Causes of sofa creaking and how to fix it, what to do at home

Upholstered furniture is an interior item designed to give coziness and a feeling of comfort. The main guarantee of this is serviceable and high-quality elements. But even the most reliable products begin to show signs of aging over time, not to mention budget models with assembly flaws. All this leads to the fact that the sofa often creaks - not everyone knows how to fix this, because the algorithm of actions directly depends on the type of breakdown and type of structure. All restoration work can be carried out at home.

Causes of squeaking depending on the type of construction

Products are made from two types of frames: metal and wood. The reasons for a sofa squeaking may be different in each case. To solve the problem as quickly as possible, you need to gain certain knowledge about the design.

Wooden sofas

Extraneous sounds in wooden products appear for the following reasons:

• occurrence of cracks;
• drying out of parts;
• wear of the soft filler;
• loosening of fasteners;
• fastenings too tight;
• damage to the filler, which is why the springs in the sofa creak.

Cracks are formed from loads, but their root cause is usually:

• the presence of knots in the tree;
• poor build quality;
• the use of poorly dried materials in the manufacture of the sofa;
• poor weight distribution.

A common cause of lack of balance is a small number of jumpers. Over time, the plywood is pressed in some areas and begins to make characteristic sounds. If the sofa creaks, how to fix the situation is a question many people ask. To eliminate the problem, it is necessary to install additional jumpers that will take on part of the load and make the structure more reliable and durable.

Defect in timber frame

Wear of soft filler

Loosening of fasteners

Filler damage

Hardware

A metal sofa creaks for the following reasons:

• loosening of fasteners (bolts and nuts);
• the appearance of rust on parts;
• wear of the transformation mechanism;
• sagging of springs (due to poor quality, improper installation or lack of cushioning material);
• breakdown of one of the connection sections, spring block, link rings;
• deformation of the supporting structure;
• a small amount of lubricant in the fastening areas.

Typically, squeaking in metal products is easier to fix than in wooden ones, because such a defect is most often caused not by damage to the structure, but by loosening of connections, for example, in the transformation mechanism. As a result, some elements begin to rub against each other, causing an unpleasant sound. To solve the problem, you usually just need to tighten the fasteners.

Loosening of fasteners

Appearance of rust

Wear of the transformation mechanism

Spring defect

Broken spring block

Hull deformation

What causes creaking sounds?

Why does the sofa squeak? It would seem that new furniture that has just arrived from a warehouse should be flawless and silent. There are several reasons why this happens:

• During transportation, loading and transfer, fastenings could become loose. This led to the loosening of the entire structure and the appearance of such “plaintive” sounds.
• During the manufacture of the sofa, defective, cracked wood was used. Perhaps the deformation of the part occurred due to the fault of the assembler, when the screws were overtightened and the material cracked.
• The use of low-quality metal in the spring sector can also cause squeaking.
• It happens that the initially planned model turned out to be ill-conceived. If there are few partitions in the supporting frame or there are other errors in the calculations, any load causes the furniture to creak.
• If you have children, they may be jumping on the couch a lot. Even if you don't see it, it doesn't mean they don't do it. Some furniture is not designed to withstand this maximum load level.

To determine which parts of the sofa are making sounds, they need to be checked separately.
Sometimes this requires disassembling the furniture completely. Some problems can be fixed on your own. For other problems, qualified assistance from an experienced technician will be required.

Complex repairs are a job for professionals. If you cannot or do not want to repair the sofa yourself, try to assess the extent of the damage - perhaps there is no point in spending money on repairing old furniture, and it is more profitable to purchase new one.

What will be needed for repairs

If you need to repair a sofa due to creaking, before starting all work at home you need to prepare the necessary material and tools:

• upholstery fabric;
• gasket (for example, foam rubber);
• springs or solid block;
• PVA glue;
• plywood;
• plates and corners (preferably made of metal);
• self-tapping screws;
• nuts, bolts, staples and so on;
• screwdrivers of various types (or a universal one with several attachments);
• construction stapler;
• pliers.

The list of required accessories may vary depending on the model. Only the basic set is listed above. For more serious breakdowns, the list of tools can be expanded.

Often the cause of a squeak may not be in the sofa at all, but in the surface on which it is installed. Therefore, before starting to dismantle the structure, as well as prepare the necessary materials and tools, it is advisable to check the evenness of the floor.

