How To Re-spring A Sofa
Overtime, your sofa starts to show signs of aging which will affect your comfort and refuge, when the sofa begins to sag and droop.
Sitting on such a sofa that is sagging will no longer be pleasurable, besides denying you the comfort of sitting in your sofa.
That is why it is advisable for you to either re-spring your sofa when this happens or buy a new sofa.
One of the best ways to restore your sofa back in good condition is to put re-spring by putting in new springs, with the right tools and skills you can re-spring your sofa in the following ways.
Things that you will need when re-springing a sofa
• Two kitchen type chairs
• A pair of scissors
• A needle nose pliers
• A flat blade screwdriver
• Tape measure
• A paper and pencil
• Two ½-3 inch of upholstery tape
• Upholstery twine
• Blue steel upholstery tacks
• New spring coils
• Floral wire
• Large eyed needle
• A staple gun
• Unbleached muslin
How to prepare for re-springing
The first thing that you need to do before re-springing your sofa, is to work on the bottom part of the sofa.If you have kitchen chairs, then you can prop the seat of the sofa on two kitchen chairs.
Using a needle nose pliers remove the fabric that was covering the bottom of the sofa.
Dispose off, the old staples but you should keep the fabric so that you can use it as a guide or pattern when cutting a new one.
Remove all the staples holding the web or tape strips that were used to cover the springs.
Gently pull the edges of the tape mat away from the wooden frame so that you are able to access the top edge of the frame with the pliers.
Pull out the staples holding the string tied springs to the wooden frame and loosen the tape web and the springs.
Cut the strings that were used to tie the springs to the frame if needed in order to be able reach the rest of the springs.Remove the web and springs out of the sofa and set them aside.
How to recycle and replace the old sofa materials
Remove any wire framing, measure it using a tape measure so that you can either replace it with a new one or recycle the old wire frame.
You can recycle the frame if it is still in good shape or replace it with a new one which you can buy from a hardware store.
Take close pictures of sofa or better still count and record the number of springs that were in the sofa before you dismantle the entire setup.
You can also draw a sketch to show how the springs were arranged prior to re-springing.Use the needle nose pliers to cut the springs loose from the tape-web and check to see how many springs that have broken ends.
You should also look for springs that no longer flex and can no longer be stretched.Pull out one of the damaged springs and use it as a sample when shopping for new springs.
Measure and count the strips of the old tape web when purchasing the new tape.You should add at least 12 inches to the total length of the tape web in case you need more tape or make if you make any errors when cutting the new strips.
You should at least keep 1-2 strips of the old tape web and use them to measure against the new tape web when cutting new strips.
How to re-spring a sofa
When you are cutting the strips for webbing, you should make sure that you cut each strip 1 inch longer so that you have enough margins for a firm attachment.
You should weave the strips and make a new tape web (this is done by weaving the strips over and under each other to make a new tape web.
After you have finished weaving the strips, arrange the new springs on the web following the steps shown on your sketch or the photos that you took before dismantling the entire network.
Use a half round needle and upholstering twine to tack the spring coil to the web in four places.
Using a pair of scissors cut a piece of twine to make a slip-knot to the inner edge of the top of a coil at the corner of the rectangle formed by the tied coils.
Use the thread to form a single loop through the rim of each coil in a diagonal direction which is directly opposite the corner of the rectangle.Repeat this process between the remaining two corner coils until you have tied up all the coils.
You should check the distance between the bottom and top of the sofa frame and measure the height of the coils.
Use twine beginning from the rows in the center, working your way from the top to the bottom and from side to side.The coils should be tied in rows parallel to the edges of the rectangle.
Use the twine to wrap around the 2nd and 3rd loops of each coil as a way of reducing the height of the coils so that they can fit properly inside the frame and produce a “springy” like support.
Tie the coils in the two rows closest to the outer sides of the edges of the rectangle leaving a distance of about ¾ and ½ inches lower than the center coils if you want to have a cushion like structure.
If you want to form a frame around the coil, then you can use flex wire when forming the frame.Tie the coils to the frame using twine and use floral wire to secure the ends of the frame.
Cut pieces of twine that measure about 1 foot long and attach them to the outer sides of the top edges around the outer part of the coil assembly.
Use the staple to secure the short strings to the inside edge parts of the sofa that are closest to the seating platform that is padded.
Gently pull each strip of the webbing to the edge of the bottom part of the frame and fold it over.Staple it to the frame using your staple gun.You can trim off the excess strips after you have stapled the webbing with a pair scissors.
In order for you to do a good job when re-springing your sofa, you should start from the center strips and work out towards the edges for a perfect fit
Lastly, gently fold the raw edges under the muslin and staple it to the bottom of the sofa frame.