How to make an armrest for a sofa with a shelf for books
For a corner sofa or Eurobook, you can make a simple armrest with shelves inside.
The production of such an armrest consists of two stages: first we assemble and cover the frame, then we assemble and install the shelf into the frame.
Let's look at the assembly diagram of the armrest frame. For the frame we use chipboard (or plywood), fiberboard, and timber with a section of 40✖40 mm or another similar section.
I will give the dimensions for the armrest with dimensions of 870✖590✖250 mm. You can change them as you wish. Details for one armrest:
- Chipboard : 650✖200 – 1 pc.
- 850✖518 – 1 pc.
- 200✖518 – 2 pcs.
- 850✖216 – 2 pcs.
- 410✖106 – 1 pc.
- 818 – 1 pc.
Below are drawings showing the assembly procedure. The armrest is assembled with 50 mm screws.
Now we cover the assembled frame with foam rubber. First, we glue 10 mm thick foam rubber on the side where we have the “window”. The foam parts should extend 15-30 mm inside the window to create a soft cushion, and our shelf fits in there tightly and without gaps. If you only have foam rubber 20 mm thick, then you can use it, but in this case do not bend it inward as in the second picture, but simply make a 10-12 mm release around the perimeter of the window. Then this release will be pressed with fabric and create the soft cushion we need.
Now we glue the foam rubber on the inside of the armrest (where we have a chipboard overlay for attaching to the sofa). To fasten the armrest, you need to provide bolts, cage nuts or hooks - depending on what method of fastening is provided for by the design of your sofa.
We glue thicker foam rubber on top - 40 mm (or two layers of 20 mm each). To make it softer.
Now we cover the armrest with fabric. Essentially, we are simply sewing the same simple cover as we did in the corner sofa project. We stretch it over the armrest, upholster it, and then cut out the central window. This must be done carefully, without cutting off excess. You should leave at least 5-6 cm of fabric around the perimeter of the window. Be especially careful in the corners - there you need to make diagonal cuts to the base. Do not cut right to the end, leave a couple of centimeters, you will cut more accurately when you stretch and nail the fabric, it is better to finally cut the fabric at the corners at the time of installing the shelf. After making the cuts, nail the fabric inside the window. Make the tension stronger so that the foam rubber does not shine in the corners, but make sure that the overall contour of the armrest is not distorted.
To install the shelf, you need to nail pads onto the support bars to compensate for the thickness of the foam rubber and fabric. Overlays can be made by collecting several layers of fiberboard and/or furniture cardboard. The thickness of the overlay depends on the thickness of the foam and fabric (as a result, on the size of your shelf). The shelf should fit inside the window quite tightly. I recommend sawing and assembling the shelf after you have covered the armrest with fabric. Measure the size of the resulting window in the fabric and assemble a shelf 4-5 mm larger.
Cutting into slats
If the prepared planks are not thick enough, do the following:
- cut the board into several slats with a width equal to the required thickness of the armrest;
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- Turn each rail 90 degrees on its end and cut out an element from it according to the template;
- glue all the resulting elements into a solid armrest.
Sometimes armrests in office chairs are simply straight. In this case, skip steps 4, 5 and 6 and go straight to step seven.
How to make a table on the armrest of a sofa
How nice it is to enjoy aromatic coffee while sitting on the couch and reading an interesting book. But what to do if there is no table near the sofa on which to place a hot cup? You will either have to look up from your book and drink coffee in the kitchen, or put a tray on the sofa, trying not to touch it and spill the drink. But there is another way out - you can make a special table with a cup holder that will be installed on the armrest of the sofa. In this article we will tell you how to make such a table with your own hands.
Note : If you do not have the special countersunk corner hole jig that is used in this project, you can do without it.
Good wood glue will ensure sufficient reliability of the connections, especially considering that the product will not be subjected to serious loads.
Choosing the type of armrests and material for them
The modern construction and furniture market offers a huge variety of materials that allow even the most daring ideas to be realized. Of course, classic options always remain in fashion. This can be said about the armrests, which are made of wood. This material has long been considered the main one in furniture production. Sofa armrests are no exception. The tree can optionally be used in its immediate form. Derivatives from it can be used.
