There are many ways to build a loveseat. Numerous people have revamped several pieces of furniture into different types of furniture. Now, we will tackle how to make a flexsteel reclining sofa into a loveseat.
Before knowing the whole process, let us first assess what these pieces of furniture are.
What is Flexsteel?
For more than 100 years, Flexsteel is an American maker of medium-priced tractor seats. The enterprise has several plants throughout the United States.
What is a Reclining Sofa?
You can get the definition of a reclining sofa by knowing what a recliner is. A recliner is a couch that leans down when the person lowers the back of the chair and elevates the front. The backrest may push down. Often the footrest can stretch on the side through a lever or extended automatically if the back is being pushed back.
What is a Loveseat?
Loveseats are small double-seater sofas originally designed as a wider armchair variant. Loveseats are usually coupled with larger couches in living room or family room layouts, sometimes called double-chairs.
So the question is, how to make a flexsteel reclining sofa into a loveseat?
Step#1: Disassembling the Reclining Sofa
The first step is to disassemble a reclining sofa. This will make the reclining sofa become a regular sofa. With this, it will be easier to make it into a loveseat. So to disassemble your reclining sofa, follow these methods:
Method #1: Unlocking Locked Levers
To begin, advance the sofa so that the back is pointing straight up into the air. Many upholstered couches include a detachable back cover that may lift to show the underlying construction.
Before lifting the upholstered panel, locate and unfasten the velcro strips or snaps that secure the cloth to the frame’s base. Find the locking levers on the frames on either side of the sofa’s seats.
On either side of the main body of the drink, toward the top of the arm and back, a metal lever pointing downward should be visible. Look for levers on the frames between the seats if your sofa has a central console.
If the sofa doesn’t have detachable fabric parts that disclose the structure, insert your hands into the back seams on the left and right sides. Examine the center console and the chairs for any seams. Look for the locking lever that is pointing down within the seams.
Use a flat head screwdriver or, in a pinch, your fingertips to loosen and lift each lever and remove the seatbacks. After releasing the levers, return the couch to its original position before carefully removing the back from its frame.
If your couch has a pair of seats divided by a central console, lift each seat and console back out of its shell.
Method#2: Removing Bolted Bars
Raise the sofa on its front side and right up to the ceiling with its back to you. Check underneath the couch to determine if the foundation bars are present. If there are two or three bars twisted or fastened from one end to the other of the sofa’s foundation, you should notice them.
Check the screw heads or bolts to ensure the baselines are secure. Use a drill with the appropriate bit to loosen each screw or bolt from the base bars. Because base bars are typically secured with square Robertson screws, you will almost certainly require Robertson drive bits.
It is best to assist someone in removing the fundamental bars of a sofa, especially while removing the last bar. When you remove the last bar, you can easily separate the various seats and consoles.
The components of the couch will help prevent their roll-out, hurt, or injure neighboring things if someone stabilizes it.
Step#2: Making it into a Loveseat
Removing Old Fabric
Using a staple remover or a flat head screwdriver, remove the existing staples from the upholstery fabric. Take out the old fabric. If the present batting and foam are in bad condition, you must remove and replace them.
Using the measuring tape, measure the length of the couch you want to convert to a loveseat and mark the area to cut with a pencil.
Cutting the Sofa
Cut the sofa to the length of the love seat with the reciprocating saw, then cut the couch arm off. Sand the cut edges of the couch and arm to ensure a tight fit.
To prevent the wood from splitting, drill holes through it with the smaller drill bit before putting it together. Using the drill, attach the arm to the rest of the sofa.
Final Measurements
Determine the amount of foam, batting, and upholstery fabric needed by measuring the final measurements of the love seat. Get the supplies you’ll need to recover the love seat. To fit the furniture item, measure and cut the foam and cloth.
Arranging the Foam
Arrange the foam to fit around the love seat’s arm, back, and sitting sections. Wrap it in batting and secure it with a staple gun. Sew the fabric together and fit it over the foam and love seat with a sewing machine.
Finalizing the Loveseat
Cover the love seat’s backside. Staple along the top edge of the cloth, then flip the love seat upside down and staple along the bottom concealed edge. Stapling along the top edge over the previously stapled piece, then along the sides and bottom, place the fabric piece over the back.
Place the armrest fabric on, stapling both sides along the concealed regions. Staple the fabric for the bench seat to the top inside edge of the love seat, then flip it over and staple along the underside.
Conclusion
These are the steps on how to make a flexsteel reclining sofa into a loveseat. Just follow the main processes and methods in disassembling the recliner and forming it into a loveseat.