The Best Way to Upholster the Arms of a Sofa

Strengthen the Arm Frames

• Before you can begin upholstering your sofa arms, you need to make sure you are working with the strongest arm frames that you can. This may seem like an extra step, but it is really for the best. Simply recovering a broken or flattened sofa arm will make your finished project look misshapen. Cut away the prior fabric from the arms and use a flathead screwdriver to remove any staples. Check for broken or rotten areas of your sofa frame and replace as needed. Similarly, replace any upholstery foam or re-fluff with cotton batting as the arms require.

Use a Pattern

• Remove any cushions you can from the rest of the sofa so you can focus on the arms. Instead of laying your fabric directly over the arms of the sofa, try using a piece of muslin cloth to create a pattern. Lay the muslin over the arm of the sofa and trace the shape you need to cover the space. Be sure to push your fabric into the folds of your sofa to be sure it reaches all the way to the wood of the sofa frame. Once you have traced the shape, flip it over and be sure it is a match with the other arm of the sofa. Lay the muslin onto your upholstery fabric and pin it in place with straight pins. Add about 2 inches around all edges and cut out your fabric.

Accounting for Curves

• The arms of many sofas are curved, as opposed to having sharp corners. This may make them seem more difficult to upholster, but they can be covered in generally the same way as straight edges. Pull your fabric taut over your sofa arms and use a staple gun to cover the arms. Staple in place to the frames. To upholster the curved areas, simply walk your fabric around the curve, inch by inch, pulling taut and stapling in place. You may need to fold the edges over each other slightly, or cut thin slits in your fabric to be sure they fall correctly in place.