Sleeper sofas are very convenient. You can use them as a couch or pull out the mattress to use as a bed when guests are over. It saves you space and is super handy. But besides these advantages, they go through a lot of wear and tear, whether major or minor. If you know how to repair or fix different problems of your sleeper sofa when it’s broken, it will save you a lot of money; you can fix it yourself at home without paying thousands to professionals. This article covered some of the problems you can encounter with your sleeper sofa and their solutions. Get your tools, fix your sofa, strengthen it and save your money.
How To Fix And Strengthen a Sleeper Sofa
Over time there are some common flaws that you notice in your sleeper sofa. The bed frame of sleeper sofas is wooden, and it gets cracks or other problems with time. With excessive use, it starts sagging or even collapses; there can be many reasons why this happens. First, you have to remove the cushions from the sofa and identity which part of the sofa is faulty. Locate the area of the sofa which is defective and let’s see how you can fix it.
Cracks And Splits
After removing the cushion and mattress out of the sofa, turn the sofa upside down. Check all the wooden parts of the bed frame if there is any crack or split or not. The splintered and cracked wooden frame makes the sofa loose. It starts sagging because of it, and your sofa gets unstable too. You can fix sagging as well. See if there is a noticeable crack, then your job is easy, but if you don’t see any obvious cracks push and pull the frame to open up the gap and bad joints. Usually, the center, the long horizontal beam, gets the cracks because that area holds most of the weight. Once you locate the cracks, get a knife or screwdriver and a glue bottle. Open up the crack with a knife or screwdriver and put glue in between. Secure the wooden beams with clamps and let them dry. Repeat this with other cracks, too, if you see more than one split.
Joints
Joints are where the sofas wooden parts are kept together at 90 degrees with bolts and staples. Now the problem can be in this part of the sofa too, check them thoroughly. With heavy use, the screw hole gets stripped and loose. They don’t tighten up anymore, no matter how much you try with a screwdriver. Loose screws mean loose frames, which result in a sagging sofa bed. Now to fix this stripped screw hole in which the screws will keep sliding, you need glue. Inject glue in the holes and let it dry. When the glue cries off, cut the extra part with a coping saw.
Metal Parts
The sleeper sofa comprises both wooden and metal parts. Check the bolts, screws, and washers of all the metal joints and parts. If you find any missing or loose bolts, it is easiest to fix the sagging sofa bed issue. Tighten up the loose bolt and for the missing bolt, take the measurement of the bolts or screw or take the other screw as a reference to the nearest market and buy a new one and fit it back. Make sure all the screws are tight and in their place appropriately fixed.
Folding Mechanism
The other problem which you may face with your sleeper sofa is a bent folding mechanism part. If your folding mechanism doesn’t go back to its position correctly, then you have to treat this part. To fix it, you have to bend it with a plier and hammer. Bend back the parts and fit the mechanism back in its place with screws and bolts.
Rails
Some of the sleeper sofas have several horizontal rails attached to the frame to support the structure. The saggy sofa problem can be a missing or broken rail too. Look for it, remove the fabric covering these rails, look if you find any broken or missing rail. Measure the rail, get the replacement for them from the market, or you can cut the new ones yourself from poplar, lumber, or pipe after getting the exact rails to fix them in their place with a hammer. Staple the upholstery fabric in its place, and you are done.
Overlay
If the cracks and split are severe and they can’t be fixed with glue, then you have to fix it from scratch. You can use plywood to overlay the crack. Cut the pieces of the same plywood width as the parts of the wooden broken part. Glue the plywood over the cracks and staple it too to secure it firmly. Leave the glue to dry overnight. Put back all the cushions, and your problem will be fixed. Overlaying the broken parts doesn’t just help the sagging sofa, but it also fixes the completely collapsed sofa. So if your sofa bed collapses completely when you sit on it, try this remedy out.
Testing The Sofa
The last and essential part is to test out the sofa after repair. Remember not to be impatient if you have used glue in your repairing process, then must wait for a day to let it dry out completely before placing the mattress and cushion back in their place and using the sofa. Check if the remedies resolve your sofa’s problem or not. If these steps do not work out for you, then it is a signal that you need to call the professionals because the matter is out of the DIY approaches.
Wrapping It Up
You can fix the minor damages in your sleeper sofa yourself without anyone’s help. You just need a little guidance. We hope this article does help you and save your money. We listed some valuable tips to ensure that you stay on your bed, not on the floor. This will prevent your sleeper sofa from sagging and strengthen it.