If you can’t level the furniture, you can move the sofa to another place. If the problem is not solved, you should try to adjust the geometry of the furniture itself by placing something under the legs. To do this, you can use felt fabric, ordinary sheets of paper, folded several times.

Useful tips

To combat creaking furniture, a powder mixture of ground rosin and wax is also used. The starting ingredients are ground in a mortar to a powder, after which dry lubricant is applied in small quantities to the ends of the joints of the wooden frame.

For a metal sofa frame, it is considered more practical to use anti-slip washers, which can be cut from thin sheet polyethylene. Gaskets are placed under bolts and under friction points of the metal surface. They are not difficult to detect by the characteristic scratches and abrasions on the paint.

Prevention of breakdowns

It is important not only to know how to eliminate creaking in sofas, but also to understand how to use them so that extraneous sounds do not appear. After all, proper care of furniture will significantly extend its service life. To prevent the sofa from creaking, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. Metal fasteners are treated with special products twice a year. Lack of lubrication is a common reason when a sofa accordion or other folding structures with steel mechanisms squeak.
2. During constant use, it is important not to overload the product; you should sit on it carefully (the problem is relevant for children's rooms, when a child or several children love active games on upholstered furniture).
3. When rearranging, you need to move the sofa carefully, removing unnecessary things from it (including from the linen compartment, if there is one). It is recommended that you move furniture not alone, but together, so as not to disturb its geometry, damage the structure, or scratch the floor.

If your sofa creaks, fixing the problem is quite simple. All work can be done at home if you follow the instructions. Professional repairs are only required if there is significant damage to the structure.

Don't jump

Move with two people

Treat with special means

Dismantling the bed

To carefully disassemble the bed, you must first understand what fasteners are used on the joints. There are several types of fasteners:

Bed tie - slats with hooks, in this case everything just needs to be disassembled like a construction set

It is important to remember that they are divided into left and right bars.

1. Screw tie – consists of a barrel and a screw. This type of fastening is used for end connections. Unscrews using a hexagon.

1. Canonical screed - used to connect chipboards with a thickness of 25 mm, 38 mm. It is unscrewed with a figured screwdriver.

1. Euroscrew – this tie belongs to the economy class; a Euroscrew is screwed into a pre-prepared hole. Fastens thanks to a thread in the form of a screw.

1. Dowel connection - this type of fastener does not require ties with bolts or screws. Dowels are glued into the drilled holes. After that, glue is applied to the end and the two parts of the chipboard are connected. If such a structure is wobbly, then you can open it with something thin, for example, a flat-head screwdriver. But this must be done evenly so that the gap is the same along the entire length of the sheet.

Disassembly begins with removing the slats and mechanisms (if the bed has a lifting mechanism). Next, the large headboard, which is located at the head of the bed, is unscrewed. After this, you can remove the small one, which is located in the legs.

All fasteners need to be unscrewed and looked at their condition, carefully inspect the threads and holes.

Replace the screw with a bad thread. And broken holes are repaired using glue and a dowel or a wooden chopper (chuck), which you can plan out yourself with a knife. The tree must be hardwood. A dowel soaked in glue is inserted into the broken hole. When the glue dries, the protruding part of the chop needs to be cut off. Then drill a hole in the same place.

How to make a hole - you need to drill a new hole in the center where the screw will go. The diameter of the hole must match the diameter of the screw.

There is an even simpler option; to do this, you just need to wrap electrical tape or tape around the part of the screw where there is no thread. Now you need to try how the screw fits into the hole. If there is no play (does not wobble), then this work is done and the screw will fit like new. Once everything is repaired, you can move on to another task.

How to determine the source of a squeak

To eliminate squeaking, it is important to understand which element of the bed needs repair or replacement. The sequence for determining the source of the squeak is given below

Step 1. It is more convenient to examine the bed together. Sit down, lie down on the bed, get into a position where you can hear a creaking sound. At this time, the assistant can identify the problem area by ear.

Try to find the source of the squeak by ear.

Step 2: Rock the bed from side to side in all directions and also listen to where the sound is coming from.

Rock the bed from side to side

Step 3: Remove the mattress from the bed and place it on a flat floor.

Remove the mattress from the bed

Step 4. Try sitting and lying on the mattress, and also rock the bed without a mattress. By ear, try to determine which part of the bed is creaking.

Checking the mattress and frame separately

Step 5: If the bed frame and mattress do not squeak, the problem may be with the slatted base. The slatted base consists of wooden slats secured with lath holders to a frame made of metal or wood. Creaking usually appears at the place where the slats are attached. To check, inspect the slats and press each one with your hand.

