here ‘s a comparison of the couch before and after reupholstering. hellovictoria
When Cats Scratch Up Your Couch, Just Reupholster It!
When I moved into my first base apartment, I bought an old fix of furniture on Craigslist for my live board. It included a burn orange corduroy couch, a chaise lounge, and a coffee postpone. Overall, the quality of the furniture was good, but the framework was worn out from years of use. correct after I got the determined, I adopted two kittens, Zeus and Oliver. They loved the couch arsenic much as I did. They loved it thus much that they wanted to literally be inside of it and managed to pull the arm fabric open so they could climb inside. I decided to reupholster it and ended up with a beautiful, red suede sofa when I was done. hera ‘s how I did it !
The Old Sofa : The “ Before ” film hellovictoria
Cat price for days. In this photograph you can see the line of cording at the wrinkle and the extra framework valuation reserve needed. hellovictoria
Things to Know Before You Get Started
- This is NOT a one-weekend project. It took me approximately three weekends and some weeknight evening work to complete.
- Be prepared to pull a lot of staples. Wear shoes so you don’t step on any pieces of metal that might go flying.
- It is generally a good idea to purchase additional fabric beyond what you measured for just in case you need it.
- This tutorial’s measurements are based off of my couch. But every couch is different, so take the time to do thoughtful measurements.
1. Measure Fabric for Upholstering
The very first thing you will need to do is to plan your undertaking. To adequately plan, you will need to first take measurements of every patch of visible framework on the couch, and some concealed pieces. This includes :
- Outside couch fabric (the upholstery on the shell of the sofa)
- Interior fabric (the upholstery on the inner part where you sit)
- Cambric (the dust cover, usually made of a thin material that covers the underside of the sofa—it’s different from the upholstery fabric)
- Cording (that round, upholstered cord you might see at the seams that adds an accent and also makes the seam stronger)
- Batting (the puffy, cushiony layer of material under the upholstery). If the old batting is still in good condition, you don’t have to replace it.
2. Make a Table to Keep Track of Your Measurements
See the one I made below .
- Remember: the measurements you are taking are only the parts of fabric that you can actually see. There’s more fabric hidden on the inside that you can’t see, places where the fabric is sewn or stapled to hold it in place. To compensate for that hidden seam or overlap, you need to add an “allowance” to every piece of fabric.
- Including an allowance: I added 4 inches to each side so the width and height of each piece of fabric I will cut is increased by 8 inches total. Pay special attention to providing allowance for the inside arms and the outside back!
- Your “cut size” is the total amount of fabric you need for each piece: the measurement of the fabric you see plus the allowance.
- If the old batting is still good, you don’t have to replace it. If not, you’ll also want measurements for the batting. Every couch uses batting differently, depending on the design. I felt around my entire couch, and any part of it that felt padded, I measured for batting. This included the inside arms, inside back, and inside seat (over the springs but under the cushions). I added two inches of allowance for each “cut size” of batting.
| Piece | # of Piece Needed | Length (inches) | Width (inches) | Allowance | Cut Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outdoor Arm | 2 | 28 | 34 | 4 inches all sides | 36×42 |
| Inside Arm | 2 | 28 | 35 | 4 inches all sides | 36×43 |
| Outside Back | 1 | 29 | 79 | 4 inches all sides | 37×87 |
| Inside Back | 1 | 28 | 72 | 4 inches all sides | 36×80 |
| Front Foot of Couch | 1 | 17.5 | 97 | 4 inches all sides | 25.5×105 |
| Seat Cushion Walls | 2 | 6 | 128 | 4 inches all sides | 14×136 |
| Seat Cushion Top/Bottom | 4 | 27 | 41 | 4 inches all sides | 35×49 |
| Back Cushion Front/Back | 6 | 26 | 29 | 2 inches all sides | 30×33 |
| Cording | 5 | N/A | 225 | 8 inches | 233 |
| fabric for Cording | 5 | 3 | 225 | 8 inches | 3×233 |
| Cambric Dust Cover | 1 | 38 | 78 | 2 inches all sides | 42×82 |
| Inside Seat Fabric ( Spring Cover + Outer Fabric | 2 | 22 | 70 | 4 inches all sides | 26×74 |
| Batting – Inside Arm | 2 | 28 | 37 | 2 inches all sides | 32×41 |
| Batting – Inside Seat | 1 | 22 | 70 | 2 inches all sides | 24×74 |
| Batting – Inside Back | 1 | 28 | 74 | 2 inches all sides | 32×78 |
3. Plan the Cuts on Paper First
now that you have measured and made allowances, it ‘s time to draw the pieces on a small scale so that you can figure out how a lot framework you will need altogether. Before doing this, make certain you know how wide the roll of framework is that you picked out so that you can efficaciously plan the cuts to waste minimal framework. Mine was a 54-inch roll, and most bolts of fabric are. Below is a photograph of a little section of my planning to give you an idea of what this looks like .
