Can we re-springing a sofa ourselves?

[John M.]

We have a ten-year old sofa that's in good shape except for the sinusoidal spring set under the seat, which has gotten soft. A local upholstery guy wants over $300 to replace it, and says it involves removing the fabric cover on top of the springs to get at them (can't push go through the bottom I guess because of wood cross members. Is there any way we can attempt this project ourselves (we're fairly competent DIY'ers), and if so, where might we purchase the replacement spring set ? Thanks for your help! --- John

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Sure you can. Remember "The Furniture Guys" that was on a few years ago? They did it often. Check for a book at the library or bookstore. Just don't take of that little tag or you may be arrested.

[Mike Patterson]

Go for it. Take pictures before, during, and after. Make a web site out of it, help others who are like you. Shoot, maybe you could even sell advertising and make a few pennies on it.

If it turns out that you can't get it done to your satisfaction, you can always call in the pro later. After all, he'd pretty much take it completely apart anyway. You'd just save him some time.

As for sources, this brought up a large number of relevent sites:

Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me.

[John M.]

Thanks to everyone for their advice. The Atrim site was especially helpful, Mike. From the Atrim website, it looks like there are a number of specialized tools required to cut, bend, stretch, and install the springs, so we might soon be reconsidering the pro's offer :-) We'll let you know how it goes. --- John

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 18:13:05 GMT, "John M." brought forth from the murky depths:

I picked up a $20 loveseat which needed springing and found that a thick piece of foam wedged between the seat and cross member fixed it just fine until I build that Mission couch. It has the sinuous spring style, too.

Yes, you should be able to do it. Pick up a book like Gheen's "Upholstery Techniques Illustrated" or James' "Upholstery: A Complete Course". Both are excellent to give you the info you need and pictures of the tools necessary for the job. Buy or build your own. Sinuous springs have a special cutter, but any old spinning abrasive disc would do the job.

Pick up the 1/4" crown stapler from Harbor Freight for $24 and change. Turn an old screwdriver into a decent staple/tack puller. Cut your foam with a $1 garage-sale electric carving knife. We bottom feeders consider this type of thing a challenge.

Let us know what you end up doing!

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