Step 6. If you find out that the problem is in the wooden frame, inspect all joints, check the tightness of the mounting screws or self-tapping screws. Fine wood dust, abrasions and chips on the surface of the wood will indicate wear of individual elements - they are usually the source of creaking.

Checking the reliability of frame fastenings

Step 7. A bed with legs may also creak at the joints between the frame and the legs. You can find out this by ear by rocking the bed with the mattress removed.

Attaching the leg to the bed

Step 8. For beds with a lifting mechanism, the source of squeaking is often the mechanism itself. As a rule, it cannot be repaired and requires replacement.

Bed with lifting mechanism

Advice! Before you start disassembling the bed and repairing it, make sure that it is the bed that is creaking, and not the floor underneath it!

We deal with frame faults

The creaky sofa will still have to be completely disassembled. Carefully remove the upholstery, remove the internal components to get to the frame.

Parts made of wood may crack. This is due to the use of low-quality wood - knotty or damp beams. Having found a cracked part, you need to decide how to remove the squeak: try fixing it yourself by adding strips of plywood or metal over the crack and gluing it for strength. Or you can simply replace the wooden beam with a new, higher quality one.

Perhaps the sound occurs due to a sagging sheet of plywood located under the seat. This is the case when the manufacturer did not provide a sufficient number of jumpers and they are located too rarely. This means you will have to make the missing jumpers with your own hands - the bottom will stop rubbing against the frame and the sounds will disappear.

The nature of squeaking and ways to deal with it

Creaking in a sofa can occur when homogeneous materials – wood or metal – rub against each other. The difference is quite easy to hear.

If the creaking comes from the metal transformation mechanism

, its rubbing parts are usually sufficiently lubricated with machine oil. Actually, such preventive lubrication should be done from time to time without squeaking.

If the springs creak

, then you need to understand what kind of springs these are.
Independent springs
do not touch each other - therefore, they can creak only when they are very ancient, or when they are initially of poor quality, which is extremely rare. It is impossible to restore independent springs; you can only replace them in a specialized company. This is a fairly expensive repair, but if you want to keep your sofa in working condition, it will have to be done.

Dependent spring blocks

are more vulnerable and can begin to creak, even when they are still able to serve for five to ten years. When such a squeak appears, it is often easier to change the sofa, because professional replacement of a block with reupholstery will cost about 35-40% of the cost of a similar new model. Or you need to get ready for painstaking independent work, which takes a non-specialist about 7-9 hours.

• The fabric and filling are carefully removed from the seat (2 hours)
• Between the springs and the base, a foam rubber or batting gasket is made (0.5 hours)
• if some springs are deformed, they are given their initial shape using pliers (1 hour)
• if the ties between the springs are deformed, they are tightened in the same way and returned to their original state (1.5 hours)
• all spring cups are filled with pieces of foam rubber - entirely, but not end to end (1.5 hours)
• if there is a suspicion of friction between the cups and the horizontal springs, additional pieces of fabric are placed in these places (0.5 hours)
• the filler is returned with sizing in place, the fabric is secured back with staples (2 hours)

If during repair it turns out that one of the springs is broken, you will not be able to replace it. However, the probability of such an unpleasant discovery is approximately 1:3, so zealous owners can easily try to deal with squeaky springs on their own. But this needs to be done at an early stage, otherwise the deformations risk becoming irreversible.

Wooden parts of the sofa

can creak for three reasons:

• frame parts have dried out or cracked - due to the presence of knots, changes in humidity, poor design of the sofa or excessive loads on it
• the joints between the frame parts or between the frame and the base of the sofa have become loose - from time to time or due to poor quality assembly
• the base itself has bent or moved - due to rare jumpers or insufficient quality material

In all cases, repairs can be done on your own in a few hours, but you need to stock up on materials in advance.

Frame

restored using birch plywood strips (6-10 mm thick, width and length - according to the part being strengthened). The strips are placed on the sanded part using Moment-Stolyar or PVA-Super glue, and after the glue has dried, they are screwed on with self-tapping screws. It is better to strengthen the problematic part on two or three sides. The corners of the frame are reinforced with metal perforated corners of the maximum possible length

Loose joints of parts

tightened, if necessary, replace the screws with bolts. If at first glance nothing is loose, but there is still a squeak, you can place thin felt pads between the wooden parts or carefully coat the joints with wax.

