The variety of sofas presented in stores allows you to always choose the look you need by color, functionality and type of construction. But not always finance allows you to buy your favorite model. For lovers of carpentry, we offer options for making sofas with your own hands.
Sofa as a piece of furniture
It is difficult to imagine at least one housing with the absence of such type of furniture as a sofa in its interior. Their functions depend on the design of a certain type. Strict leather sofas will perfectly fit into the atmosphere of your office or office, soft frameless sofas-bags will be a wonderful addition to the nursery or bedroom. Various types of folding sofas allow, if necessary, to arrange an extra bed, and a box inside such a sofa will contain bedding or other things.
The outdoor version of the sofa is usually installed under the roof of the gazebo, or made in the form of a swing under a canopy. In this case, to make a soft seat you need to use a waterproof fabric.
The appearance of the sofa, the color and texture of the upholstery fabric allow you to correctly fit it into the interior of the room. You can add functional elements: a side table or a pull-out tray. In order to understand how to make a sofa with your own hands, you need to understand the design of your favorite option.
Sofa Design Styles
You need to choose a sofa design based on the design features of the room in which it is supposed to be located. Consider several stylistic options for performing sofas:
- Sofa in the Renaissance style. A distinctive feature of this furniture is a luxurious appearance, the use in the manufacture of only natural and expensive materials. When decorating furniture, chic, rare fabrics are used, decor elements in the form of stones and gilding are an integral part of the design. The shape of the sofa should be rounded, concise, carved legs and inserts in the armrests emphasize the curves of the body.
- Sofa in the style of minimalism. Such sofas have a clear geometric shape. The color of the fabric for the upholstery is solid, without texture and patterns. Any decor elements are missing.
- High tech sofa. A distinctive feature of a high-tech sofa is its functionality: built-in control panels for appliances, retractable structures and landing settings. Such sofas are very difficult to do with your own hands. You can only convey the appearance.
- Eco-friendly sofa. The concept of environmental friendliness implies the use of only natural natural materials. They can be solid wood, stone or coarse natural fabrics. Wicker furniture has recently become popular.
- Sofa in a Mediterranean style. This category includes simple, classic sofas, the upholstery material of which should fit into the interior in color and pattern. As a rule, different versions of blue and cyan shades are used.
Sofa Mechanisms
To convert a sofa into a bed, special mechanisms of furniture accessories are used that facilitate the process of transformation. There are several types of design solutions for sliding sofas:
- Dolphin. For transformation it is necessary to pull the fabric handle, an additional unit will be pulled out, which is set to the seat level.
- Click-gag. The backrest reclines, forming a single surface.
- Pantograph. The seat of the sofa extends slightly forward, and the back rests in its place, thus obtaining a berth.
- Book. The seat is folded up, the back is set to a horizontal position, then the seat is also fixed at the same level with the back.
- Roll-out. The mechanism consists of three sections. The lower part must be pulled over, when moving it will pull the section of the seat along, which, in turn, will put forward an additional base, which is hidden in the space of the back.
- Cougar. For transformation it is necessary to pull up and the seat handles. Under the upper seat is another soft area. The puma mechanism will perform the whole process itself, the efforts made for the transformation are minimal.
The choice of mechanism for the sofa depends on the design features of the models. Give preference to better hardware made with the use of durable and reliable materials, otherwise with constant use, over time, a low-quality mechanism may fail.
Fabric and filler for a sofa
As a filler for the soft elements of the sofa we use foam rubber of different thicknesses and synthetic winterizer. Sheathing is made in several layers. To give a relief, you can lay out additional segments of this material. After which the entire surface should be covered with a thinner layer, this is necessary for a smooth transition of levels.
For external design, strong and wear-resistant types of woven coating are used, which are less susceptible to abrasion and fading. The fabric should be easy to clean. Do not take the fabric with a relief pattern; such elements will wipe out at the places of most frequent use. Best for sofa upholstery are:
- Shenill The fabric is dense and durable, rough to the touch. It does not deform under the influence of moisture, stretches poorly, does not wipe and does not fade.
- Gunny. Strong and rough fabric similar to burlap. It has a large weaving structure, it is easy to clean from pollution.
- Velours. Soft material resembling velvet in structure. Furniture velor is distinguished by its strength and durability.
- Flock. The fabric is very similar to velor, but unlike it, flock is produced in a non-woven way. Shreds of wool or cotton are glued onto the base material in several layers to obtain a dense uniform structure.
- Tapestry. A heavy and very dense material, the structure of which consists of several layers of weaves. It is characterized by unsurpassed strength and wear resistance, presented in the form of a variety of woven patterns.
When you will cut out the necessary details, make sure that the direction of the picture is the same on all elements.
DIY made sofa bed
The first step in the independent manufacture of the sofa will be design. Make a drawing of the future design of the sofa, specify the dimensions and determine the transformation mechanism. Let's consider in more detail how to make a sofa with your own hands using the "book" mechanism.
Prepare the necessary tools and materials:
- jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- furniture stapler;
- drill;
- corner;
- roulette wheel;
- nails, self-tapping screws, furniture fittings, furniture bolts;
- glue for foam rubber;
- timber 40 * 60 mm;
- board 25 * 200 mm.
- interlining, foam rubber;
- fabric for exterior decoration.
If you have experience working with the listed equipment, then you can start making your own sofa. Step-by-step instructions will help you determine the build sequence:
Step number 1. First of all, we assemble the frame of the details: box for linen, back, seat, sidewalls.
Step number 2. Sheathe the frame with fiberboard sheets. To maintain the sofa mattress, we install wooden slats.
