Sunday, June 28, 2009

Replace Sofa Cushions - How to Replace Sofa Cushions by yourself


I found a great article that will guide us step by step to replace a sofa cushions. This articles wrote by Dave Donovan a freelance writer living in Atco, N.J. From his article he provide us with all the steps to replace a sofa cushions.Let us read through the rest of his articles below.

In today’s tough economy, more and more people are looking for less expensive ways to improve their lives and living conditions. Instead of hiring someone to fix the plumbing, they are doing it themselves. Instead of taking an exotic vacation, people are enjoying a few days off and rediscovering their back yards. And, instead of purchasing new furniture, more and more people are refurbishing their existing ensemble. It’s not as hard as you think and in fact, you’ll be doing the environment a favor by keeping your furniture out of the landfill. But, before you begin ripping off your sofa’s fabric, here are a few tips to help your reupholstering adventure end in favorable results.

* Take a few moments, a few hours or a few days to study the existing fabric that is on your furniture and how that fabric was originally secured to the frame. Turn it over, look at the bottom. Remove the pillows and look under the seat pillow.
* Use a camera to take a few pictures of the piece before you begin de-constructing it. This will help you have an image of how the piece should look while you are working on it.
* Take notes or commit to memory the subtle details on how the piece is put together. Look at the skirt, the buttons, the welting, the seams, etc.
* Use care when removing the existing fabric. Your reupholstering job will be much easier if you have the older fabric in one piece to use as a template for the new fabric.
* Before removing the fabric, find the section that should come off first. In most cases, this is the fabric over the back or along the bottom of the frame. Take pieces of paper, number them and pin them to each section so you know in what direction you will be proceeding next. Along with the number, write the section that it pertains to, such as “left arm side.”
* Do the best you can to not disturb the padding, stuffing or batting. Of course, if the piece is old or has had a lot of use, you may have to replace some or all of it, but if it is in decent shape, just smooth it out some to remove any lumps or bunches.

* Choose the right fabric for the job. While heavy-duty tapestry may last a little longer, it can be cumbersome and difficult to work with. For your first upholstery job, a medium-weight fabric will be easier to use, it will cost less and it will last longer than you can imagine.

The important thing is to remember to have fun when reupholstering your furniture. After all, the process is a journey, one filled with laughs, a few tears and eventually pride in knowing you did it all yourself.

Reupholstering furniture is beneficial in a number of ways. For starters, older furniture is constructed out of much higher quality materials than modern furniture is and by purchasing an older piece, you can get a great piece of furniture for a fraction of the cost of a less-quality, brand new one. But, how does one find the “perfect piece of furniture” for their reupholstering dreams? Here are a few places to look and tips on finding a great deal.


Places to Look for Antique Furniture:

* The Sunday paper
* eBay.com
* Craigslist.org
* The local Pennysaver magazine
* Garage or yard sales
* Flea markets
* Antique shops
* Amazon.com

How to Tell if a Piece of Furniture is Suitable for Reupholstering:

* First, you have to love the shape of the piece. Is the structure of the chair or sofa to your liking? You don’t want to spend the time refurbishing a wing-back chair when you don’t really like that style.
* Lift the piece of furniture. Is it heavy? If it is, then it was probably made with hardwood. This means that the frame is constructed out of very good quality materials. If it is relatively light, then it is constructed out of cheaper, low quality softwood.
* Give the piece a shake. Does it wobble? Are the legs loose? Since you can’t see through the fabric to the frame, you want everything to be tight, even and secure. The only way you are going to find out is by shaking the piece.
* Squeeze the arms on the chair you are considering buying. If they feel soft and squishy, then the chair was constructed with cheap materials which have all but disintegrated. If the arm feels lumpy, then that can easily be fixed by replacing some stuffing, but if it is squishy, pass on the purchase.
* Lastly, check the name of the manufacturer of the piece. If it was produced by a reputable furniture manufacturer, then odds are it is a good quality item. If you never heard of the name, research it online before making a purchasing decision.

I believe we can learn a lot from his article. We can make it as a good guidelines for us to try do it ourselves and save our money for another important things. GOOD LUCK !