Любая, даже самая прочная мебель постепенно wears out and takes on an unsightly appearance. The sofa, as an actively used piece of furniture, is no exception. Do-it-yourself sofa restoration will allow you to return its attractiveness and functional irreplaceability.
Sofa upholstery pattern.The easiest way to repair upholstered furniture is to invite professionals. This approach is entirely justified if your sofa is unique and has antique value, or if its design is very complex. In most cases, sofa restoration is a completely realistic and cost-effective undertaking. The question of how to restore a sofa is solved quite simply if you do not spare time and purchase high-quality material.
Useful information
The sofa consists of several elements that havestandard design. The main elements include the back, side panels, and seat. In addition, sofas can contain overhead elements (ottomans, pillows, etc.), additional mechanisms (unfolding mechanism, hinges, etc.) and decorative fittings. In turn, the main elements include the frame, upholstery, filler, and back panel. The seat design also includes a shock-absorbing element.
Scheme of the sofa arrangement.The frames of the main elements are made of wooden bars of different sizes. Usually the bars are connected with adhesives, and the joints can be reinforced with screws. Foam rubber of different thickness and density, as well as batting, padding polyester or other soft synthetic fillers are used as filler. The shock-absorbing element of the seat is most often made in the form of springs, but it can also be represented by a thickened sheet of foam rubber. The armrests of the side panels are formed by an additional layer of soft material. All the main elements are covered with fabric or leather upholstery on top. To prevent sagging or stretching of the fabric upholstery, tightening elements (decorated, for example, in the form of buttons, rivets, etc.) are used on the surface of the main elements. Return to the table of contents</a>
Basic principles of restoration: step by step instruction
Any restoration of an old sofa (regardless ofits causes) includes replacement of upholstery and filler, as the materials of these elements are subject to the fastest wear. Replacement or repair of other elements is carried out as necessary, if they are damaged. An exception is the repair of a fairly new sofa if the frame or shock-absorbing element is damaged due to mechanical impact or due to a manufacturing defect. In this case, the upholstery and filler remain in good condition and their replacement is impractical. During repair, the upholstery is carefully removed and the damaged element is replaced, after which the upholstery is returned to its place.
Sofa upholstery options.If after identifying damage a decision has been made to restore an old sofa, then it is necessary to determine which element will only be repaired and which will be completely replaced. Accordingly, a list of the required materials and their quantity is made. When restoring a sofa with your own hands, you should simultaneously decide on the need to make changes to the design. The following improvements will not cause any particular difficulties: increasing the thickness of the sidewalls; changing the shape of the armrest; changing the rigidity of the seat and back, etc. Return to the table of contents</a>
Selection of upholstery material
The upholstery of a sofa is the most visible and most worn element of any sofa. The upholstery material must meet a number of requirements, such as:
- resistance to abrasion;
- mechanical tensile strength;
- reduced ability to concentrate dust and dirt;
- aesthetic appeal;
- harmless to humans;
- dye stability.
Leather upholstery has many advantages,but it is expensive and difficult to install by yourself. Such upholstery is usually used if the leather was on an old sofa. A good tapestry is very beautiful and aristocratic, more technologically advanced, but does not differ much in price from leather. At the same time, it should be taken into account that both leather and tapestry have a long service life.