Step number 3. For the armrests, we cut out the details from the fiberboard, then we make a frame for them from boards and timber.
Step number 4. After collecting all the details, we establish a mechanism for transformation.
Step number 5. We install non-woven on the lamellas, on top of it we put foam rubber of 60 mm.
Step number 6. On the armrests we install a roller of 40 mm foam, on top we put foam rubber with a thickness of 20 mm. so as to smooth the surface of the armrest.
Step number 7. We glue the foam rubber to the base, tighten the armrests with a cloth, nail the element of furniture fittings to close the front part of the armrest.
Step number 8. By the same principle we tighten the seat and back. When making a sofa bed with your own hands, try to use high-quality materials, the foam layer should be sufficient, otherwise the body of the structure will be rigid.
Restoration of an old sofa
If you have a sofa, which is a pity to part with, but its appearance leaves much to be desired, then you need to restore it, replace the upholstery, parts of the frame and decor elements, after which the piece of furniture will look like new.
Assess the condition of the sofa. If the upholstery fabric is slightly rubbed, then according to the available templates, you need to drag the sofa yourself. But what if it is very dilapidated? In this case, it is necessary to completely disassemble the structure into parts and replace all old parts. You may need to strengthen the frame or update some of its parts.
After analyzing the sofa, you will have ready-made patterns for the manufacture of new parts. Prepare foam rubber and synthetic winterizer, as well as upholstery fabric. When preparing patterns, add 1 cm from the edge, so it will be easier to stretch the fabric during lining.
Wooden furniture elements need to be cleaned from the old sandpaper coating. If there are small cracks or chips, then use furniture putty to level the surface. To give wood elements a specific color, use acrylic or latex paint. If you want to preserve the texture of the tree, then treat the surface with varnish. To simulate more expensive varieties of wood, you can use a stain.
If you are dealing with an old antique sofa, then it is better to entrust the banner to professionals. Such interior items require a particularly careful attitude. Do not get to work if your knowledge and practical skills are not enough to restore such large items. Not everyone can pull a sofa with their own hands. To do the job efficiently, accuracy and accuracy are needed. Start practicing on simpler furniture.
Hanging sofa
If you want to make originality in the interior, then you should think about doing a hanging sofa with your own hands. The photo shows a model that can serve as a berth. The manufacture of such a sofa is fast, since there are no complex structural elements. The frame is made of boards 15 * 5 cm, you can take a thinner board. For structural rigidity, it is necessary to strengthen the frame with transverse jumpers in the form of bars. Cover the bottom of the base with a sheet of plywood.
As a soft base, use a regular mattress for a queen-size bed. Frame elements can be covered with 2 cm thick foam rubber and covered with furniture cloth. Sew a mattress cover and pillowcases from the same fabric. You can leave the wood elements open. Then you need to carefully grind the surface, then cover it with varnish or stain.
To hang the bed, use screws with rings. Take sturdy screws of a suitable size. Screw them into the sofa frame and in the mounting points on the ceiling. Attach a chain or rope to the rings. Another option is to mount using protruding wooden elements. To do this, simply tie a rope around the board or timber.
A hanging sofa bed is not only an original way of decorating the interior, but also the organization of an extra bed. The smooth sway of the sofa will allow you to relax and take a break from the outside fuss.
Corner sofa
Making a corner sofa with your own hands is carried out according to the same principle as a sofa-book. A distinctive feature will be the transformation mechanism, if it is supposed to make a folding option. For corner sofas, the dolphin mechanism is most often used.
We assemble the sofa frame from the boards and beams of a suitable size, sheathe fiberboard or plywood. The structural part should include the installation of a mechanism for transformation and a mechanism for a drawer with linen. See the description of the assembly of the sofa with your own hands in the instructions.
For external cladding of open frame elements, we use foam rubber 1-1.5 cm thick, on top we fix the fabric using a furniture stapler. For armrests and seats we sew covers, we attach a thicker layer of foam rubber (5-6 cm) to the frame. All corners of the frame should be smoothed with a foam coating. Making a sofa with your own hands at home will require jewelry accuracy from you. It is necessary to make allowances for fabric and foam to mask all the unsightly places of the frame.
In the side of the sofa, instead of the armrest, you can make a retractable structure that will play the role of a table. It is not difficult to do this, it is enough to build from the plywood an additional housing of the drawer and install the guides for the drawer.
How to make a corner sofa with your own hands, so that it looks like purchased? For this, accuracy and accuracy must be observed. Be careful when cutting parts, and also check the location of the elements of the frame level.
Do-it-yourself sofa frameless
The production of frameless furniture began recently, despite this, such interior items have already reached a considerable level of popularity. Many owners of frameless pieces of furniture respond positively to performance and ease of use. Thanks to a special filler, the sofa is able to take the form of a human body.
In order to sew the sofa with your own hands, you need fabric for the filler, fabric for the cover, the filler itself. The shape of the frameless sofa does not have to be oval; you can make a cover in the form of a seat with armrests and a back. The choice depends on your preference. Cover the sofa with a zipper so that you can remove and wash it if necessary.
As a filler, polystyrene foam balls are used. This material is lightweight and non-hygroscopic. Due to its structure, foam balls quickly move into containers, giving the furniture the desired shape. Do not fill the entire capacity of the bag, leave a little space for free movement of the filler.
A sofa bag will fit perfectly into the decor of a minimalist or high-tech home. In this case, the fabric for the sofa you need to choose plain, without a pattern and embossing.
Finally
Making a sofa with your own hands at home will allow you to not only save significantly, but also create a unique design based on your preferences. An exclusive sofa will emphasize and complement the interior of your apartment or country house.