Can you "re-stuff" a recliner (chair)

[maslex]

I have my favorite recliner. Have had it for quite a few years. Since I hurt my back back in 2008, I have slept in this chair. When I hurt my back, I was unable to lie down for any length of time without having major pain, so I resorted to sleeping in my recliner. Well, to my surprise, sleeping there (instead of the bedroom) gave me some of the best sleep I've ever had. Mainly because I did not have to hear my husband breathing & snoring. So once my back finally healed, I decided to go back to sleeping in my bed and that only lasted 1/2 a night. Seriously. LOL His snoring & breathing are so bad, that I went back out to the living room and got back onto my recliner. Slept like a baby. And it's basically been that way now for 6 years.

So back to my chair. Needless to say, the chair has seen better days. It's a leather chair and the cushions & back are basically flat as a pancake now. Even though, I get better sleep in that instead of the bed, it's not as comfortable as it once was. I was thinking instead of buying a new one, are you able to restuff it with something? Is this something a professional needs to do or can any ole person do it?

 

[shortbun]

I think the answer is- how much do you want to spend to do it? Imho, a reupholsterer will do anything if you're willing to pay. High quality foam is not inexpensive. I suggest you find a pad or compressed mat to improve the comfort level. Or, buy a new one.

 

[NotUrsula]

...
So back to my chair. Needless to say, the chair has seen better days. It's a leather chair and the cushions & back are basically flat as a pancake now. Even though, I get better sleep in that instead of the bed, it's not as comfortable as it once was. I was thinking instead of buying a new one, are you able to restuff it with something?

Of course it can be done; as long as the frame is intact, you can always restore upholstered furniture.

Is this something a professional needs to do or can any ole person do it?

Well, that depends ... can any old person sew? Depending on how the chair is constructed, it may be possible to split the cushion seams, replace the foam with pieces purchased from a foam fabricator, and hand-stitch the seams closed again with a curved needle. (This is easier to do neatly with leather because the stitch holes leave a trail that you can follow to stitch it back up exactly as it was.)

However, with such constant heavy use, it is likely that the frame is suffering as well, so the attentions of a professional are probably warranted. If the leather is in good condition you won't need to replace it, so that will save you the cost of fabric. Having it reconditioned will probably cost you upward of $300; but certainly much less than the cost of a new leather chair.

BTW, we have a snoring problem in our home as well, and I have found something of a miraculous solution: an angled bedframe. It sits inside the frame of our bed and props the head of the mattresses up at a slight angle. It cost me $300 from Amazon and has done wonders for improving our ability to sleep well. One made of wood would probably work as well, but this one is adjustable, so I like that.

 

[denisenh]

Unzip or open a seam and shove a soft pillow (or pillows depending on the size) inside. I restored a leather sofa like that. The back cushions are attached but have hidden zippers. What an improvement!