Red Leather Sofa

How a Sofa is made

There are two general methods for making a sofa. One is completely hand made and the other is assembled in a factory. This page will go through the process of the hand made method. This method is the most used and preferred method.

The first thing that is constructed is the frame of the sofa. Generally the frame is built up of a solid wood. Plastic and metals are used sometimes too. Whatever the materials used, it needs to be strong and sturdy as all the weight will be disturbed to the frame. It needs to be strong enough to hold the weight of the springs, cushions, and then anything sitting on top. High quality sofas have special joints called; wooden corner blocks, wooden dowels, or double wooden dowels. After the joints are built, the springs are added to the sofa. The springs are placed in the back of the sofa and also below where the cushions will be.

Once the springs are in place a layer of padding needs to be added. There is a variety of materials that can be used as padding. And each different layer of padding generally uses different material. Hog and horse hair is often used in the base layers of padding. This is woven near the springs. Cushions are usually filled with foam, down, cotton, or other soft materials. There are a couple layers of base padding near the springs. When those layers are installed, another layer is added which the cushions will be placed on top of. This layer is usually made of the same material that the cushions will be made of.

The finishing touches are now ready to be added. The fabric is sewn onto the sofa. The sewing process needs to be organized and usually follows these steps; a chalk outline is made of where the sewing will be, the seating area of the sofa is then stitched followed by the arms of the sofa. After the arms, the back rest area is stitched. Once everything is sewn, the cushions are added and the sofa is complete.

Some minor cleaning will need to be done and it is wise to treat the fabric to repel dirt and dust.