For example, plywood or other building material of this kind. It is not necessary to cover the armrests with fabric. However, this solution also has a right to exist, since it allows you to create a unified style with the sofa itself. It can be covered with different materials. Modern models are dressed in leather or its substitute. Both solutions are very successful.
The armrest table for the sofa performs 2 functions: it serves as a stand for dishes and gives the sofa a stylish look.
They allow you to create a unique interior in a room and make its appearance respectable. Upholstering the armrests is easy.
Some modern sofa models have other types of similar devices. For example, they are often made of metal. This material combines well with modern interiors, which are decorated in European style. Plastic is not overlooked by many consumers. This lightweight and durable material can also act as armrests. However, it is the classic wooden version that is most widespread. It does not require additional decorations, fits perfectly into any interior and is aesthetically pleasing.
Some go much further in their endeavors. For example, you can make a table-armrest for a sofa. This model perfectly allows you to equip your home. Here you can put everything you need. A telephone can be placed on such a table.
As for materials that can still be used as covering material, various fabric options are very common here. Silk looks great on any sofa. We can talk about other materials that are characterized by high cost. The choice always remains with each individual person.
Advantages of a hand-sewn sofa cover
DIY sofa covers have the following advantages:
- relatively low cost;
- ease of use;
- ease of washing;
- the ability to bring furniture into line with the overall style of the interior;
- aesthetics;
- uniqueness.
By making several different models, you can experiment with the appearance of a piece of furniture. At the same time, such needlework requires very little time.
Why we abandoned vinyl and fabric covering
As you know, the armrests of office chairs are most often covered with vinyl. Unfortunately, this material, as well as the fabric used in combination with it, is not particularly durable. Actually, this is why the armrests wear out over time.
To avoid having to repair our chair again in the future, my husband decided to abandon the fragile vinyl and fabric, replacing them with wooden cladding. Thus, in the end, we got a beautiful and at the same time quite easy-to-use computer chair with almost “eternal” armrests.
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Design nuances
As you can see in the photo of a hand-sewn sofa cover, it usually consists of several rectangular elements that should completely cover the surface of the upholstery.
The role of the retainer is traditionally performed by elastic bands, cords or braid. To add elegance and sophistication, details such as frills and ribbons tied into bows are used.
On the Internet you can easily find a large assortment of patterns for sewing a sofa cover with your own hands.
Therefore, if you decide to start sewing such “protection” of furniture yourself, you will not have problems choosing a suitable pattern.
Assembly process
Varnish is applied to wooden surfaces in 2 layers.
Assembly is extremely fast. All pre-prepared holes are adjusted to each other, and then assembly takes place using self-tapping screws. The main thing is that all structural elements are firmly installed in place. This is the only opportunity to get a truly high-quality connection. After the assembly is completed, you can begin to coat the material with varnish.
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The surface should be made as smooth as possible for this procedure. The varnish is applied in two layers. The first one must be pre-dried before the other one is laid on it. You can apply the varnish using a paint brush. If desired, the armrests can be additionally decorated with painting or wood carvings. This can bring the interior of almost any room to life as much as possible.
Everything should look as neat and natural as possible. If you can do this, then the job is done perfectly.
Material selection
There are a number of requirements for the fabric for a cover. First of all, it is strength, wear resistance, and ease of maintenance.
The following items answer these requests:
- jacquard;
- flock;
- shinil;
- artificial and natural leather;
- microfiber;
- artificial and natural fur.
Required tools and accessories
Such needlework requires the use of the following things:
- overlock;
- measuring tape;
- pins;
- scissors;
- thread of the corresponding color.
The craftswoman also requires accuracy and patience.
Sequence of actions when sewing a cover
Here are the standard instructions for “sewing sofa covers with your own hands”:
- Take the necessary measurements of the armrests, backrest, and seat.
- Create a pattern and calculate how much fabric you will need. Don't forget to take seam allowances into account.
- Transfer all the details from the paper to the material and cut it out.
- Connect the elements together using a stitch. Try on the product. Adjust it to the dimensions of the furniture.
- After adjustments, remove excess fabric, leaving only seam allowances. Overcast and sew the edges using an overlocker.
- Wash the finished product in warm water and iron.
