If you’re looking to change the look of your furniture, such as your couch, but you don’t have enough budget to buy a new one, you have got a couple of options. One is to use a loose sofa cover to completely change the look of your couch. They’re available in a wide range of different fabrics and colours, allowing you to change the look and feel of your sofa on a whim. 

Alternatively, you can try to reupholster. It is a process used to add life and function back into something old.

You can use various materials, such as fabric or foam, depending on your preference. With this method, you will usually need a lot of time, and it is dependent on the condition of the couch, but with patience and careful work, it can bring out the beauty in an old piece of furniture once again. Here are a few tips.

Study The Couch

You must know what you are doing, and part of it is to know your furniture. You will need to study the couch before you even start. In doing so, you will know what condition the couch is in and how much work you will have to do. If it is in a poor state, it may be better to buy a new one instead of repairing it.

Furthermore, you can examine the frame of the couch that has been used as a guide on where new materials go into place. It is advisable that you turn off and unplug the TV when doing this and wear rubber gloves and goggles for safety reasons.

Choose the Best Quality Materials

If you want your couch to last for some time, you should consider buying the best quality materials. There is a lot of upholstery fabric that you can choose that delivers top-notch quality. This choice will help in keeping your couch looking good as time passes.

Take Out Old Materials

The first thing you need to do is take out the old fabric and foam and clean them. There are several ways to remove them, such as cutting them off or using a saw, depending on the kind of couch you have.

Also, you can use an electric knife if you want it to be neat and professional-looking. When the old one has been removed, you can now fit in the new one that suits your taste and style.

Paint or Stain New Material

You can choose to paint or stain your new fabric, whether you want it to be monochromatic or colourful. For those who are not used to painting, you can hire someone to paint the new material for you. When your new fabric has been completely dried after being painted, you can now add other accessories on top of it if you want.

Cut New Material

Cutting the material is a pivotal part of reupholstering a couch because you can now fit it into the old shape, and you do not need to purchase a new base. All you need to do is cut the new material to fit perfectly on the old one, and, depending on the size of your couch, it will depend on how many pieces of fabric you will need.

Sand the Surface

Second, you must sand down the surface of the new upholstery material. The materials are made from fabric, foam, and other materials, and these materials may sometimes have wood-grained patterns. You have to smooth these down so that they can be consistent with the rest of the couch.

Attach the Dust Cover

Third, you have to attach the dust cover. It is a type of cover that is specially made to fit on a couch. You will need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for this if it has not been included in the package. Furthermore, you should make sure that the cover is evenly placed all over the fabric so that no dust can escape during the process.

Fix Any Wrinkles and Lumps

After attaching the dust cover, remove any wrinkled areas and lumps to fix these problems between each piece of upholstery. You need to use different pins, such as 45-degree pins or lambs-wool pins, depending on what kind of material your couch has. You must fix any uneven areas in the fabric and lumps to fill in by hand.

Using Pins

It is also a good idea to use pins underneath the foam mattress as well. To do this, you need to hold the material firmly and, using a threaded needle or staple gun, stitch under the foam mattress. The thread should be long enough so that more than one stitch can be covered by it so that it is not apparent when you are done.

Use Adhesive Agent

Finally, a lot of work has been done for your couch out of its old form, so now you have to use an adhesive agent on the fabric and foam so that it can be attached to your new base. You can use a hairdryer or glue gun for doing this.

Takeaway

Reupholstering any furniture is challenging. You have to understand that if you want the best of your furniture to last, then you have to be willing to take on a project like this. Be sure to follow these tips and tricks when preparing your couch for reupholstering. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for the help of a professional if you are not confident about doing it on your own.