Got ripped, stained, or otherwise blemished upholstery? A little bit of DIY initiative can save you the time and money you’d otherwise spend on a professional upholsterer. Reupholstering a chair or sofa isn’t as complicated as it seems; all you’ll need is a knife, thread, sewing machine, and a staple gun.
It may not be necessary to reupholster your old furniture just because the cover is stained so first, we’re going to teach you how to remove stains from your upholstery with this DIY cleaning solution.
DIY homemade upholstery cleaning solution
Upholstery stains can easily be taken care of but it’s best to know if your upholstery is synthetic, like nylon or polyester, or natural, like cotton or wool.
If your upholstery is synthetic, you can make a cleaning solution by mixing water and white vinegar well in a 2:1 ratio and applying it from a spray bottle. If the stain doesn’t lift after scrubbing the wet area with a rag and letting it dry, try again after mixing in a tablespoon of liquid soap for every 4 cups of water.
Natural upholstery is more safely cleaned with a 1:1 mixture of water to liquid dish soap. Apply lightly with a sponge and scrub lightly with a rag until the stain is lifted.
Reupholstering Chairs and Sofas
If you’re going to reupholster the entire thing, the first step is to remove the old upholstery. Whether you’re dealing with a sofa or a chair, you should always start at the bottom, as that’s where the most material is used. If you can find where the upholstery was fixed to the furniture, see if you can remove whatever was fastening it, like a line of staples. If you can’t, just take your knife and cut it free from the furniture.
After the bottom is removed, turn it upright. If it’s a sofa: remove the back, followed by the sides, the inside back, and then the inside arms. If it’s a chair: remove the upholstery on both sides of the back. Try not to damage the old upholstery too much; it’ll be a useful guide for the new cover.
Lay out your new upholstery over the old and cut the fabric. If the old upholstery was seamed, cut a ½ inch from the old seam, or if it was stapled, cut 2 inches from the staples. Next, sew the pieces of fabric together using heavy duty thread and a sewing machine, allowing for a ½ inch inlay.
Next, start attaching the fabric to the furniture using a staple gun. This process is relatively straightforward for a chair, but for a sofa, you’ll have to work inside-out: start with the sofa deck, followed by the inside arms, and then the inside back. Remove any excess fabric and you’re done!
If you don’t have the time to reupholster yourself, find a professional. Before you bloat your computer with search tabs, try TalkLocal – just enter the info of the job you need done and let our unique search system find you the perfect furniture upholsterer for your needs and schedule.
