At this stage, it is necessary to disassemble a sample of furniture for the future banner. You need to dismantle a sofa or chair on the components - this is directly the seat, back, side parts. Some items, such as a wooden sofa frame, may require minor repairs. It can be performed at this stage of the work.
In order to completely disassemble any type of sofa, you need to dismantle the side parts - you should unscrew the screws that are screwed into the base frame. Next, remove the seat and back. This is done after the sofa mechanism is removed. When the mechanism is dismantled, you can easily completely disassemble the entire remaining structure - the seat and backrest can easily separate from the base. In some models, the back and seat are a single unit. Before undertaking dismantling, it is advisable to sketch the fastener order of all elements of the mechanism - you can fix it on paper or use the camera on a smartphone. Modern sofas have a rather complicated design - marks on paper or photos can significantly help with the reassembly.
Features of upholstery removal
In the process of removing the upholstery from each of the parts of the sofa or chair, you need to act as carefully as possible - it is important not just to remove the old upholstery fabric at all costs, 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 the upholstering of upholstered furniture with your own hands, the old upholstery elements are used as a pattern. Then, when all the upholstery is removed, the condition of the internal filler is examined - this is most often foam rubber, synthetic winterizer. Inside some models you can find batting. If the sofa sags, 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, during the hauling of furniture with your own hands, the spring unit is also changed - it also wears out.
Upholstery in furniture factories on upholstered furniture is fixed with special brackets. Favorite fasteners for furniture makers are areas facing the walls and floor. To remove the upholstery was easy and simple, you will need a flat screwdriver, as well as pliers.
If the task is to replace the filler of the sofa, it is completely removed from the base - usually it is glued. When removing the sintepon, you should try to keep the pieces of foam rubber in the places where the bolts for mounting the sidewalls are installed. Next, the new foam rubber will be pulled over the part, and on top it will be closed with canvas or synthetic winterizer. Then it will be attached to the frame of the sofa with brackets.
Tools and materials
Do-it-yourself upholstery will require a certain tool. First of all, you need a furniture stapler - it is best to purchase professional pneumatic models, but a mechanical tool will do just fine. You also need a screwdriver, powerful screwdrivers, a hammer, a nail puller, a measuring and marking tool, scissors, chisels. In addition, you should prepare an appropriate place for cutting fabric. To sew a new case, a reliable and powerful sewing machine is useful.
Furniture Repair
After removing the old upholstery, serious damage can be detected under the scuffed fabric. But you do not need to be afraid of them. Any problems can be solved with the help of minimal investments and a set of tools.
Cracks in frame beams
Any models of old sofas and armchairs are based on the frame. The latter consists of wooden parts interconnected by 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 joints on self-tapping screws, which are now and again in new sofas now. When the useful life of the upholstered furniture comes to an end, the frame at the corners weakens and cracks appear in these places. Beams must be changed.
For replacement it is recommended to choose dry wood. There should be no defects on the board - knots, cracks, bark. The forehead or the middle with an even 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. Castle milling is better to repeat, this can be ordered in the carpentry workshops. Joints of beams are pre-impregnated with carpentry glue.
Broken fiberboard elements
In the process of upholstering furniture with their own hands, owners often have to deal with a broken bottom of the sofa or any other details from fiberboard. Everything is very simple here. It is enough to measure the size and saw out new parts yourself using a jigsaw. It is advisable to prepare separate elements of jumpers - in most older models of sofas 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. Fasten the parts to the frame with nails, a stapler.
Springs
If springs burst in the couch, then not only does depreciation worsen, but there is a risk of injury. The weakest point is the middle part of the sofa. It is here that most often children jump and guests sit. In some cases, you can twist the spring unit by replacing the bursting springs. But there are no guarantees that during operation any old spring will not burst and you will have to tear the upholstery off the sofa again and disassemble the structure. It is much more rational to change the spring block as a whole when hauling furniture with your own hands.
How to change seat belts?
Most often, the seat and back frames in old armchairs are pulled together with special intertwined belts on which foam is laid. These belts break very rarely. But they are wiped more often. This especially happens in places where the belt is connected to the frame. Any suitable durable straps are suitable for replacement. The main thing is that the weaving should be sufficiently dense and strong.
Old caked foam
Furniture upholstery, repair and do-it-yourself hauling mean replacing foam rubber. Regardless of the variety, the latter has one technical characteristic - this is 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 already old and "tired" foam rubber, which has long outlived itself according to this characteristic. It must be thrown away without regrets.
Upholstery and filler selection
When choosing materials for furniture hauling at home with your own hands, it is important to pay 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. Hard materials burst quickly. As fillers for sofas and armchairs, batting, synthetic winterizer, foam rubber are used.
When choosing a fabric, it is worth considering the size of the furniture or element that will be pulled. About 15 percent should be added to this size. Consider the most popular do-it-yourself fabrics for furniture upholstery:
- Microfiber is very soft and ductile. It is pleasant to the touch. To improve its characteristics, manufacturers cover the fabric with teflon - due to this, the 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.
- Chenill 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 various kinds of mechanical damage.
- Jacquard is a fairly dense, light, as well as 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.
- Ecoskin is a modern material, which in its operational characteristics resembles genuine leather.
Create new covers
This is the most creative part of the whole process of upholstering old furniture with your own hands. You can leave the previous look of upholstered furniture, and in this case, you can apply patterns on old covers or old covers, if they are in normal condition.
Having certain creative abilities and sewing skills, you can easily change and improve the look of the old upholstery of upholstered furniture with your own hands. The main modification of the appearance is achieved due to foam pads - you can add soft cushions on the past, make head restraints on the backs. You can add pads 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 on them. By marking, 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 zigzag. The upholstery fabric with a large pile before the line on the machine is swept away manually so that the parts do not move.
If leatherette, natural or artificial leather is chosen as the material, then for the facial seams you need to use not a presser foot of the machine, but a special roller. In the process of sewing, you need to try on the foam cover as often as possible.
Mounting the cover
When it is ready, it is worth starting to pull 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-coat the wood with varnish.
Details of the new upholstery are attached to the main elements and structural parts with a furniture stapler with brackets tucked into it. It is important in the process to properly spread the material. When upholstery, folds and irregularities are not allowed, unless it is a carriage upholstery of furniture, performed by oneself. Any irregularities must be promptly eliminated. During the installation of the cover, it is important to carefully tighten the upholstery fabric. If it is fixed on the frame freely, then for a long time such a cover will not serve.
Carriage coupler
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 do furniture upholstery with a carriage screed with your own hands, you should practice and gain experience.
For upholstery, special fabrics are thus needed. A template is cut out of cardboard with the help of which a pattern of decorative nails or buttons will be formed. In a wooden base, holes are drilled according to the pattern. Next, the stapler in the places under the buttons clog the staples. Further, holes are made at the points in the upholstery. Then pass the hook for knitting from the inside and hook the cord to fix the buttons. The lace is fixed on the back side.