To make a sofa cover with elastic, you will need to carry out additional manipulations with the bottom edge:
- turn it inside out and use chalk to mark the line of the elastic band;
- fix the elastic along the markings using pins;
- sew on a sewing machine, selecting a three-step seam in its settings.
DIY armrests for a sofa: features
So, wooden armrests are made using a fairly simple technology. Of course, work must begin with preparing the material for further manipulations with it. If there are old armrests, they need to be removed. A screwdriver is also used for this. The screws can be removed in any way, but it must be gentle. The main thing is not to damage the structure of the sofa itself. This is the only way to properly install new armrests.
Armrest diagram with dimensions.
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After dismantling is completed, you can begin measuring work. It is very important not to make mistakes in order to get truly high-quality furniture items. You can use a ruler and pencil to measure. If the dimensions are impressive, then you can use a tape measure. To obtain more accurate dimensions, you can use old armrests that were previously dismantled.
When all preliminary work is completed, you can begin sawing the material. For these purposes, it is best to use an electric jigsaw. However, it cannot always be used, since the thickness of the boards is not the same everywhere. In some cases you will have to use another tool. It could be a regular saw. Next, be sure to sand all the parts. For this purpose, grinding machines of various classes are used.
You can also use a grinder on which a grinding wheel will be placed. At the final stage, you can use sandpaper.
The boards are cut using jigsaws.
Now you can move on to the main stage of work - assembling the finished product. This can only be done after all the holes in the wood have been made in advance. To do this, take a drill with a drill of the appropriate diameter and drill. This measure is necessary, since preliminary making of holes will help to avoid unexpected destruction of the material during the assembly process.
By the way, you can proceed to them further.
All elements are connected into a single whole using self-tapping screws.
It is important to use special plastic pads. They will perfectly hide all material defects, as well as traces of work. They can be purchased at many furniture stores.
The subtleties of making a cover for a corner sofa
How to sew a cover for a corner sofa with your own hands? In general, you need to perform all the same steps as when sewing a standard model. The difference will be that you will need to cut out a few more rectangular parts.
The procedure for sewing a cover for a complex-shaped sofa can be compared to the ability to make various pillow letters. The corresponding photos show what the layout should be in order to pack all the right angles.
To process the seams from the inside, you should use non-woven tape - this way you will achieve ideal geometry. And for a tighter fit of the canvas, it is appropriate to provide a zipper fastening.
Choosing the right shape and design
Before you start sewing covers, you should take into account that furniture can have different shapes: rectangular, corner, shells. Sofa coverings must clearly correspond not only to the shape of the sofa, but also to its size.
All cases have their own functional varieties, depending on the purpose of their use. Let's look at the main options:
- Eurocase. It is sewn from a special textile material that can take any sofa shape. This fabric consists of special fibers with excellent elasticity. These capes are very practical. When sewing them, you do not need to take careful measurements of the sofa. They are perfect for corner models of any configuration.
- Covers with elastic are easily pulled onto the sofa and secured thanks to the sewn-in elastic. This covering is easy to make yourself, even without a pattern.
- Universal simple covers are made of elastic material. They are easy to make with your own hands. These sofa decks consist of two layers of special stretch textiles.
- Covers with a “skirt” at the bottom are frills located at the bottom of the product. When sewing, frills can also be made on the armrests. They are best suited for interior design in Provence and country style.
Decoration
You can decorate the finished case with the following things:
- frills;
- bows;
- ribbons;
- stripes;
- applique.
It is appropriate to decorate the armrests with a decorative cord. And to focus attention on the lower part of the product, it is optimal to use a wide braid.
Covers can be used not only to preserve the newness of purchased furniture, but also to enhance old ones.
Summarizing
So, the work is done, which means we can sum up its results. The process of creating armrests for a sofa takes a limited period of time. Everything can be done in a short time. Of course, you can go to a furniture store and buy a new sofa, but this requires a lot of money. You can simply remove the old armrests and install new ones in their place. This will significantly transform the interior of any room.
When working with wood, it is very important that the dry part is used. It should not have high humidity, as this will lead to its swelling and subsequent drying. The entire structure may be damaged. The varnish can also be applied with a roller, but you should do it very carefully, since the armrests are already installed on the sofa.
If they have not been pre-installed, you can even use a spray gun. By the way, it is not at all necessary to coat the surface with varnish. You can also use paint.