On paper, plan the cuts you ‘ll make on upholstery yardage. If you plan carefully on wallpaper beginning, you ‘ll waste less fabric ( and money ! ). hellovictoria
4. Purchase Supplies
Use the supplies list below as a model to ensure that you get what you need for your plan ( changing the measurements, of naturally, to match your needs ). You might purchase a few supernumerary yards of framework and batting precisely in subject something happens and you need more .
| What I Needed | Where I Got It | What I Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Upholstery fabric ( I used Signature Series Home Decor Fabric in True Red ) ; 18 yards | Joann Fabric Store | $ 144.00 |
| soft N Crafty 8 oz polyester bat ; 12 yards | Joann Fabric Store | $ 41.88 |
| Staple artillery | any hardware store | $ 15.97 |
| 1/2 column inch steel heavy duty staples, 2 packs | any hardware store | $ 6.24 |
| 10 pieces of rigid tack strips | eBay | $ 8.99 |
| Curve Ease/Pli-Grip ( 100 feet ) | eBay | $ 17.50 |
| 12 yards of 8/32 ” cord, 2 gang | Joann Fabric, eBay | $ 8.98 |
| Heavy duty red train of thought | any craft memory | $ 1.99 |
| 4 Foster Decorative Millwork 2-3/4 ” Pine Taper Bun Feet | home Depot | $ 23.92 |
| 4 heavy duty top plates ( for the leg ) | home plate Depot | $ 10.48 |
| Upholstery governor or flathead screwdriver | Amazon or any fabric store | $ 10.75 |
| Dust cover ( I used a excess two-dimensional sheet ) | varies | varies |
| Rubber mallet | any hardware storehouse | $ 11.99 |
| Fiskars 12-71787097J Titanium Easy Action Scissors, 10 column inch ( you do n’t have to use these demand scissors, but I love them ) | amazon | $ 19.01 |
| Extra fabric for the inside pieces of your couch, such as under the cushions ( I used a spare two-dimensional sheet ) | varies | varies |
| Needlenose pliers | varies | varies |
| sum cost : approx. $ 321 |
5. Deconstruct the Couch Carefully, Making Notes
You will learn a fortune about how to put your sofa binding together by taking it apart. It ‘s crucial to look at the seams carefully and to keep track of which layer went on top of which. Take notice of everything you do : how pieces were put on the sofa ( which sides were stapled vs. where a tack strip was used, etc. ), what side of the objet d’art was put on beginning, and what order you take the pieces off. This will be good to refer to when you are putting the frame back together. If you can, take pictures of how it was put together to help you remember how to put it back together .
It ‘s crucial to take notes of what you do while dismantling the couch so you know how to put it back together again. hellovictoria
4 Steps to Deconstruct Your Sofa
1. Turn the sofa over.
The beginning measure for all couches will be to turn it inverted and take the legs off, then take the cambric dust cover off .
here ‘s the sofa while I ‘m removing the cambric and after it ‘s removed. hellovictoria
2. Remove all the staples on the bottom of the couch.
Using pliers, remove all the staples around the bottom of the sofa so you can start figuring out which assemble you need to take off first. This staple-removing process will probably be time-consuming. Find person to help you if you can .
