Nice job... impressed given that the couch is not a regular square and plain shape.
I have a boxy old sofa bed that is so ugly... compliments of a co-worker who helped me outfit my first apartment when I moved inter-state. I embarked on my first attempt to reupholster / recover, to take the dirty (well-loved) old pink striped material off and replace it with this great red material that I bought.
I did a great hjob (I thought so) of revitalising the cushions on the back rest and arm rests, but when it came to sewing cushion covers with zips... nah! I screwed up. However, years on, I am determined to resurrect it again.
Why I have not just put it out with council collection I don't know - maybe because in it's half finished state it would be neglected and go to waste. And I really prefer to recycle...
So I did 2 things - I bought some grass weave from the hardware shop - the stuff that is used to make decorative fencing. I had what I thought might be a brilliant idea to staple gun it to the outside panels of the couch... which all sounded great. Till I realised I had not accounted for what I would do with the inside panels, where the cushions nested against the back rest.
So... unless I came up with nice material (which I don't have cash to buy) I couldn't pursue my grass weave idea.
Then I went through my old closet of bed linen (stuff I have also kept for the use of guests, no longer in use on my bed). And I found the perfect bed cover. It is a nice soft floral green, not too cheesy, just nice.
And I love that little arty thing you did with the front panels. It is very unique and looks great in the photo.
Well done, I may just get on with my very overdue project and finally feel like I completed something that has been bothering me for a LONG time!
Cheers.
webguy247
August 11, 2008
Great work! wow I wish I had half your talent.. I tried
reupholstering my old couch and it was a disaster. I ended up bringing
it to these guys i found online that offered a free quote with an
attached picture, it cost me a bit more then doing it myself, but
considering how bad mine looked it was worth it.
Here's their site www.nescoupholstery.com they did a fantastic job and great prices too!
melodienelson
August 16, 2007
Very nice! I tackled a similar upholstery project recently regardless of how prepared I was for the work involved, so I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. I really like the patterned fronts over the wood!
DesigningMom
June 02, 2007
What an awesome job you did, Adorn. And to think this was your first piece! Way to go! I've done a couple of small reupholstery jobs years ago and have two thrift store find chairs and a sofa that I've been putting off doing just out of fear. I'm going to take on your attitude to just do it. I'll start with the smallest chair first. Thanks for the push!
CelestialVoyager
May 08, 2007
A big attagirl for a job well done. I have done a few projects and enjoyed each one. You save the old material to use as a pattern. You may need to strip down to the frame, depending on the condition of the item and upholstery. Remove and reglue all areas that were excessively tacked or stapled to prevent future splitting. Refinish the piece before reupholstering. Minwax makes an antique oil finish that works well in restoring the luster to finishes. Cover tacking areas with trim pieces of matching color and/or materials. Replacing springs can be a tuffy, don't try it unless you are extremely patient and willing to spend the time to get the right tension as well as the proper slope.
I have bought tools and materials at garage sales, yard sales even eBay. I would rather have a quality used tool than a new cheap one.
adorn
April 17, 2007
I think the only tools I bought were the staple gun and needle-nose pliers, which weren't all that expensive. It was probably around $200 total, including the fabric. It would probably be a lot faster with a better way to remove the staples, but I don't know what would work. I have to admit that there's still a bit of the old fabric stuck between the couch arms and body, but it's covered by the cushions. In order to get all of the old fabric off and tuck the new fabric in properly, I think the frame would have to be taken apart a bit.
