Features of DIY sofa repair

Perhaps every person has at home one or another attribute of upholstered furniture, for example, miniature armchairs or a large cozy sofa. And you can often face the problem of breakage of the sofa frame or wear of the upholstery. But what if the appearance of the product leaves much to be desired, and the financial situation does not allow purchasing a new one? There is an exit! You can repair your favorite piece of furniture with your own hands. And by following a few guidelines and following the appropriate guidelines, you will not only give your sofa a second chance, but you will also be able to give it a look that will surpass the look of any new product.

Before starting work on the restoration of the sofa, it is necessary to acquire all the necessary materials and tools, without which the process will not only be difficult, but even impossible. Regardless of the type of breakdown and finishing work, you may need the following tools.

• Screwdriver or screwdriver will help to cope with the bolts that need to be removed for further actions, and will also become indispensable at the end of the work, when the parts need to be re-fastened together.

• Box wrench and pliers will also help you easily cope with some types of fasteners.

• Special furniture stapler will be needed to fix lightweight wooden parts to each other, which can be repaired in this way, as well as to work with upholstery.

• In the event of repair or replacement of wooden elements, it may be necessary to jigsaw or ordinary saw... A tool of this type must be selected based on the work plan and your skills in handling it.

• In addition, you must have a thick a sharp needle, a skein of strong nylon threads, as well as special furniture glue.

For repairs, you may need the following.

• Thick fabric that is useful for sofa upholstery. Tapestry, suede or high-quality velor work best.
• For reliability and protection of the interior of the upholstery, you can also purchase simple moisture-proof cloth, which will serve as a kind of cover.
• Regardless of the design of your sofa, upholstery must have foam rubber. But not any type of material is suitable; it is best to use a special furniture option.
• To protect the spring block, it is better to take a material with a density similar to that of a carpet. Under such a cover, the parts will last you much longer.
• Besides, it may be necessary to replace the wooden frame elements, furniture fittings or the spring block itself. Therefore, if necessary, you should acquire the appropriate materials.

Do-it-yourself sofa repair can be a daunting task, since in the absence of factory equipment, the process can take longer and its feasibility can cause certain difficulties. To easily overcome all difficulties, it is necessary to identify the cause of the breakdown and carefully consider a complete repair plan.

Let's take a closer look at possible malfunctions in various parts of the sofa, as well as get acquainted with quick ways to fix them.

The frame of most sofas is made mainly of wood or chipboard, which makes it very durable, but still does not protect it from wear and tear. Wooden lamellas located under the spring soft part are subjected to the greatest load, so this frame element, as a rule, first of all needs to be repaired or replaced. In some cases, other elements of the frame become unusable, for example, the side, rear and front bases, the back wall and the bottom panel of the laundry box.

In this case, the steps are pretty simple. - it is enough to choose an element that is suitable in size and fix it in place of the broken part. But there are also situations when it is enough to make a few blows with a hammer or movements with a screwdriver - and everything will return to normal. For example, when for some reason the bottom of the laundry drawer comes loose or the armrests are loose.

Some types of folding and folding mechanisms have a rather complex structure and consist of several metal elements, like in the corner model, which together form a movable multifunctional part. Among the most frequent breakdowns of the transformation mechanism, there are caseswhen the sofa is difficult to unfold or does not fold after use. This is because the lock connection becomes unusable, which is responsible for changing the position of the furniture element. Unfortunately, this part cannot be repaired by yourself, so you will have to order and install a new one.

In the so-called folding-bed sofas, which turn into a sleeping place when the seat is pulled back and the back is lowered into free space, most often the metal element that is responsible for fixing the pushed back part becomes unusable... It consists of metal hooks that weaken over time and no longer hold the part securely.

In this case, the lower part will move away, forming a gap between it and the lowered back. With such a malfunction you can periodically correct the hooks, bringing them into proper shape, or replace the part, by placing an option from a stronger metal.

The spring block is one of the most important parts of the sofa, since it is it that provides the softness of the seat, and for some also the sleeping place, if the sofa is used for this purpose. That's why it is very important to keep it in good condition by maintaining the quality of the surface and by repairing the springs or replacing them altogether.

There are several options for repairing the spring block if the springs are washed out or some of them have burst:

• you can completely replace the entire metal structure;
• in some cases it is possible to replace each damaged spring separately.

