r/upholstery

My wife paid like $3500 for this leather couch that my drunk friend peed on. I already took the covers off and am handling what’s inside, but how do I clean the leather without it staining? Thanks

I would love to find out who drew this. I can’t figure out the signature. I did find it as a cover of a magazine from 1985. It is not the name listed in the credits. I bought this at an estate sale in Connecticut. There is nothing on the back of the picture for any type ID

I recently got this couch on facebook marketplace and I love it but it desperately needs some love. The piping is coming off in some areas but that part seems like an easy fix. Previous owner had a cat who scratched it up a bit but that’s all cosmetic. It creaks a lot when I sit on it and I’m afraid of damaging it. I removed the dust cover and underneath is comprised of springs and what looks like a potato sack material. Whatever it is it’s very dusty. I’m new to upholstery and am open to hear any suggestions for repair, materials, and anything else I might need. I have been researching but usually people on Reddit provide helpful advice 🫶🏻

Hey guys, I’ve taken the screws out at the bottom of the back seat but this piece still won’t budge. Any ideas of how this is meant to come apart?

Hi, does anyone know how to easily disassemble this barcalounger into manageable pieces? I bought it before measuring my doorway and it won't fit. 😀

If any help can be provided, a couple days ago my water bottle accidentally spilled on my tan leather West Elm couch cushion (aniline leather in burnt sienna color). I soaked up the water as best I could that evening, and then followed recommendations online from leather sites. Thus after allowing the cushion to air dry 1.5 days , I then gently water feathered the entire cushion w/microfiber cloth as recommended, hoping it would blend the original water stain.

In the photo , the smaller water stain is the original , and the larger was created after water feathered entire cushion. Woke up today and am not understanding why a second ring formed after feathering the entire cushion yesterday. It only made things worse and now I have a 2 large stains and the second is even larger, just awful.

I have Leather Honey conditioner, but I am afraid to do anything further to the cushion as I worry the conditioning could keep the water stains permanently because the stain itself looks damaged .

Before reaching out to a professional, is there anything I can do to fix this at home? Greatly appreciate any help or advice. Thank you!

I bought a vintage couch for under $500 (manufactured in North Carolina, seems to have good bones). Two problems with it - (1) seat cushions are too soft & can’t get out easily and (2) lots of stains and discoloration
Assuming the seat cushions can be DIYed (readymade foam with Dacron that I can buy online), the steam cleaning estimate itself comes in at $600. No guarantee that all the stains can be removed.
I like the vintage quality of it and bought it in the hope of refreshing it. I did not anticipate my family would hate the extra soft (cloud?) cushions.
Is it worth going through all this cost & effort?

Just bought a boat recently and need to redo the upholstery and I want to build some custom captain chairs for the cockpit as it currently has the convertible lounger chairs, I have the pedestals and all but just trying to find the best source for marine vinyl and foam that will hold up to the elements, found some marine vinyl at hobby lobby that looks pretty good, and good price, but they only have black white and blue, I'm looking for tan or gray, also need help finding some good marine foam that won't absorb water, thanks in advance

Hi there,

I have recently come across a good deal for a what seems to be a used blue canvas Togo corner seat in the local classified in Germany. The sofa seems to be in decent shape for its age however, considering the number of dupes floating about I would like to check for authenticity with y’all.

Hi! Unsure if this is the right sub, if not please direct me to a better one!
I recently moved into a new apartment, and the previous tenants left us a large sectional. The only issue is it sheds, and the cushions do not lift up so traditional couch covers will not work. I tried using bedsheets with upholstery pins, but the sheets keep ripping and coming off the pins, and I’m getting sick and tired of repining them every few days. Any advice on where I could get a cover that would stay, or a way to stop the sheets from ripping? Preferably something affordable haha

I've wanted to get into reupholstery/upholstery for years, but never have as I've always lived in small spaces or thought it wouldn't be accessible etc.

Finally bit the bullet and tried my hand at a small Ottoman, there's a lot of improvement needed but I feel quite satisfied. I have an 18 month old as well so its been quite hard to be a perfectionist as I'm only able to continue cracking on when I get a small break!

