How to Re-cover a Sofa

Remove all cushions from a sofa. Examine the cushions for mildew and insect infestation. Take a vacuum, one that removes dust mites or one with a bristled head, and vacuum the cushions first, before reupholstering.

Measure the height, width and length of the sofa and cushions. Bring the measurements to a supply store where upholstery fabric, piping and batting is sold. Cut a small square of the old upholstery with upholstery scissors, and take the fabric with you to get a match if replacing with the same fabric. Buy enough fabric to fit the sofa or sofas. Ask a sales clerk for assistance to determine the amount of fabric yards needed according to your measurements.

Remove the old upholstery from the sofa. Cut along the edges of upholstery, and pull down to remove. Use needle-nose pliers to pull out old staples attaching the fabric into the frame of the sofa. Use a carpenter’s hammer with a claw tooth side, and remove any nails holding fabric in place. Be careful during this step. Don’t pull nails out roughly from the sofa frame. Sometimes nails can split wood if yanked out too forcefully. This is especially true on antique sofas, for the wood is more aged and brittle.

Take the new upholstery and place it over the old fabric. Use the old fabric as a template, and cut the new fabric for the sofa. Place the new upholstery over the sofa. Make sure the new fabric is straight, and pin the fabric into place in sections, so that the fabric is ready to be attached. Cut excess upholstery fabric with upholstery scissors, and place scraps into a storage case, or sewing basket. Save the excess fabric for repair jobs, if needed.

Attach the upholstery fabric. Begin at the rear, behind the sofa. Work from the bottom up, pulling the fabric tightly up over the back of the sofa, to the front. Secure upholstery with a staple gun as you work, stapling into the sofa's wood frame. Make sure the upholstery is smooth and not bunched in sections. Reupholster the arms of the sofa next. Apply piping or batting with the use of a hot glue gun. Attach the piping or batting to the edge of the sofa arms, to where piping or batting was located on the sofa originally. Remove pins.