Should I Reupholster My Leather Couch Or Buy a New One?

Couches are the star attraction of a living room. They play a significant role in setting the room’s vibe.

If your leather couches isn’t in good condition and you’re looking for some change, then reupholstering is an excellent way to go. It’ll require a little extra effort but will save you a lot of money.

Just buying a new couch is convenient, but it might not be the best option if you have a tight budget. Instead, you can change the whole look of your sofa by changing its fabric and make it as good as new simply by reupholstering it.

We have put together a handy guide to let you know all about reupholstering leather couches. You’ll find all the information regarding its cost, pros and cons, and the entire procedure in detail.

Let’s get right into it!

Can Leather Couches Be Reupholstered?

Yes! You can absolutely reupholster leather couches, and in fact, it is more simple than you think. Like any other fabric, you can renovate your leather sofa, but you need to consider a few important parameters before going for it.

Go for reupholstering if you are sure that your leather is genuine. OG leather generally lasts for a good ten years without much wear or tear; if your leather has gone to waste before that, then it isn’t genuine.

Additionally, reupholstering is a tricky process. If your couch doesn’t have a sturdy frame or a robust spring system, it won’t be able to sustain the stress.

How Much Does It Cost To Reupholster A Leather Couch?

You can reupholster a leather couch at a fairly affordable price as compared to buying a new one. An average grade leather fabric costs around 45-55 dollars per yard.

In other words, a standard eight feet couch costs around 1,500 to 2,000 dollars, including the average labor costs.

Leather Couch Reupholstered Pros And Cons

People love leather upholstery because of its luxurious and elegant feel. It has a lot of upsides along with a few downsides, so let’s look at them briefly.

Pros

• Long-lasting and durable, it can last for decades without degrading
• Low maintenance and needs only a little polishing from time to time
• Doesn’t stink like other couch fabrics
• Can go for days without collecting any dust

Cons

• Prone to cracking if not polished and conditioned routinely
• Costs higher than other materials

How To Reupholster A Leather Sofa

The process is quite similar to reupholstering couches with other fabrics and is relatively simple. Let’s get to the details straightway.

1. Get Rid Of The Old Leather

First and foremost, you need to remove the worn-out and old leather from your couch. Hence, flip the sofa upside down and get rid of all the pre-existing staples. You can use any flat-head tool like a screwdriver for doing this but be careful because the pins are sharp and can hurt your fingers.

Also, try not to harm the leather much along the way because you can still use the fabric for making templates. Templates simplify the task of cutting the new leather to a large extent. Be sure to separate each piece using a seam ripper. You can also use the old fabric for other little DIY projects.

2. Prep Up The New Leather

Next, you need to prepare the new leather for renovating the couch. Spread the fabric on a plain surface, with its face down. Clear out all the creases and ensure that it is perfectly flat.

Once that’s done, you can place the old leather pieces on top of the new ones and pin them together using sewing pins. Try to restrict all the pinning work to the edges only because you wouldn’t want unnecessary holes in the middle of your leather.

Carefully cut all the pieces using a pair of electric scissors. This step is crucial because you cannot recover your fabric after cutting it, so be cautious and do it with a steady hand. You can remove the pins once that is done.

3. Install The New Leather

Now that you are ready with all your material, the only thing left is to put it on the couch. Start by putting on the back piece along the top edge from the backside. Now, flip over the face down and position the front part while it drapes down from the rear. Staple it along the topmost edge of the couch, on the back piece.

The joining pins can look really ugly, so we recommend covering them up. You can flip the leather on the front side if you don’t want the staples to be visible. Now tightly pull the fabric and staple it to each corner to keep it adhered. Repeat this step until you secure the leather from all sides.

Now you can proceed to place the arm pieces. Stapling them can be slightly tricky because you’ll have to attach them from outside to inside, covering the armrest. Therefore, hold them in place carefully and steadily put in the pins.

Follow this method until you have all the leather pieces in place, including the frontal bottom, the cushion pieces, and the base.

4. Final Touches

Lastly, add a sophisticated look to your couch by uniformly hammering the thumbtacks along the edges. If you want a more elegant look, go ahead and use some leather conditioner to give it a brand new sheen.

Conclusion

Reupholstering a leather couch can be a task, but if you consider all the money you’ll be saving, all the effort seems fairly manageable.

That’s about it for today’s guide, guys; hopefully, you were able to grasp a few key points about the topic. Feel free to send us your queries, if any, and we’ll be glad to get back to you.

We’ll soon be back with another handy guide on another important topic. See you next time!