Removing the staples is one of the most arduous parts of the process. hellovictoria
3. Remove old upholstery carefully.
Identify the piece that needs to be taken off inaugural. For me, the first base part to remove was the outside back. I removed all of the staples and found that the short sides of the framework were held in by sheet strips. To remove a tack strip, insert your pliers into the fold of the fabric where the interchange strip is and lightly lift up. duplicate for the length of the append strip. I had to do this for both sides, then to get the last side of the framework removed, I had to remove more staples .
Removing the tack strip. hellovictoria
4. Remove the rest of the fabric pieces.
How you proceed will depend on how your individual couch was constructed. Take notes on how you take it apart. You might save these pieces of honest-to-god fabric to use to check your measurements .
Taking off the rest of the bet on framework.
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6. Recover the Couch Springs and Base
I started by re-covering the frame springs. I laid a piece of cut-to-size sail down first, then a layer of batting, and stapled both down. I applied another layer of batting around the base of the frame, then I measured my framework to recover the basis. This piece requires sewing : first the inside induct framework covering the give batting. I used an old blue sheet for my at heart seat fabric, so that I did n’t have to use the expensive suede cloth framework for this region. then I created the corners so I could slip the fabric over the root .
The empurpled sheet was used to cover the springs. hellovictoria
then I applied a layer of bat and besides pieces of cardboard across the front to help support the clear of the base. hellovictoria
After I got the movement inside rear separate of the couch upholster, it was all actually smooth sweep. hera ‘s the front of the couch with the seat cushions ! hellovictoria
Putting on the cream for the base of the frame, and Zeus helping me re-measure the fabric from the bottom of the sofa so I got the right human body. hellovictoria
The base and spring cover amply attached. hellovictoria
7. Prepare Cording
After getting the basis of the couch on a well as the bat for each arm, my adjacent footprint was to do the arms. I started by getting my cording ready. Cut your cording into the size of pieces you will need, then sew the fabric over it to match what you will need for each piece. I needed five pieces : one for the front of each arm, one for each english of arm, and one spanning the top back of the frame .
Putting together the cord ! hellovictoria
8. Recover the Arms
The arms are, in my public opinion, the most boring and unmanageable part of the integral sofa. I had to look up tutorial videos in order to make sure I was doing it in the easiest and fastest way possible. I did the inside arms first and then the outsides. I followed the tutorial video recording below for these two pieces, making adjustments for my couch .
My finished outside branch ! hellovictoria You may have noticed that Kim mentioned Curve-Ease. It is a flexible metallic element l-shaped strip with holes in one side for staples to attach it to the frame of the couch and tooth in the early side to grip the fabric. You can cut it with regular scissors ( not your framework shears ) to fit your piece. here is a tutorial on using Curve-Ease which will make finishing the arms a small bit easier .
This is Curve Ease, or Ply-Grip. It is basically an l-shaped flexible metallic plunder with holes for staples in one end and tooth for the fabric in the other. hellovictoria
9. Re-Cover Back
After the arms were done, most of the boring work of covering the skeleton was over. I then covered the inside back, using two layers of batting rather of fair one because I thought it needed more .
- I applied the cording to the top edge of the couch, then put the outside back of the couch back on.
- I used Curve-Ease along the top edge next to the cording, then used one tack strip on the left and right vertical sides, which covered the edge of the fabric and staples from my outside arms.
- Then I stapled the piece all the way shut on the bottom wooden part of the frame.
10. Re-Cover the Seat and Back Cushions
inaugural, we deconstructed the covers and used them to cut pieces of fabric that were about the lapp size ( with a few extra inches of room on each measurement fair to be safe ). then we installed zippers into the back wall of the seat covers to make it easy to take them off and wash them if needed. After the zippers were installed, we pinned and sewed the walls of the cushions to the cutouts of the seat shock absorber tops and bottoms. To make the back cushions, we measured the length and width of the erstwhile bet on cushions, sewed brand new ones from the fresh framework, and stuffed them with the Poly-Fil stuff .
Finished seat cushions ! hellovictoria
Finished pillows ! hellovictoria
11. Finishing Touches: Dust Cover and Legs
The last step in the process is to put the end touches on your couch. This includes stapling on the new cambric scatter cover and attaching the leg .
