how to reupholster a couch without removing old fabric

staple slip cover over couch to keep from moving

How to reupholster a couch without sewing! Don't trash your couch before reading this! Give your old tired couch a new look and trust me, you can do this. Today I am sharing my DIY how to reupholster a couch that is cheap and easy. I recently updated in 2021 as this DIY couch was completed a few years ago.

I sawzalled an existing couch in half and removed two feet and then assembled it back together finishing it off with new upholstery (see the really cool wingback chair I reupholstered). The couch has seen many modern looks over the years but I decided to reupholster it again with an old Pottery Barn slipcover that was in the bottom of my closet.

It's crazy how this couch upholstery tutorial is currently trending on Pinterest and being featured as an interior diy hack that is cheap and easy way to cover an old couch. Yay!!

How to reupholster a couch without sewing

white slipcovered sofa, seagrass ottoman, brown wicker rocking chair, blue and white wall board and batten, striped pool towel, outdoor tan rug

How to reupholster a couch without sewing

Green drapes used as fabric to reupholster a couch In case you are new to our blog, this is what the couch looked like after I sawzalled it in half.

sawzalled couch in half to remove 2 feet from the center of the couch

The couch I cut in half with a sawzall to make it smaller

Kind of crazy right? Well this little o'l couch is getting a new look, again.

Do you love the look of slip covers but hate all the wrinkles and mess? The one piece slipcovers that you buy as is are beautiful as long as you don't sit on the furniture.

Do you know what I am talking about?

They come in one size and usually, you have excessive amounts of fabric tucked everywhere. Drives me crazy! So my solution was to reuse the existing large one piece slip cover and cut it to size and staple/nail it to the couch. Easy peasy!

Couch Upholstery with a staple gun

First, drape your fabric slip cover over your piece of furniture.

Pottery Barn slipcover over a couch as fabric for upholstery project

Next, cut the excessive fabric (on the floor) off but be sure to not cut the pleated part. You will want to save the pleated part to re-staple to the couch along the bottom edge.

pottery barn white slipcover over old couch, cement floor, pool house

Now it's time to cut out the middle piece of your fabric. I decided to cut straight across being sure to leave enough fabric to cover the back and sides of the couch.

pottery barn white slipcover used to reupholster a couch , cement floor, pool house

Don't worry, this works!

How to Reupholster a couch without removing the fabric

This is such a great way to reupholster a couch without removing the fabric first. There is no need to remove the old fabric. This will save you so much time!

pottery barn white slipcover, cement floor, pool house

Now, simply tuck your fabric and staple with your hand powered staple gun. I used a compressor and heavy duty staple gun with 1/4″ staples. Be sure to staple to the wood part/frame of the sofa.

The materials needed simply consist of your fabric, staple gun, staples and an air compressor.

pottery barn white slipcover cut in half, cement floor, pool house

Try to staple as close to the bottom and up underneath in order to hide the staple.

Pottery Barn slipcover used to reupholster a couch and staple gun with staples

Pottery Barn slipcover used to reupholster a couch with staple gun and staples

I cut a piece of fabric (from the slip cover excess) to cover the front and stapled. I chose to leave the arms of the couch "loose" simply because I wanted a casual look. You can always staple the fabric around the arms to give it a more tailored look. It just depends what look you want.

If you make a mistake or don't like it, just get a hammer and screwdriver and pry out the staple. That is the beauty of a DIY sofa upholstery project, you can change things as you go if you do not like it.

RELATED: Easy DIY Reupholstering Tips and Tricks

loveseat with pottery barn slipcover stapled to couch

Don't worry about getting the fabric perfect. You will be able to cover the edges and trim with the existing pleated skirt that you cut off earlier.

You can always make diy piping too for the edges if you have extra time.

See below how I stapled the skirt back on the couch. This gives the couch a finished look.

white pottery barn slipcover pinned to couch

I tried to staple where the staples wouldn't be seen but a couple do show. You can purchase roping or ribbon in the fabric store and use stitch witchery to adhere to the slipcover if you want to hide the staples. For me, they are hardly noticeable.

pottery barn white couch slipcover

How much does it cost to reupholster a couch?

I already had the slip cover so for me, it was minimal! Just the cost of staples and my time. That's it!

Of course if you want it perfect, you will need to invest hundreds of dollars, maybe even thousands and pay to have it professionally upholstered. For me, that wasn't an option.

I think the couch recovered in a camel covered slip cover fits right in with our newly renovated modern cottage pool house.

pottery barn slipcover, seagrass ottoman, wicker rocker, rainwash wall color, board and batten wall

Pottery Barn slipcover used to reupholster an old couch pool house with coastal blue decor

How to reupholster a couch – cushions

For the cushion, I used the remaining fabric that I had cut off in the beginning and sewed the ends together and used velcro to close the seam. I ran out of zippers and velcro is what I had so that is what I used. I may sew a zipper on the cushion cover at some point.

Pottery Barn slipcover used to reupholster an old couch pool house coastal blue decor striped towel brown rug wicker basket white drapes

Be sure to also check out my how to reupholster a chair tutorial too. It's a new sew tutorial and if I can do it, anyone can do it.

By reusing a slipcover that cost over $300, I was able to save money on the cost of buying fabric and by stapling the slipcover in place, the the fabric now stays put!

A fresh new look for a sofa that use to be two feet longer for zero money!

How long does it take to reupholster a couch?

This project only took me two hours and seriously, learning how to reupholster a couch is very easy.

Get yourself a small compressor and heavy duty staple gun (that works with a compressor), some fabric and get busy!

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this project! Do you have a couch you would like to reupholster?