How to Upholster My Old Couch

Reupholstering used but good furniture can seem challenging but is really a straightforward job if tackled step-by-step. You can have the sofa of your dreams--or at least one that is clean, attractive and looks new--with a modest investment of time and money. Save even more by buying upholstery fabric at a warehouse or discount store--the ends of rolls may be enough for your job and you can have designer fabric to show off as well.

Tape measure
Pencil and paper
Pliers
Staple gun
Small hammer
Dressmaker pins
Sewing machine
Thread and upholstery fabric
Cord for welting (optional)
Medium-thick batting, polyester or cotton (optional)
Cushion zippers (optional)
Needle
Scissors
Digital camera (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the entire couch with a tape measure---every single area that will get new fabric. Remove the existing fabric carefully, noting where each piece belongs and the order in which you removed the fabric. Use pliers to remove tacks or staples if necessary. Don't rip anything. A good idea is to take photos of the disassembly that you can use to reassemble the pieces later.
- 2
  Lay out all the fabric on the floor face-up with the grain going in one direction, fitting it together in a 60-inch-wide length. This tells you how much 60-inch-wide upholstery fabric you will need. Add extra yardage for welting and for mistakes. Avoid plaids, big patterns and corduroy, if possible, as these require much more time and yardage to match up. You'll need thread to match, zippers if you can't reuse the old ones, batting if necessary, and cord to make welting.
- 3
  Lay the new fabric face-down on the floor or cutting table; place the old fabric pieces face down on it and pin together. Trace the fabric shapes with a pencil on the back of the new fabric. Remove the pattern pieces and cut your fabric a little bit wider than the traced pattern. Cut a strip of fabric long enough to match the cording, let it overlap the cord, right side out, by ½ inch on either side. Stitch the fabric snugly around the cord, leaving the extra material.
- 4
  Remove the old batting, if you are replacing it, and staple or tack new batting to the couch exactly where the old batting was.
- 5
  Make the new cushion covers, putting any zippers in first and pinning the covered welting carefully in the seams before stitching. Stuff the old cushions into the covers. Place the fabric pieces where the old ones were, according to your notes, photos or diagrams, and staple fabric to the frame in reverse order to how you removed the old fabric. Pull the fabric tight but not so taut that it has no give at all. Flatten any staples that stick up by tapping them with a small hammer.
- 6
  Replace the cushions and use any leftover fabric to make extra cushions or cover a matching ottoman.

How to Reupholster Sofa Furniture

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Couches