New Sofa Upholstery with Your Own Hands: Interesting Ideas with Photos

If you ask what is the most favorite piece of furniture at home, most will answer that it is a sofa. After all, it decorates the living room, creates maximum comfort when, returning from work, you cozy up on your favorite sofa with a cup of coffee. And how comfortable it is to sit on it and watch your favorite movie. Usually, you buy such a thing with the expectation that it will serve for many years. But over time, the upholstery wears out, holes and stains appear. You can't bear to look at it anymore.

Corner sofa — A corner sofa whose upholstery has deteriorated due to time of use

View of the sofa after re-upholstery — The view of the sofa after re-upholstering the seats and backs and replacing the cushions

If the frame is strong, the best option is to change the upholstery of the sofa. If the main part of the upholstery fabric is good, and there are few defects, buy or sew a cover, make a cape or pillows of different shapes.

Sofa cover — Covers for upholstered furniture with ties

Symmetrical arrangement of pillows — A great technique for classic furniture arrangement is symmetrical placement of pillows.

Updating the upholstery of a sofa is not difficult. For those who like to do handicrafts, it will not be difficult to make an original cape or sew a cover from fabric, and jacks of all trades will easily cope with re-upholstery. It is enough to show imagination, and you will get an updated piece of furniture.

Prints in modern design — Prints are very popular in modern design and will add a special touch to your interior.

There are several ways to give your sofa a new look.

Replacement of the cover	A new cover will give your sofa a completely different look. Buy a ready-made one in a store or, to save money, try sewing it yourself
Change the pillows	This is also a good option. Pillows of different shapes and sizes can be arranged in a row along the entire length of the sofa, from large to small, or make them all shades of the same color. The main thing is that the decorative elements match the interior
Texture in addition	This means that you can add knitted or fur pillows or soft toys as an element.
Pattern and prints	Pillows with checkered, striped and zigzag patterns combine beautifully with each other, and prints are gaining more and more popularity, as they add a special charm to the interior.
Combination	A combination of pillows of different colors and shapes - round and square, large and small, with a pattern and plain - all this will allow you to create an original interior. If you want to experiment, try eclecticism. In this case, the decorative elements do not match either the pattern or the color
Change your sofa furnishings	Everything is quite simple here – stick photo wallpaper, stickers near the furniture, change the lampshade on the table or hang a sconce, shelves, if space allows, put a rack above the sofa. Fantasize, experiment
Cape or blanket	The fastest way to decorate. Buy blankets in stores or make an original cape yourself - this will refresh the interior, add an atmosphere of coziness

Sofa Decorating Method - Eclecticism — The way to decorate a sofa is eclecticism, in this case the pillows do not match either in color or in pattern

Blanket for sofa — To update your sofa, you can throw a cozy blanket over it, which will bring an informal homely atmosphere of warmth and comfort to the interior.

Content

How to properly upholster a sofa with your own hands?
What materials are best to use?
- Five useful tips
Cost of sofa re-upholstery by a professional
Video: New life for an old sofa // How to change the upholstery on a sofa yourself
50 ideas for inspiration and DIY sofa upholstery replacement:

How to properly upholster a sofa with your own hands?

Modern sofa in gray tones — Modern sofa with foam parts updated with cotton fabric in grey tones

First, you need to decide how much material you will need to cover the sofa. This is roughly calculated by adding up the length and width of the sofa and doubling the result. It is worth carefully calculating the dimensions for corner furniture, because their design is not simple.

Sofa made of bright patches — A soft non-folding sofa made of bright patches

It should be borne in mind that fabric with a large pattern or striped fabric should be cut in one direction, due to which the material costs may be higher.

Bright striped sofa with cushions after remodeling

Don't forget about seam allowances. To avoid inaccuracies when cutting, it is better to buy the material with a reserve of about 1 meter.

An economical option is fabric with a pattern — If you want to save money, then give preference to either plain products or fabrics with a small pattern, since material with a geometric pattern is consumed more

The filler will also need to be replaced.

Foam rubber for filling — For stuffing, you can use hard foam rubber as the first layer and soft foam rubber as the second.

Use dense foam rubber and a layer of synthetic padding. Some sofas have parts filled with dense foam rubber. This can create difficulties when working. To avoid this, the foam rubber is wrapped in thin synthetic padding, secured and wrapped with upholstery material.

Thickness, density and structure of synthetic padding — The thickness, density and structure of the synthetic padding should be uniform throughout the entire fabric.

It is quite difficult to cover a sofa, first it is subject to disassembly - the back and armrests are removed. The upholstery material must be strong. All parts are covered separately. Then they are assembled.

We cover every detail — Each part of the sofa is upholstered individually

Note: When choosing fabric for upholstery, its smell is also important; it should not be sharp, unpleasant, in a word, repulsive.

Old soviet sofa — Old Soviet sofa before and after renovation

What materials are best to use?

Retro style armchair upholstered in different fabric patches in pastel colors

As already mentioned, for the upholstery you need a good, reliable fabric. When choosing, take into account the design of the room.

Simple practical chenille — Simple yet practical, chenille will last for many years.

It should be borne in mind that the material should not fade, have an unpleasant smell, the pile should be strong. The structure of the fabric should include artificial and natural fibers, and in order to be able to clean it, it is impregnated with a water-repellent agent during production.

Jacquard for furniture — Jacquard is so versatile that it can be used almost anywhere.

Five useful tips

If you have purchased thick pile fabric, pay attention to the direction of the pile when cutting, since after finishing the upholstery one armrest may be darker than the other, since when cutting the pile on the left was directed in one direction, and on the right in another.
To have less fabric scraps, it is better to take a single-color material, without lint or with a small pattern. This will help to apply patterns economically.
You will need more fabric if you choose one with a large pattern or ornament. When cutting, each line or cell should be in a specific direction.
The design on the seat and back of the sofa should match.
Use companion fabrics for upholstery, when you take a colored fabric and a uniform fabric of the same color. For example, upholster the back and seats with a colored fabric, and the armrests with a single-color material of a dark color, so they get dirty less. It is better to use such upholstery for a corner sofa.
Combination of main fabric and companion fabric

Many people buy tapestry for upholstery of a sofa. It is better to buy a high-quality one, despite its high cost, since a cheap one will not last long. Flock, nubuck, jacquard, and genuine leather are used for upholstery.

Beautiful new sofa after reupholstery with your own hands

If you choose leatherette, it should also be durable. The foam rubber should be hard, it is designated by the letters HL, harder - EL.

High quality, expensive tapestry — A high-quality, expensive tapestry will add sophistication and aristocracy to your furniture.

By choosing the right color, upholstery pattern, or combining fabrics, you can update your sofa, which will have a positive effect on the interior design.

Cost of sofa re-upholstery by a professional

Sofa after restoration — The sofa took on a completely different look after painting and replacing the upholstery.

To find out how much it will cost to reupholster a sofa, you need to consider the following:

dimensions of the sofa;
the year of its release - older models are more difficult to remake, which means they will be more expensive;
service life – the shorter, the higher the cost, type of fabric and components.

Restoring a large sofa for a new interior with your own hands

Affects the cost and number of seats. In addition, a corner sofa will cost more. On average, based on the above, the cost of such work is from 5 to 8 thousand rubles. The customer's wishes, the condition of the furniture, the work required to restore the sofa - all this also affects the cost of re-upholstery.