April 2018 - Comfort Works Blog & Sofa Resources

Looking for a way to rejuvenate your sofa with reupholstery DIY? Well you’re at the right place to do it.

Realising that it’s pretty costly (especially in Australia, and USA) to get a sofa upholstered at starting prices of $800 and above for labour alone, we set out to see if reupholstery DIY can be easily done by one person.

Here’s what we found:

How to do simple reupholstery on a couch? – Introduction

The internet is full of information about this topic actually. Thousands of reupholstery DIY videos and tutorials have invaded cyberspace and checking through them is a good way to begin this journey, which seems a little bit complex sometimes if you’re not looking at the correct ones.

Thankfully, we chanced upon ALO Upholstery in their video example of how to reupholster a sofa from YouTube. From there, we broke the process down so you have a clearer idea as to exactly what happens at each stage.

Reupholstering a sofa step by step

1. Preparation
Every couch is different and of course, it’s important to understand its design and structure. Keep in mind that you’ll most likely have to take your couch apart.

Thus, you’ll need to know the pieces of your sofa, where do you need to separate them, etc. Put your sofa upside down, inspect it, take pictures and note where all the sofa joints are.

If you have an IKEA couch it’s actually a lot easier to check our IKEA Sofas Resource page. There we have IKEA assembling instruction manuals, general info and measurements which might be helpful you in de-constructing the sofa (if necessary).

As far as most sofas go, there isn’t much to disassemble if:
1) It’s not a leather sofa
2) It came with slipcovers to begin with

Take your notebook or a computer to help you take notes about your sofa!

2. Reupholstery Materials
Get all your tools and materials necessary for this challenge, everything that you have to do yourself usually involves quite a fair bit of equipment. If you’re a handyman (or woman), reupholstery DIY is probably going to be easy for you.

Here’s what you need:

Scissors
Measuring tape
Sewing machine
Stapler
Fabric and zippers
Screwdriver and Pliers
Notebook and pen

You can check our varied range of fabrics to reupholster your sofa clicking on Fabric Per Meter. Remember to order some fabric samples before buying them! I’m sure you’ll love them.

3. Take the couch apart
You already probably know how your sofa was constructed, so take the screwdriver and pliers and start disassembling it.

Putting it back together

Depending on your sofa’s condition as well, you may be required to take the batting out as well. Most upholsterers WILL remove the original upholstery and the batting to give it the best consistency possible – the last thing you want to see are any bumps or lumps under your new sofa’s skin.
4. Taking measures and pattern-making
Patience and accuracy are going to be your best friends in this step. You need to measure the length, width and height of all the pieces of your sofa.

We recommend you to draw some sketches of each piece to facilitate everything. Normally you’ll need to take measures of the main base, backrest, armrests and cushions. Don’t forget to write down where the zippers are located in the cushions!

You’ll need to draw a blueprint/template/pattern after measuring everything out. Sometimes you might have to just reupholster it with a big piece of fabric for the entire sofa simply because it’s a bit easier, but it does mean imagining how all the pieces should connect all in your head!

I personally can’t do this, but our head seamstress can!

Special tip: At Comfort Works we manufacture slipcovers for sofas, armchairs and dining chairs and we have created one of the biggest sofa measures databases of the world.

But if we don’t have the measures for a specific kind of sofa our customer service team are trained to draw lines of measurements for your sofa, or we’ll send you a measurement form should it be a very standard shape.

As a rough idea, check out our Sofa Measuring Guide here:How to measure a sofa.
5. Cut the fabrics and sew them
Once you have the patterns ready, it’s time to take the scissors and start cutting the fabrics. Remember to edge the fabrics and finally lay them out for the next step.

6. Staple the fabrics on your sofa
Having some pins would be useful here actually, so you can pin your fabric cut-outs onto the parts you need covered and adjust accordingly before permanent stapling them down.

Once you’re done with the frame, you’re pretty much done – the cushions are even easier as no stapling is required!

Simple Reupholstery DIY – Conclusion

6 easy steps are separating you from your new sofa. Just arm yourself with courage and patience and cheer up to spruce up your sofa.

Study your couch
Disassemble and replace worn parts
Take measures and draw pattern
Cut and sew the fabric
Lay out the fabrics and staple them

You can also make your sofa look like a million bucks with Comfort Works made-to-measure slipcovers!

Hope all these info helps! At the end, doing any form of reupholstery DIY or not it does require quite a bit of technical knowledge, or just someone who’s very good with their hands – and is incredibly tenacious.

