Sofa Reupholstering

When to Reupholster

• Furniture is expensive to replace, so if your old sofa is threadbare, you may decide to change the fabric by reupholstering it. Chances are reupholstering a high quality sofa will be less expensive than buying a new sofa. However, some furniture that was manufactured recently may not have high quality construction. In that case, buying a new sofa would make sense. To decide if the sofa should be reupholstered, inspect it to make sure it is worth saving. A high quality sofa will have hard wood without knots and dark spots and it will contain durable padding held by resin-coated twine.

Fabric

• If you decide to reupholster your sofa, you must select fabric and list the parts that you need to cover with the fabric. For example, you will have to cut fabric for the seat, the inside of the back and arms, and the outside of the back and arms in addition to other parts of the sofa. Measure the parts of the sofa to determine how much fabric you will need. A sofa with loose cushions will need more fabric than a sofa with tight cushions.

Do-It-Yourself versus Hiring a Professional

• You can certainly save money by reupholstering your sofa by yourself. However, bear in mind that if you do the job yourself you will have to buy the tools and set aside a workspace before learning how to do it. A professional can advise you about the type of fabric you need and the amount you need to buy. If there is damage to the frame, a professional upholsterer can make the needed repairs before changing the fabric. Remember that if you make a mistake, the results can be costly.

How to Reupholster

• Before you can place new fabric on the sofa, you must remove the old fabric and other materials. Strip the bottom cloth off the sofa along with the fabric from the outside back and arms from the bottom up. If the padding is in good repair, you may leave it in place and reuse it. Remove the rest of the original fabric. Make V cuts in premeasured pieces of the new fabric to fit around the frame. Use staples to hold the fabric in place.