My Ikea Ektorp 3-seater sofa was really old and in poor condition. Not only was the red sofa cover faded and torn in some parts, the cushions were also losing firmness and sliding down here and there no matter how much one tried to pat the cushions.
So I had 2 options to consider:
1. Change the entire sofa
2. Buy the slipcover and change the cover (bare minimum to do because the cover was getting torn)
At first, I was unhappy even if I opted to buy the slipcover. Because of the poor condition of the back cushions, a new cover will not help. Then I started looking on websites on furniture repair. I learnt that there are services which help to repair sofas, which claimed to be much cheaper than buying even a used sofa.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. Why not, put additional polyester cotton into the cushions to make them more full? Another idea then came, and it was the right timing. I was going to replace my old pillows with new ones for CNY 2014. Why not put the old pillow fillings into the cushions?
And so, began my project of reupholstering my own sofa. First, of course, I had to buy the cover from Ikea.
Ektorp 3-seat covers range from RM299 to RM799 depending on the type and colour. So, on a budget, I only had 2 choices to choose from: Blekinge white or Tygelsjö beige. Beige is the no-brainer colour as it would go with most furnishings.
The 2nd step is to empty my 2 pillow fillings and put into the 3 back cushions. This took a long time as I had to carefully slit open the cushion inner cover (made of non-woven material) and fill the cushions especially at the sunken corners. Then I had to sew back the openings and even mend some places that were torn. I spent the better half of the day doing this carefully.
And here is the result: Improved condition of the back cushions and a brand new cover for the new year!
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| If you think this sofa condition is bad, mine was worse! Sample picture |
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| My actual sofa, where the cushions were sliding out of place |
So I had 2 options to consider:
1. Change the entire sofa
2. Buy the slipcover and change the cover (bare minimum to do because the cover was getting torn)
At first, I was unhappy even if I opted to buy the slipcover. Because of the poor condition of the back cushions, a new cover will not help. Then I started looking on websites on furniture repair. I learnt that there are services which help to repair sofas, which claimed to be much cheaper than buying even a used sofa.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. Why not, put additional polyester cotton into the cushions to make them more full? Another idea then came, and it was the right timing. I was going to replace my old pillows with new ones for CNY 2014. Why not put the old pillow fillings into the cushions?
And so, began my project of reupholstering my own sofa. First, of course, I had to buy the cover from Ikea.
Ektorp 3-seat covers range from RM299 to RM799 depending on the type and colour. So, on a budget, I only had 2 choices to choose from: Blekinge white or Tygelsjö beige. Beige is the no-brainer colour as it would go with most furnishings.
The 2nd step is to empty my 2 pillow fillings and put into the 3 back cushions. This took a long time as I had to carefully slit open the cushion inner cover (made of non-woven material) and fill the cushions especially at the sunken corners. Then I had to sew back the openings and even mend some places that were torn. I spent the better half of the day doing this carefully.
And here is the result: Improved condition of the back cushions and a brand new cover for the new year!
 |
| Ok, I should have ironed the sofa cover first |