Most often, flat springs in the form of a snake, located vertically along the entire perimeter of the sofa seats, are subject to a single replacement. Since they are quite soft, such parts fail very quickly under heavy loads, and replacement may not always be advisable. Therefore, in most cases, the owners of such sofas try to change the flat springs to a full-fledged block to ensure a more comfortable stay.

One-piece blocks are divided into two types - in one of them the springs are a single structure, if even one of them breaks down it will be impossible to repair or change it separately, and in the other the structure is presented in the form of independent springs, each of which is in a separate case.

For repairing a sofa with snake springs it will be necessary to detach the back and front walls in order to make it easier to remove the part. Each of them is fixed to special plastic hooks, you can remove them by pressing with a little effort. After that, you need to insert a new spring and fix its ends in the hooks, and then fasten the other parts back.

As previously stated, it is not possible to repair a separate part of the one-piece spring block, so you will need to purchase a one-piece part for a complete replacement.

To remove the old part, you will need to separate it from all the soft parts. Be very careful not to damage the foam pads so you don't have to change them too.

Next, you need to make sure that the new block matches all the dimensions and parameters of the sofa frame, after which it is recommended to lay each row of springs from the inside with a small amount of furniture foam - this way you can significantly extend the life of the sofa. Then you can put the block in place, fix it to the bottom of the frame, laying it with all the necessary soft elements, and fix it with fabric upholstery.

Repairing armrests can be as easy as externally or more extensive when it comes to replacing their frame. In this case, it is necessary to pick up a stronger and more reliable wood than it was before the repair, and then build the basis of the future sofa armrest from it. If you want the furniture attribute to regain its former shape and appearance, then it is necessary to make a base for the armrests, completely identical to the previous... And if you want to modify your sofa, you can feel free to experiment with the size and appearance of individual parts.

After you decide on the parameters of the base and securely fasten all its parts together, you need to proceed to the next stage - finishing the solid element with a thin layer of foam rubber. This will help make the armrest more comfortable and pleasant to use. After that, you can add a layer of waterproof membrane to protect the interior from moisture and dirt, and then proceed directly to the upholstery.

The backs of sofas have a somewhat similar structure to the armrests, with the exception of some nuances. For example, models with a folding part have a soft back, which later becomes an element of the berth. While others represent an ordinary hard board that does not carry additional functionality. And if in the second case, the repair of the part will be almost identical to the process of working with the armrests, then in the situation with the folding one you will have to make a little more effort.

Breakdowns and defects on the backs of the sofa can be of a different nature. For example, holes or scuffs in the surface of the upholstery, washed-out filler or problems with the wood frame. Accordingly, the ways of solving these problems will also be radically different.

• In case of problems with the upholstery on the back of the sofa, it is enough to change only it. But it should be borne in mind that some models have a solid back side, while others, designed to be placed along the wall, are equipped with a "seamy" side, which is made of uncoated chipboard or cheaper material.
• If the frame or fasteners break, the upholstery must be removed and all soft materials removed., then replace or reinforce the broken part, then return the upholstery and filling and put the back in place.
• If you have problems with the filler, but the upholstery of the sofa is in perfect order, then it is necessary to carefully remove it and, having changed the inner contents, reattach it to the back.

Absolutely any upholstered furniture has a certain content, which often loses its original appearance and functionality. In order not to apply for expensive services to all kinds of masters, you can correct the situation at home. Furniture foam rubber is ideal as a filler., which is able to maintain its functionality even under heavy loads.

The upholstery is also subjected to various mechanical stress on a daily basis and may deteriorate over time.

The filler is fixed on the wooden frame with a stapler or special furniture glue, after which you should go to the upholstery. The material must be cut taking into account the corners and side protrusions, which must be sewn together to form a kind of cover. Then the lower edges of the fabric must be fixed on the lower part of the wooden frame using the same furniture stapler.

In self-repair of furniture, certain difficulties and mistakes can arise.

• In an attempt to save money, many are trying to find cheaper materials., which, in turn, are not of high quality, which will certainly affect the furniture attribute during operation.

• When fixing the upholstery to the frame it is not recommended to leave too short edges, because the material under load can "creep" a little, gradually crawling out from under the metal brackets.

• Broken wooden elements are best replaced completely, since they are fastened with staples or self-tapping screws, they will not serve you for a long time and will break again soon.In some cases, it is simply useless to repair such parts.

• To sew pieces of upholstery, it is not recommended to use ordinary threads, since their strength cannot be compared with nylon.

In the next video, you can visually familiarize yourself with the process of self-repairing a sofa.