DIY Re-Fabric a Leather Couch

Old leather couches become worn and torn after years of use, making a once pristine piece of furniture drab and dull. Before you rush out to purchase a new leather couch, consider recovering your couch with new leather. This will save you the cost of a new couch and will take minimal time and effort, because the process is fairly uncomplicated.

Screwdriver
Pliers
Seam ripper
Electric scissors
Electric staple gun
Nail tacks
Upholstery needle
Thread

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the old leather upholstery. Flip the couch over. Remove the staples and tacks with a screwdriver and pliers. Slowly release the leather from the frame of the couch.
- 2
  Separate the old leather with a seam ripper. You should have pieces from the back, seat and arms. Lay the new leather upholstery on the ground, completely flat, on a clean surface.
- 3
  Place the old leather upholstery on the new fabric, and begin cutting out the new fabric, using electric scissors. Electric scissors work well with leather, as they can easily cut through tough fabrics.
- 4
  Place the new upholstery pieces on the couch, and pin them down. Place the pins several inches away from each other, depending on the size of the couch.
- 5
  Secure the upholstery fabric with nail tacks. Tack the arm pieces on the arm rest. The back should be tacked at the bottom of the couch, near the legs.
- 6
  Thread an upholstery needle with thread that matches your leather upholstery. Seam the pieces of upholstery together, using small 1-inch stitches.
- 7
  Staple any loose pieces of leather to the frame, using a staple gun.

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