Of course, you can also rejuvenate your sofa with made-to-measure replacement slipcovers. An easier way to spruce up your sofa, some might say an alternative to upholstery even.

Interested? Read more about custom sofa covers on our following blog articles:

Or if you’re just thinking of a simple sofa makeover, check out these 7 alternative ways to restore an old couch.

Happy designing!

The notorious ready made loose covers, also known as: universal slipcovers, elastic covers, stretch sofa slipcovers… Yes, it’s time to talk about one of the most controversial kind of covers which always raise a lot of eyebrows.

They can have many names but they all have one thing in common. They are designed using general patterns to adapt themselves to different types of sofas. This sounds like a big advantage but – is it worth getting your hands on a set?

At Comfort Works we have decided to figure out all the pros and cons of the universal slipcovers, and we have summarized all we have find out about them in this article. Ready to learn more about Ready Made Loose Covers?

Some universal slipcovers we found on Pinterest.
Pros of Universal Slipcovers

1. They are cheap

That’s the main reason why these covers exists! They are just a general pattern mass manufactured in series which can fit many different sofas. This way the manufacturer can sell it more easily and consequently offer a cheaper price.

2. They are easy to install

Another reason why people normally buy these slipcovers is because they think they are easier to install than other sofa covers. They are a big piece of fabric, so there’s actually a lot of tucking of any excess fabrics to make it look good. On the other side of the spectrum, made-to-measure covers easily slip on to your sofa with minimal tucking.

3. They are easy to get

As the mass product they are, you can easily buy them in many local stores like Walmart, Target or even Amazon and eBay. But this also means that you have to adapt your new sofa look to the fabrics and colours they have available, something which doesn’t happens when you decide to upholster your sofa or buy a made-to-measure slipcover. It’s just not as personalised.

4. They’ll make your sofa look… great?

These are elastic slipcovers after all and there’s no way it can fit the unique shape your sofa would have. Having said that, it can look great on advertisements but when you actually have it in your sofa… well, that’s another story!
A ready made loose slipcover we found on Pinterest.
Cons of Universal Slipcovers

1. Your sofa will look cheap

The style which these slipcover provide is not the best. A big piece of fabric above your sofa can be a good solution if you are painting your living room walls, but can you imagine it every day of the week in your sofa? A house should always feel like a home.

2. Ready Made Loose Slipcovers aren’t comfy

As you can imagine a slipcover which isn’t manufactured with the specific measures of your sofa won’t be fitting like a glove. Excess fabrics everywhere means that the slipcover will move a lot so you’ll need to be adjusting it all the time.

3. It’s not a long term investment

Yes, they can be very cheap now but what’s going to happen in a few weeks, a month, or a year. As per point #1 – you’ll hate it, undoubtedly and that’s when you realise you need a new sofa cover. Sometimes it’s a good idea to make an investment and be sure you are buying something which will last (pragmatically and aesthetically).

4. Limited variety of colors and textures

A mass product like ready made loose covers will never offer the variety of customization options which a custom product can. Of course, they are normally manufactured with neutral colors (brown, black, white, grey…) and if you’re feeling lucky – red, purple, green but unless you’re creating a clown house.
Universal slipcover from Pinterest.
CONCLUSION

To summarize, universal slipcovers can be a great option if you are looking for a cheap solution for your sofa and you don’t mind sacrificing the style and comfort of your couch. But another options like upholstery and made-to-order slipcovers can also offer you all the benefits of ready made loose slipcovers, and even more.

Upholstery and made to order slipcovers offer you the possibility to customize your sofa as you want, respecting all its measures and assuring a tight and comfy fit. Of course, it’s important to know that upholstery doesn’t allow you to easily change the look of your sofa and prices are higher in comparison with slipcovers.

Also, many pros of universal covers are shared with made to order slipcovers. Like having a machine washable fabric, easy installation, the possibility to change them regularly when you change your decoration, etc. A lot of the times, ready made loose covers are pretty much just a quick fix.
Would you like to chill in a couch like this? Or would you prefer to relax with your friends and family in a sofa like this?
Don’t take our word for it though – remember to do your research before making any decision. You can start by visiting our Slipcover Store Next Door.
Take your time creating a living room you’ll love. Think long term!
What do you think? Are you ready to rejuvenate your sofa? If you are interested in made to order slipcovers, you can contact us for more information, we’ll be pleased to help you. You can also leave a comment here or send us an email to info@comfortworks.com.au.

Or if you’re thinking of a simple sofa makeover or considering re-upholstery, check out these 7 alternative ways to restore an old couch.

Happy designing!