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How to Fix a Broken Couch Support

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A break in a couch frame can be a disaster. It’s easy to replace a bent spring, but a piece of the frame is like a broken bone that won’t mend on its own. That can be a very intimidating repair job.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to fix the frame or reinforce it so the damage is minimized. You don’t necessarily have to tear a couch all the way down and rebuild it.

We put together this article with some ideas for what you can do if your couch frame fails. Maybe it can ease your worried mind and maybe even save you a few bucks.

How to fix a broken couch support

Cracked wood

Fixing broken couch supports first requires that you get into the couch. Remove the staples holding the upholstery in place so you can access the couch’s innards.

Once you find where the fracture has taken place, assess the damage. You might be tempted to wrap it all in duct tape and call it good.

While that is certainly the fastest way to address broken couch support, keep in mind that when you sit back on it that you’re going to place pressure on it where the damage occurred. Duct taping it back together probably isn’t a long-term solution.

You can reinforce the fractured wood by bolting a supporting piece of wood to it. Just align your piece of reinforcing wood next to the fractured one, drill at least two holes on either side of the fracture and bolt the two together.

If the wood you’re reinforcing is snug against the upholstery fabric, you might not have room to hide your repair. In that case, you’ll want to just replace the fractured wood. Get a piece of the same size as the one you’re replacing. Remove the broken one and then replace it with the new one.

How do you reinforce a couch?

Nuts & Bolts

There are times when it might be too much hassle to replace part of your couch frame, especially if it’s just cracked or just sliding around a bit. In those cases, reinforcing the existing frame is a suitable way forward.

First, open up your couch and examine the part of the frame you want to reinforce. Get a piece of wood to reinforce the existing frame.

Set the reinforcing wood next to the cracked frame and drill at least four holes in both, two on either side of the crack. Slide a bolt through each hole and tighten the nut. You can apply a layer of wood glue, but be aware that the actual work of holding it all together is done by the nuts and bolts.

Staple your couch cover back into place.

How to fix a sagging couch with non-removable cushions?

Couch with Non-removable Cushions

Over time, all couches will start to sag. It’s a matter of weight applied over time. When you see your couch is starting to sag, you can either replace it or take a few quick steps to extend its life for a year or so.

There are three primary reasons why a couch starts to sag. One is the springs. The other two are warped or broken frame wood or compressed cushions.

If it’s the springs, you’ll probably want to take the couch to a professional. Repairing couch springs requires access to specialized tools.

Of those two other causes, compressed couch cushions are the easiest to fix, even if you can’t remove them.

Open them up and remove the fill. Replace it with something of equal size. You can also just add additional fill either above or below where the sagging is happening.

Bent or broken wood in the frame is trickier because you have to remove and replace the wood. That will require that you remove the upholstery and get into the guts of your couch.

How to fix a broken couch top back support?

Broken Couch

If the top back support of your couch is broken, you not only have a comfort issue but a noticeable one. People will be able to tell that it’s broken by just looking at it. It might also be a challenging place to add reinforcement.

Remove the upholstery and inspect the damaged frame. If you can reinforce it without making that noticeable, bolt a reinforcing piece of wood to the broken support. This will save you time, but it might not always be practical.

Take a piece of wood sized exactly the same as the support and set it against the frame. Drill two holes on either side of the fracture and bolt the two together. Staple the upholstery back into place.

If you need to replace the support, measure it and take it to a hardware store and buy one either of exactly the same dimensions or one that you can saw to exact dimensions.

Remove the broken support wood and replace it with the wood you’ve purchased. Staple the upholstery back into place and you’re done.

Conclusion

If your couch frame cracks and breaks, you might think you need to either take it to a repair specialist or even replace it. That’s not necessarily true. You probably have some of the parts in your can of spare nuts and bolts.

Even if repairs aren’t possible, there are a few things you can do to fix the results. That is, your frame might still be broken, but you might be able to restore the couch’s function in other ways.

We put it together in this handy guide and hope you find value in it. If you did, or you have your tips for what to do, feel free to leave them in a comment down below. Or share this on your social media networks. You never know who else might require help.

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