With a small number of jumpers in the base

additional ones are installed (wooden or thick birch plywood). The jumpers are attached to the metal corners with self-tapping screws. If the base is swollen, a hole is made in the middle of the problem area and an additional jumper is attached under it.

Universal instructions for eliminating sofa squeaks

Those who don’t know what to do if the sofa creaks should read the detailed instructions. Necessary:

Unscrew the bolts and other connections, disassemble the structure into its component elements. Assess whether there is rust on metal products (replace them if necessary). If the spring block is corroded, it also needs to be replaced with a new one. If the squeak remains, the reason may not be corrosion, but rather loose connections of the spring block. It is necessary to tighten the fasteners on the sides of the module, but not too tight so as not to damage the threads. It is recommended to carry out such preventive measures a couple of times a year. This will prevent not only creaking, but also accidental damage to the structure from heavy load. If the seat has sagged and therefore a squeak occurs, it is necessary to replace the filling (this requires removing the upholstery). The structure must be filled with a layer carefully so that the elements do not come into contact with each other. Multi-layer plywood is excellent for installation under springs. Foam rubber, batting or other materials can be used as a soft filler. Then lay the new upholstery and secure it with staples using a stapler. If the spring is damaged (cracked), the entire module is replaced. You can also replace a separate structural element, but usually this gives only a temporary result, since behind one part the others also crack (after all, they experience approximately equal loads). In order not to return to the question of why the sofa creaks, it is better to do everything right away efficiently. If the cause of the squeak is subsidence of the spring, foam rubber is placed between the parts and inside the elements themselves. The surface then becomes softer and stops making extraneous sounds. If there is a small crack in the part, you can strengthen it to eliminate the creaking of the sofa. An additional piece of plywood is attached to the deformation site (using self-tapping screws and PVA glue). You can use not a board, but metal elements (corners, plates). If the part is severely damaged, it is replaced. Some elements are quite difficult to install, so repairs should be carried out by professionals. In cases where extraneous sound causes friction between the bars and fiberboard, the areas of their contact are treated with wax or paraffin. If the furniture is folding, the transformation mechanism can make sounds

In this case, it is important to figure out how to lubricate the sofa so that it does not creak. To do this, you will need machine oil (it is first important to remove dust and grease from the elements, and then drip liquid at the joints of the fasteners)

If parts are severely damaged, they must be replaced. Furniture can also make sounds due to improperly installed supports. It is important to align them in height, for example, using plastic plugs.

In cases where a new sofa under warranty squeaks, you should always contact the seller. If the defect is caused by design features, the manufacturer must replace the product or offer another model.

If a corner sofa or a model consisting of separate modules creaks, the reason may be that they are not fastened correctly. To correct the problem, it is necessary to inspect the junction of the blocks. The connections may be loose or too tight. It is necessary to see if there is rust on the parts or if they are deformed (in both cases the element will need to be replaced). It is also possible that the sofa was previously disassembled and the modules were not secured correctly. In this case, you need to unscrew the bolts and screw them back on.

Make sure there is no corrosion in the spring block Tighten the fastenings Replace the filler Replace the spring block Place foam rubber between the parts Strengthen the body Treat the connections Lubricate the transformation mechanism Align the sofa in height

Preventive measures

The correct choice and installation of a bed will help you avoid squeaking:

1. Constant misalignment of the frame is a common cause of squeaking. The bed is placed on a perfectly horizontal surface - the floor is leveled, and if necessary, pads are placed under the hanging legs.
2. The wooden frame is more durable and will last longer. The cheaper the material, the more it dries out, breaks down, and the fastenings weaken.
3. When choosing a bed, they check it in the store. All connections must be strong, sit tightly in place, and the slats in the guides must not dangle.
4. The mattress is chosen with independent springs hidden in separate blocks.
5. During use, the condition of the fasteners is constantly monitored, loose ties are strengthened, and bolts are tightened.
6. If sawdust or wood dust appears under the frame - metal fasteners destroy the wood, urgent repairs are required.
7. To ensure that the mattress wears evenly and does not sag in certain places, it is periodically turned over.

You should not sit, stand, or jump on the bed for a long time.

If the bed starts to squeak, you shouldn’t put off finding out and eliminating the reasons for too long. Usually minor repairs are required first. If a new bed squeaks, you can try to replace it during the warranty period. If a model that has served for many years creaks, you need to thoroughly prepare for repairs, carry out a complete disassembly and restoration in order to return a restful sleep.

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