Next project is the matching wing back chair - wish me luck!

I am brand new to sewing. Started a project restoring outdoor cushions. I have 12 of these and am not sure how to go about this? The cushions are thick and the seam has very little room. I am so lost. Please help. Thread type, needle type, stitch type? Hand held manual/ electric sewer? Any tips or tricks. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Update: Thank you all for the feedback. I was about to buy the handheld electric one, glad i did not waste the money. These are all a part of an outdoor patio cushion set. I carefully unthreaded the covers so i could pull the cushions out and wash the covers. It is thick outdoor fabric and I will be spraying an outdoor water and uv protectant on them once finished.

First I’m a seamstress and not a professional reupholstery person like many of you. I’m hoping you smart people may know how to help me.
I’m making loose banquette cushions for this u shaped banquette…3” cushions for base cushions and backs (straight 3” not a wedge.) Client doesn’t want them mounted to boards. Just fabric cushions. The back has a slight lean. Homeowner checked and it’s a 98° angle so just an 8° lean. I can’t figure out what angle to miter my inner corners since a 45° doesn’t work here does it? Or does it since the lean is so slight? How can I know the degree of that inner angle to then half for my miter for each cushion? Do I need to do a site visit with a tool to measure it myself or is this a number that can be determined with the given data? Or is paying an upholstery professional for plans for this something that’s done in this industry? I’m happy to do that. Just not familiar with the process and appreciate the help. TIA!

Picked it up from a guy who said it was his great grandfather's in New York and then had it shipped to Seattle, then it lived out most of its life in his shop. It’s very very used and the cushion has been reupholstered. It’s got a great shape but its not the most comfortable couch due to the straight back and the broken springs. The sides filled with cotton batting and the green cushion is made with jute, cotton batting, and iron springs. I am a bit worried about how annoying it would be to remove all of the little nails.

Willing to invest some time and keep it low cost is a must. I would really like to keep the green color if I eventually reupholster it so any fabric recommendations would be super helpful.

If this isn’t allowed I’ll remove it.

I found these chairs and want to reupholster the cushions since they are cracked vinyl. This is also gonna be my first upholstery project so wish me luck! lol.

I found these three fabrics I like (next images) and wanted outside opinions on what might go well as replacement fabric for the cushions. I am also still looking for other fabrics, this is just what I’ve found so far that I like.

I am not going to replace the backing cushion as I am not sure how it is attached to the chair frame so they will remain as is and are still in good shape.

If anyone has suggestions or advice I’d be very happy for it. :)

EDIT: Thanks everyone for all the advice, I found an actual upholstery fabric from the Fabric Guru website and bought that. Also I’m gonna make sure to remove the vinyl before putting the fabric on. Wish me luck with the staple gun lol.

The nylon upholstery on the seat is starting to tear and needs replaced, I need to find the part but can’t find the name of the set to find the color and size. Any help would be appreciated!! I got it at Menards if that helps!

I recently got this pair of armchairs (one damaged, one like new) for free, thinking I might try my hand at reupholstering the damaged one (and if it turns out well, doing the second one to match).

I'm an elementary school teacher, so I have a *lot* of time on my hands for the next 6 weeks. I haven't reupholstered a piece of furniture before--the closest I've come is making new cushion inserts for our sofa and sewing covers for the old ones to repurpose them as pet beds. But I enjoy working with my hands in general and have 20+ years of sewing experience. Does this sound doable, or would I be biting off more than I can chew?

Some sort of boucle possibly?

Already tried Google imaging with no luck

Hi everyone, a bunch of friends and family generously got together to have this favourite chair reupholstered for my birthday. I just got it and I see all sorts of problems. The tufting isnt even or uniform, there's exposed staples, and the cushion is really uneven and puckered, and doesn't cover the frame anymore. There's a lot more issues but I've never had something reupholstered before and I don't know if I'm being unreasonable.

This was pretty expensive and done by a professional. What do you think?