How to Reupholster a Couch

This is a small tutorial on how to reupholster a couch, which is one of the most important part of home interior design and comfort. My couch is the place where I find peace and solace on earth! After a hard day's work, nothing can be compared with the comfort you can have sitting on that soft, cushioned thing with a glass of wine in your hand. You can really appreciate a couch then, as one of the few creature comforts that really matter! So, if this place of solace of yours has sagged lately or needs an upgrade, you need to know how to reupholster your coach.

Reupholstering a couch or sofa is like reincarnating it! It will give it a new avatar, which is more in sync with your current living room ambiance and which restores the couch to its old soft and comfortable self! That way, you can also give it a personal touch and make it a unique piece of home furniture. Let us understand how to reupholster a couch in a systematic fashion which is an important part in home decorating.

How to Reupholster a Couch Smartly?

Let me tell you that restoring your good old couch to its previous glory or giving it a new look is not an easy job. It is a labor of love and requires a lot of patience and hard work. However, if you think about the end product and the comfort it will offer, it is all definitely worth it! Here is a general guideline about how to reupholster your couch smartly!

Step 1: Know Your Couch

By that I mean, observe your old couch carefully before reupholstering or photograph it even for later reference. This will give you an idea about how to put it back again, once you have ripped it apart. It is good to know, how the end product should look like. That way, while reverse engineering things back, you can check that the process is rightly done. Otherwise, it may turn out to be a humpty dumpty story! Nobody could put the poor guy together again. See that you couch doesn't suffer the same fate. Also, check the places in which the sofa cloth is stapled or pinned.

Step 2: Measure Your Couch and Shop For New Fabric

Measure the dimensions of your couch and your couch cushions. This will give you a precise idea about, how much new cloth you need to buy? Decide, what kind of look you want for your coach? Think about the kind of color and texture you want. Go for a thick cloth, since a couch is subjected to a lot of wear and tear as well as spilling. These upholstering fabrics are available in a variety of colors and types. Choose one that suits your style and liking.

Step 3: Strip the Old Fabric and Preserve Stuffing

Once you are ready with the new cloth, its time to strip the old skin, that is old cloth of the couch. Do not rip it apart or tear it. Carefully remove it in intact form, from the couch. For that you will have to remove the staples. This old fabric is the template on which you can model your new upholstery. Check the stuffing. The reason for the sagging and hardening of the couch is bad stuffing. Remove it and subject it to some air and sunshine. If its still not back to its fluffy self, you have to replace it. Do not compromise with the stuffing. It is what makes your couch comfortable in the first place! Otherwise, you will have a beautiful, but uncomfortable new couch! If it is a leather couch, extra care needs to be taken while stripping it as leather tears easily!

Step 4: It is Cut and Staple Time

Cut your new upholstery cloth by modeling it on the basis of the old one. Carefully staple back the cloth at the right places. If you are going for couch cushion replacement too, you have a sewing project coming your way. Buy matching cloth for the cushions that matches your couch upholstery cloth obviously. You can use old couch cushion dimensions for sewing the new ones.

Step 5: Enjoy the Comfort of Your Reincarnated Couch
After all these efforts, seeing your new couch add up to the pride of the place in your living room is a satisfying experience. Even more satisfying is laying down on the soft and fluffy new couch and enjoying that well earned nap on it! After all this hard work, you will realize that it was all definitely worth it!

How Much Does it Cost to Reupholster a Couch?

I cannot really give you a figure as it all depends on the quality of cloth you buy and amount of new foam stuffing you buy. Let me assure you however, that it is definitely cheaper than buying a new coach!

Hope this humble article has given you a good idea about how to reupholster a couch and update your comfort zone!