Upholstered Furniture Repair

Few things offer more comfort than an upholstered chair, merely it may eventually need a repair. This Fix-It Guide on upholstered piece of furniture repair tells how upholstered furniture works, what often goes wrong, how to identify an upholstered furniture problem, and what parts and tools yous will need to fix it. It then gives unproblematic step-by-footstep instructions for how to patch a tear or a pigsty in fabric or vinyl upholstery. Yous may need to refer to other Fix-It Guides for some upholstered article of furniture repairs.

How Does Upholstered Furniture Work?

Upholstered piece of furniture is padded furniture that is covered with fabric, leather, or vinyl. A frame provides support and sets the shape of upholstered furniture. Cotton or foam padding gives the furniture lightweight mass, making it soft.

Set-Information technology Tip

The techniques for repairing upholstered furniture can easily be applied to repairing upholstery in a car, truck, gunkhole, trailer, or anywhere else it is used. And the mattress you sleep on is really upholstered article of furniture.

What Can Get Wrong with Upholstered Furniture?

Upholstered article of furniture can get dirty. The upholstery tin be torn or burned. A seam can fail.

How Can I Identify an Upholstered Furniture Problem?

  • If your upholstered furniture is muddied, you can clean it with commercial upholstery cleaner. Make sure information technology is a cleaner intended for the specific type of upholstery you need to make clean and follow the manufacturer'south instructions carefully. Or effort a powerful oxygen cleaner. Whatever you lot employ, test-make clean an inconspicuous expanse kickoff.
  • If cleaning isn't sufficient and the upholstery is solid color, you can try spray-on coloring agents to give information technology a covering color.
  • If the upholstery suffers a tear or torn seam, you may exist able to sew it (see the section on sewing in Tools) or mucilage it (encounter the department on adhesives in the Repair Stationary Things Fix-It Guide).
  • If the tear or seam cannot be sewn without showing, or there is a small hole, you lot may be able to patch it (see beneath).
  • If tacks come out of upholstered piece of furniture, you can replace them.
  • If the frame is damaged, meet the Wood Furniture Gear up-Information technology Guide for tips on repairing wood components.

What Practise I Need for Upholstered Furniture Repair?

You can get upholstery materials and fabrics from an upholstery supply store, some fabric stores, and on the Cyberspace. Adhesives are bachelor at many retail stores. The tools you will need to set upholstered furniture include these:

  • Upholstery needles
  • Sewing needles
  • Upholstery thread
  • Fabric adhesive
  • Spray-on color
  • Iron-on patches
  • Upholstery tacks
  • Pocket-sized hammer
  • Electrical iron

What Are the Steps to Upholstered Furniture Repair?

Upholstered Furniture Repair

You can purchase vinyl repair kits at larger hardware and automotive stores to repair a tear in vinyl upholstery.

Patch a tear in cloth or vinyl upholstery:

  1. Insert an atomic number 26-on patch through the tear and so that the adhesive side contacts the backside of the torn cloth.
  2. Iron one side of the tear until the patch sticks firmly to the back of the material on that side.
  3. Adjust the torn spot for smoothness over the other side of the patch.
  4. Iron the second one-half of the patch, moving it toward the tear.
  5. If necessary, employ material agglutinative to the tear for a stronger bail.

Upholstered Furniture Repair

Vinyl repair kits typically include a texture pad to indistinguishable the cloth's texture for a seamless repair.

Fix-It Tip

Which agglutinative volition work best in repairing upholstered furniture? Check the adhesives department of the Repair Stationary Things Fix-It Guide for specific guidance, or take the fabric sample to an upholstery fabric or sewing supply store for assistance.

Patch a hole in fabric or vinyl upholstery:

  1. Locate and remove excess material from a hidden surface area of the upholstered furniture sufficiently large to cover the hole.
  2. Trim the upholstery to lucifer the pigsty and surrounding pattern.
  3. Utilise an iron-on patch (meet above) or employ adhesive to a backing cloth to the back of the damaged area.
  4. Use fabric adhesive or a minor iron-on patch to install the material patch in the pigsty.
  5. Allow the adhesive to fully dry before use.