- To save money, instead of buying a new dust cover, I used an old purple sheet. I tipped the couch up and stapled the new dust cover onto the couch. After it was stapled, I cut off the excess.
- For the legs, I spray painted them with a hammered metal spray paint. After that, I affixed the brackets for each of the new legs to each corner of the base of the couch and screwed the legs in.
And from there, I was finished ! I hope you found this tutorial helpful for your own project .
here ‘s the back of the couch, finished. hellovictoria
And the couch finished from the side. hellovictoria
Questions & Answers
Question: What are the best steps to putting back the upholstery framework ? Answer: If you are referring to putting the upholstery fabric second on the furniture, write down the steps of how you took the framework off, then follow those steps in backwards order. © 2014 ToriM Lamanda Norat on February 02, 2020 : fair found a beautiful chase with beautiful curves ! The framework is in great condition but not my semblance. I am little intimidate Harata Pou on April 02, 2019 : Thank you for the tutorial. It ’ south simple adequate for me to do and accomplish. I thought to pay person else but I can save myself lots of $ $ $. Jin on October 04, 2018 : Thank you Tori for the tips ! You are such a big help : ) ToriM (author) from Atlanta on October 04, 2018 : Hi Jin, here ‘s my recommendation : If it was like my sofa, there will be about a one-half edge of space between the back and the arms, where the arms would touch the back. manipulation a prison guard driver or something flat to push the bat, and then the framework, in to that outer space. If that distance has a bunch of cross supports that would prevent you from pushing the framework in as one firearm, then cut little flaps in the framework and push the flaps in to each space, making the cuts just big enough to make the inner sleeve framework lay flat and not bunch up. the best comparison I can think of to what I ‘m saying is like putting a newspaper dress on a newspaper doll – how it has flaps the accommodate the dress on. I hope this help ! ! Jin on October 03, 2018 : Thanks for the answer Tori ! I have just finished removing all the framework and staples from my frame. My fabric and batting are here, equitable need to get foam for the back and arms. I ‘m quite puzzle how to tuck the inner arms – the sofa in the television you inserted is n’t precisely like my sofa. There is no space ( I ‘m exaggerating : p, there ‘s actually 8 inches space from the top of the arms ) between the arms and the back. It ‘s pretty much like your sofa actually. then now, I do n’t know how to tuck the framework between the back and the arms since they are attached by and large. Please avail : ( I ‘m adhere ! ToriM (author) from Atlanta on September 28, 2018 : Hi Jin, For my finical sofa, there was no foam on the inwardly rear or arm when I took it apart, there was only batting. So when I redid it, I merely used batting arsenic well. however, looking back on the stick out I do wish I had used possibly a one or two column inch foam to make everything a tad snatch soft, so that is decidedly something you could do a well ! good luck with your project ! Jin on September 26, 2018 : amazing reupholstery job ! Your post gave me a draw of confidence and tips on doing mine. flying question though – did you have to use any character of foam for the inside back or inside arm ? Mona Sabalones Gonzalez from Philippines on October 06, 2017 : I love what you did to your sofa : ). Graham Lee from Lancashire. England. on January 08, 2015 : Hi Tori. Another foremost class hub.Your ability and easily to understand style is excellent. voted up and all. Graham. S T Guy from USA on September 06, 2014 : capital caper ! Awesome hub. I ‘m impress. ToriM (author) from Atlanta on July 15, 2014 : do n’t be discouraged ! ! I was quite intimidate starting this project … after I started ripping off the fabric it in truth hit me that I was committed to the project nowadays, haha. But good keep trying – equally retentive as you have the right tools and material you can do it ! : ) I hope if you do reupholster again that the tutorial comes in handy and that you will be able to send pictures : )
Read more: Mochi Ice Cream
North Wind from The World ( for now ) on July 14, 2014 : belly laugh ! You did a great speculate and this is a useful tutorial. If only I had this a few years ago when I tried to reupholster my old couch. I used staples and regular black material but the result was a disaster ! It was a standing jest in the family. I do not think that I have the courage to attempt another reupholstering myself but if I do I know which tutorial to follow .
