by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: August 24, 2008   Last Updated: September 18, 2008

Have you ever thought that the sagging couch that your family complain about could actually be re-upholstered in your favorite style of fabric? Re-upholstery really isn't has hard as it sounds and could save you a fortune in furniture, and allow you to keep your favorite style of couch though updating the way it is presented easily.

This article teaches you, the home owner, to re-upholster an old couch, and before starting, do find out the antique value of the couch in question, as often an antique couch will lose value if you try to change the way it is constructed. Far better to use a couch with little antique value when performing upholstery with limited knowledge.

Tools required for dismantling:

*Scissors.
*Stanley Knife.
*Staple remover.
*Vacuum cleaner.
*Plastic bin bags.
*Tailor's chalk.

Working in an environment where you don't mind a little mess for a while is a good idea, as upholstery takes time, though remember that you also need good light. If working in a garage, work near to windows or doors so you can see clearly what you are doing. To make the job cleaner, take out removable cushions, and give the couch a good vacuum to get rid of dust and dirt, so that you are working on a clean surface.

Carefully cut into seams with the Stanley knife, being careful just to cut stitches rather than the fabric itself, as this fabric will be used to form a pattern for the new fabric to be used in the re-upholstery process. As each seam is undone, keep the fabric intact and mark on it with tailor's chalk which element each piece of material is. Here, use abbreviations such as "Arm left front" so that you have a good idea where all the pieces that make the jigsaw fit. Some parts will be stapled onto newer furniture. Remove the staples carefully conserving the material and adding to your pattern.

When the material is stripped, you will notice the construction of the couch, and at this stage will be able to see clearly the upholstery padding which has been used. Here, note those areas which are worn, and estimate how much of the wadding you will need to purchase. You will also need upholstery thread which is a very strong thread used in the process of adding wadding to the couch before re-covering it.

Remove the covers from loose cushions by the same methods, taking note where piping is added, and measuring the amount of piping you will need to buy. Piped edges are common on cushions are the piping material can be bought ready to use from upholstery or haberdashery stores.

Measuring

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