Tips on Using Furniture Slipcovers
An article by Simon Phillips
If your couch and armchairs are looking tired or worn, and aren’t in keeping with the smart look of your home, then slipcovers offer an inexpensive solution. By fitting slipcovers on your furniture you can instantly hide unattractive upholstery and give your old seats a new lease of life, by introducing a new color, pattern or fabric.
The main benefit of decorating with slipcovers is that they enable you to completely change the appearance of your furniture easily and quickly, giving your whole room a fresh look and feel without the expense of buying a new sofa or chairs. The other attraction of using slipcovers is they are designed to be easy to remove for washing, so there’s no need to worry about pets jumping on your couch or kids spilling drinks, as you can just throw a dirty slipcover in the washing machine.
When fitted correctly, slipcovers can have a smart, tailored appearance. However, although ready made slipcovers are available in sofa, loveseat and chair sizes, problems can arise because furniture doesn’t come in standard sizes or styles. Therefore, you may need to make a few adjustments to your slipcover to get a better fit. Here are some hints and tips on fixing common issues that people have when fitting slipcovers on their furniture.
A Loose Fit
A slipcover that is too big for a sofa or armchair can look sloppy and untidy, with lots of loose fabric hanging off. Ideally, you want to get a smooth, tight fit that looks as much like upholstery as possible. The trick to dealing with excess fabric is to tuck it into the gaps around the back and sides of your seat, pulling the slipcover tight. You can use your fingers for this, but using a wooden spoon to poke the fabric into the cracks makes it easier.
You may find that your slipcover doesn’t stay in place and works loose if anyone sits on the seat. To rectify this, a good tip is to get some old magazines, roll them up tight, and secure them with rubber bands. Push these into the cracks around the seat and they should help keep the slipcover in position.
Creases
Couch slipcovers can become creased, especially if they’ve been folded up for storage or after washing. If there are a few wrinkles showing after you’ve put on your slipcover, a handy tip for removing them is to lightly spray the area with water, using a plant mister. It’s much easier to smooth creases out of slightly damp fabric. Simply smooth them out using your hands and allow the fabric to dry fully before using your furniture.
Wooden Arms & Legs
Pre-made slipcovers are designed to fit furniture with cushioned arms. However, you can still use a slipcover on a couch with wooden arms, as long as you don’t mind covering up the wood and changing the style. To do this, you will need to add sufficient padding for your slipcover to fit snugly, by securing foam batting around the arms. Foam batting can be bought from craft stores, or you could use an old blanket or towel instead.
It’s also possible to change the style of a couch with wooden legs, by using a slipcover with a pleated skirt. This is a good way of hiding scratched or old-fashioned legs and giving your furniture an updated new look.
Leather Furniture
If you try to fit a slipcover over faux leather or vinyl upholstery, you’ll probably find it slides off and won’t stay in place. A tip for overcoming this issue is to cut a non-skid rug pad to fit over the seat area and place this under the slipcover.
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