Thanks everyone, and good luck.
baconthecat
April 16, 2007
Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for this post. For real, you have practically changed my life!!! lol I recently became extremely interested in reupholstering, but after reading several articles on the subject that proclaimed this to be a tough, expensive, and sometimes-not-worth-it pursuit, I became weary. How much did it cost you to this, including the new tools you bought? Which tools would you say are absolutely essential for a project like this (a couch, no less!!)? I'm going to start with smaller, free furniture I can scrounge off CL (nothing around the house for me to reupholster right now), and any more tips you have would be great. Thank you!
moniquelovescats
March 09, 2007
Very cool; I am about to start a similar project with my sleeper sofa. Your info was great. Thanks!
sparkie
January 07, 2007
Great post. Love the attitude, thinking of taking photos of demolition BEFORE you finish, discount shopping, recycling, free and more!!! Good Job! And, you took some scarey out of reupholstering. I have never tried it.
P.S. Before I got real tools, I could do quite a bit w/ merely a kitchen butter knife and ceramic coffee mug as a hammer. Vaseline too for grease/oil lube and chapstick if in a pinch.
Nimue
January 07, 2007
Thanks for posting this! I have an old rocker loveseat covered in a lovely orange & brown cabin & woods print that I plan on reupholstering this month. I've been a little stressed about how I'd size the new cover correctly but now I'll just use your nifty trick of using the old pieces as a pattern & using photos as a reverse guide. 3 cheers for the "just do it" attitude!
Cover girl
Nice job... impressed given that the couch is not a regular square and plain shape.
I have a boxy old sofa bed that is so ugly... compliments of a co-worker who helped me outfit my first apartment when I moved inter-state. I embarked on my first attempt to reupholster / recover, to take the dirty (well-loved) old pink striped material off and replace it with this great red material that I bought.
I did a great hjob (I thought so) of revitalising the cushions on the back rest and arm rests, but when it came to sewing cushion covers with zips... nah! I screwed up. However, years on, I am determined to resurrect it again.
Why I have not just put it out with council collection I don't know - maybe because in it's half finished state it would be neglected and go to waste. And I really prefer to recycle...
So I did 2 things - I bought some grass weave from the hardware shop - the stuff that is used to make decorative fencing. I had what I thought might be a brilliant idea to staple gun it to the outside panels of the couch... which all sounded great. Till I realised I had not accounted for what I would do with the inside panels, where the cushions nested against the back rest.
So... unless I came up with nice material (which I don't have cash to buy) I couldn't pursue my grass weave idea.
Then I went through my old closet of bed linen (stuff I have also kept for the use of guests, no longer in use on my bed). And I found the perfect bed cover. It is a nice soft floral green, not too cheesy, just nice.
And I love that little arty thing you did with the front panels. It is very unique and looks great in the photo.
Well done, I may just get on with my very overdue project and finally feel like I completed something that has been bothering me for a LONG time!
Cheers.
webguy247
Great work! wow I wish I had half your talent.. I tried reupholstering my old couch and it was a disaster. I ended up bringing it to these guys i found online that offered a free quote with an attached picture, it cost me a bit more then doing it myself, but considering how bad mine looked it was worth it.
Here's their site www.nescoupholstery.com they did a fantastic job and great prices too!
melodienelson
DesigningMom
CelestialVoyager
I have bought tools and materials at garage sales, yard sales even eBay. I would rather have a quality used tool than a new cheap one.
adorn
I think the only tools I bought were the staple gun and needle-nose pliers, which weren't all that expensive. It was probably around $200 total, including the fabric. It would probably be a lot faster with a better way to remove the staples, but I don't know what would work. I have to admit that there's still a bit of the old fabric stuck between the couch arms and body, but it's covered by the cushions. In order to get all of the old fabric off and tuck the new fabric in properly, I think the frame would have to be taken apart a bit.
Thanks everyone, and good luck.
baconthecat
moniquelovescats
sparkie
Great post. Love the attitude, thinking of taking photos of demolition BEFORE you finish, discount shopping, recycling, free and more!!! Good Job! And, you took some scarey out of reupholstering. I have never tried it.
P.S. Before I got real tools, I could do quite a bit w/ merely a kitchen butter knife and ceramic coffee mug as a hammer. Vaseline too for grease/oil lube and chapstick if in a pinch.
Nimue
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