Layout diagram before upholstery.The choice of fabric color is very important from both an aesthetic and practical point of view. When selecting fabric, you should consider the need to combine it on different elements of the sofa structure and its location on the area of the element itself. The least waste is achieved when using plain fabrics and fabrics with a small abstract pattern. Excessive material consumption occurs when cutting fabric with a large pattern in the form of geometric shapes, lines and cells of different colors. Dense fleecy fabric can hide many flaws when stretching it. When choosing fabric, you need to check that the pile is firmly attached to the base. Cotton fabrics are not practical, they wrinkle and are not resistant to abrasion. Velor fabrics look good, but have low wear resistance and actively collect dust. Return to contents</a>
Choice of filler
It is widely used as a filler.foam rubber and synthetic padding. When choosing a material, you should pay special attention to its quality. Synthetic padding should be white without significant shades. It should not emit unpleasant odors. The strength of synthetic padding is such that it is difficult to tear it by hand; if it tears easily, then this is a low-quality material. Foam rubber of at least 50 mm thick or several layers of 20 mm thick are usually used in the seat and back. The structure of high-quality foam rubber contains very small pores. When buying a material, you should check its elastic properties: after pressing the foam rubber with your hand, it should quickly return to its previous position. Return to contents</a>
Dismantling the sofa and its elements
Sofa disassembly diagram.Restoration of a sofa begins with its complete disassembly. It is performed in the following order. All overhead and decorative elements are removed. The side panels are unscrewed. The mechanisms for unfolding the sofa and fixing the elements are dismantled. The back and seat are separated. Complete disassembly of the side panels includes unscrewing the legs and fittings, removing the upholstery and taking out the filler. The armrest is dismantled. The strength of the frame is checked. Disassembly of the back begins with removing the rear panel. Then the tightening elements are dismantled and the upholstery is removed. The filler is removed. The strength of the frame is checked. Disassembly of the sofa seat includes disassembling the tightening elements and removing the upholstery. The shock-absorbing elements are removed. The filler is removed. The strength of the frame is checked. It should be taken into account that in a number of sofa designs, the upholstery of the back and seat is carried out with one continuous piece of fabric on both elements. Often, the sofa seat is installed on a pallet. Its separation and disassembly completes the disassembly of the entire sofa. Return to Contents</a>
Cutting of new upholstery
The easiest way to cut new fabric is byold upholstery. If it was possible to remove it carefully, it will serve as a template for the new upholstery. With such a cut, it is advisable to add 1-2 cm on all sides, providing an allowance and facilitating subsequent stretching. If a decision is made to expand the sidewalls, the corresponding change is taken into account when cutting. If it is impossible to use the old upholstery, all elements are measured using a tape measure and a meter ruler. Then a pattern is made on paper and the fabric is cut. Return to the table of contents</a>
Restoration of the seat and backrest
First of all, the frame is repaired ifit is necessary. For this, damaged or deformed wooden bars are replaced. The places where the bars are attached are strengthened. Shock-absorbing elements are installed. Foam rubber and other filler materials are cut using a tape measure. Filler sheets are laid. The upholstery fabric is placed on top of the filler.
Tools for sofa upholstery:hammer, drill, saw, wrench, screwdriver. The tightening elements are installed in the places where they were previously located, in order to avoid making new holes in the base of the frame. A hole is made in the fabric and filler with an awl. The fastening elements are fixed on the back side of the frame base, thereby fixing the upholstery to the surface of the seat. The upholstery fabric is stretched onto the seat and secured with a stapler to the inside of the frame bars. The fabric is stretched evenly to prevent the fabric from skewing. The fabric is secured with staples. The distance between the staples usually does not exceed 40 mm. Repairing the back is similar to restoring the seat. The back does not have shock-absorbing elements, which somewhat simplifies its restoration. In most sofas, the upholstery of the back and seat is combined, so the upholstery fabric is not secured to one side of the seat, but goes to the back. Then, on the back, the fabric is secured with tightening elements, similar to the seat. The upholstery fabric is stretched evenly over the back and secured with staples. The section of fabric covering the joint between the seat and the back is not secured to the frame and should allow these elements to move relative to each other when the sofa is unfolded. The plywood of the back panel is covered with fabric and secured to the back of the back. Return to Contents</a>
Restoration of sidewalls
A synthetic padding or is applied to the side framethin foam rubber (20 mm thick) and fixed to the surface of the frame base with glue or staples. An armrest is formed from foam rubber of the required size and fixed with glue. The upholstery, pre-stitched in the form of a cover, is put on the side and stretched on both sides, at the back and bottom, and then fixed there with staples. The joint of the fabric on the back end of the side is covered with a plywood panel covered with fabric. Tightening elements are installed, if they were provided. Additional elements and fittings are mounted. The sofa is assembled in the reverse order in relation to disassembly. Return to the table of contents</a>
Tools and equipment for the restoration of the sofa
- a mechanical or electric stapler;
- drill;
- Screwdriver;
- sewing machine;
- awl;
- side cutters;
- pliers;
- a screwdriver is flat;
- a hammer;
- hacksaw;
- chisel;
- plane;
- scissors;
- roulette;
- the meter line;
- knife.
If the sofa creaks, loosens, takes on an unsightly appearance, this is not yet a reason to get rid of it. Self-restoration of the sofa will give it a second life.
