Reupholstering a Couch
I have reupholstered a few couches. My first reupholster project was a beat up looking couch bed, one that pulls out into a full bed with a mattress inside. When opened however, the inside was in excellent shape and looked new. I bought the couch bed from a neighbor for $24. It has afforded many years of excellent use.
It had been chewed up by pets and was very worn, so what I did first was take off all the old upholstering material. It was either tacked in place with staples or tacks. So first I removed all the staples and tacks. Then I began removing the worn-out fabric from the arms, the cushions, and the back. (I just have a natural knack for sewing things and recreating things, so I didn't need instructions for this project. I probably inherited this ability from my uncle who was an upholsterer - I did inherit his sewing machine - an old singer treadle. I never watched him do his upholstering because he lived in Massachusetts and I lived in Pennsylvania).
So here are my instructions for reupholstering a couch:
1) As mentioned above, first remove all old upholstering material. The only tools you will need for this are a screwdriver to poke out the old staples, or the end of a hammer that takes out nails if there are tacks anywhere holding down the upholstering material. Also, in this phase, take notes, as to how it was done before. This can help with putting it back together.
2) Once you have removed all the old material, you are ready to begin.
3) Take off each piece carefully and in one piece, so you can either measure the pieces or make patterns of the pieces. Most times you can just cut to measurements, pieces of fabric to fit each part. But the cushions need to be sewn, so these measurements need to be exact. Also, if you are adding ribbing, you will need to sew fabric onto the ribbing and sew the ribbing in place.
4) Once you have all the pieces removed, measure them with the straight of the grain. That means measure them according to the way the selvage will run when buying new fabric. All pieces should be cut parallel to the selvage or with the straight of the grain, not the cross grain.
Measuring your pieces will help you determine approximately how much fabric you will need. It is always good to buy a little extra for extra throw pillows to match your couch or just to make sure there is enough.
You can also measure your couch before removing the fabric. Use a tape measure and measure all parts, and always with the straight of the grain. The back piece for instance would be measured from top to bottom or from bottom to top, not from left to right etc.
The arm pieces are also measured from top to bottom. The front piece below the pillows is measured from top to bottom, not left to right.
5) The pieces for a couch usually consist of the back, two arms, the front above the pillows, the front below the pillows, and the pillows. These are the basic parts of the couch.
6) Now you can cut your pieces according to your measurements. You can also cut pieces by draping them over each couch component and cut according to what you need.
7) The next important thing to do is check the batting. If the batting is worn down on the arms or the front above the pillows, it will have to be replaced. In the case of my first couch project, I needed to replace batting.
You can purchase batting in a fabric store or craft store. In the case of my first upholstering project I improvised for batting and used old blankets and old pillows.
You can also do this.
8) You can also change the style of your couch with the way you put in your batting and sew your parts together. In my first project, I decided to change the style a bit. I didn't like the square ribbing look, which was going out of style, and preferred a more rounded look for the arms. So I put on the batting and made my arm covers accordingly.
9) Choice of fabric can be totally different also. I went from a brown plaid couch to a maroon fake fur couch.
10) Once you have the batting in place, and the pieces of fabric are cut, you can begin to fit them in place. Use a staple gun (artist or carpentry style), and stretch your pieces over each component of the couch. Make sure they are stretched well so that they will not sag - here you are going for the professional look. Most pieces are stapled to the wood frame underneath.
The back piece above the pillows is stretched over the top in the back and stapled to the back framework in the back. The bottom part is stretched underneath to the back and stapled to the bottom of the back framework. The sides are stretched to the back and stapled to the sides of the back framework.
The bottom piece below the pillows is stapled inside of the framework at the top and bottom and sides.
11) Once the above pieces are all in place, you can attach the back piece. It will cover up all the pieces that have been stapled to the back. This piece is attached at the top of the back frame by stapling it to the top of the frame over your stapled front piece, so you will want to make sure when stapling this piece that it is covering the staples that stapled in the front piece. Take the piece of fabric you cut for the back and lay it over the front, right sides together and position the top of the fabric over your staples in the top of the back frame that are hold in the front. Staple closely together in a straight line across the frame. When you have stapled the entire length, flip it over. Your back is entirely in place except for the sides and bottom. Make sure that you stretched this well over the back when you stapled it.
For the sides, I used some decorative upholstery pins. Just turn your fabric under and hammer your pins in place.
Now stretch the entire piece over the bottom of the back frame and staple underneath.
Your frame is now finished.
12) Now about the cushions. For the cushions you will have to sew these together according to the pattern you made when removing the pieces. If you need ribbing you will sew your fabric over the ribbing and then sew your pieces to the ribbing.
13) It is a good idea to insert a zipper, so that your covers can be removed for cleaning. It the cushions had zippers in before, try to use one cushion as an example of how to sew your zipper in.
14) In some cases you may want to buy a whole new cushion to cover. Most cushions are foam rubber and you can buy those at a fabric or upholstery store. If you are changing the style of your couch, you may want 2 fatter cushions instead of 3 skinny cushions, or the like, so make your choice before covering them.
15) It is also a good idea to cover your foam rubber cushions with a plain cotton type cloth before covering with your upholstery fabric. It will save your cushions.
If you have leftover fabric, make some throw pillows to match.
We have now finished reupholstering the couch. You can save a lot of money by reupholstering your couch rather than going out and buying a new couch. (I have now reupholstered the same couch bed three times - it is no long maroon fake fur - it is a sky blue upholstery fabric design - quite elegant). You can also reupholster your couch to blend in with your decor.
People often wallpaper the walls and find upholstering fabric to match. This can give a decorative appeal to your living space and can show off your home decorating talents.
When looking for fabric to cover your couch, don't exclude fabric that is upholstery fabric per se. You are looking for fabric that you love, that blends in with your decor, and that will make an excellent conversational piece.
Some parts of the country have stores that offer more variety in upholstery fabric. But some upholstery fabrics are very expensive. If you only have access to small fabric stores or even flea markets, you can still find excellent bargains. Keep looking and you will come across a fabric that appeals to your senses and will bring you hours of pleasure once it adorns your favorite couch in your favorite room.