How To Fix A Burn Hole In A Couch?

Burn holes can be caused by cigarettes, candles, or even a stray spark from a fireplace, and these will make your couch look unsightly. A cigarette or other flammable item will melt the material by leaving a hole, it doesn’t cause any fire hazard. However, over time it could continue to tear and grow into a larger hole that is impossible to fix. You might need to reupholster the whole couch. If a repair is performed right away, you can save the upholster and the burns will be invisible.

To fix a burn hole, make sure your couch is clean, determine the area where you will be working, trim any blackened edge, you should use a no-fray solution, try to find a patch kit for repairing, cut your patch to the size, check the fabric, insert your patch, stitch it or use glue to secure it, iron it or let it dry. It is easy to fix a burn hole. In this article, you have gone through several methods to fix a burn hole.

Key Takeaways

• We have discussed in this article the tools and materials you need to fix a burn hole in a couch.
• We have also discussed several methods to fix a burn hole in a couch.
• We have discussed fixing a burn hole in the fabric of a couch.

Tools And Materials You Will Need to Fix The Burn Hole

You will need some tools and materials to fix a burn hole, they are given below:

• Fabric glue: There is a difference between fabric glue and super glue. You can use an adhesive that is specifically designed for use with fabric, you should use such glue or your repair will look scratchy and it will pull off quickly.
• Small sharp scissors: You can use small scissors which you will be able to maneuver. A regular scissor might not serve the purpose.
• Tweezers: You will need tweezers to grip and position the tiny piece of replacement fabric.
• Toothpicks: You will need toothpicks to spread fabric glue around.
• A curved upholstery needle and thread: You will need a curved upholstery needle and thread that match the color of the couch, it is required when you have woven fabric on your couch where stitches are not noticeable.

After you have gathered these items, you are ready to repair the hole in the couch. If you have a small burn hole in your couch, it is a good chance that you can fix it yourself. You should do this:

Fixing a Burn Hole In a Couch: 10 Step-by-Step Guide

There are 10 steps that you should follow that are given below in detail:

1. Cleaning the couch

Clean the couch. Use a patch that is hidden in the sofa. After cleaning the couch, it would smell fresh. If it has a burn mark, it had close contact with a cigarette or other flame that has left a bunt odor in the fabric. Choose the correct cleaning method.

2. Working from a comfortable spot

Find a place for you from where you can work with steady hands. It is similar to performing microsurgery on the low surface of your sofa, so if it is necessary, use a sturdy step stool as a seat, don’t bend over or kneel uncomfortably. Make sure, you have enough light on the spot you are working on. Burn holes are small, so work well in a well-lit area.

3. Removing burn marks

Burn marks when they are caused by cigarettes, they have a tell-tale black rim around a missing center. If you want to blend the replacement piece of fabric into the couch, remove all signs of the outer rim. Use a sharp scissor, and snip away the black edges. Remove as little fabric as possible during the process and then remove melted or discolored parts. After you are done, it is a good idea to vacuum the area where you have been snipping. Fibers that you have gathered during the cutting process may get stuck in the glue during the following steps, so keep this area free of debris.

4. Applying no-fray solution

You can purchase a no-fray solution; you can use fabric glue to secure the edges. Use a toothpick to apply to the edge around the hole. Don’t apply too much no-fray solution to the damaged section. Secure the edges of the hole, it should not create a shiny border on top of the couch that will be noticeable.

5. Finding couch fabric

As you have inspected the damage and cleaned the area, you know how big the hole is that needs to be covered. You can find a piece of couch fabric to use as a patch. You can try to find the piece of fabric from underneath any skirting or behind the legs. You can try to remove the top cushions and look at the back behind the armrests. Most of the couches are of uniform color, so if you manage to get any small piece, you will be able to solve the problem. If your couch has a patterned design, you need to pick the piece of fabric that will match the pattern detail. The piece you remove should be bigger than the hole you need to fix.

6. Trimming couch fabric to size

Burn holes are small and round. The replacement fabric should be ½ inch larger than the size of the hole. Use sharp scissors to trim the piece that will form the patch to the correct shape and size.

7. Checking nap of material

Before you glue or stitch the patch in place, check the nap of the material. Nap means textured grain or particular direction of a weave that some materials have. All the fibers of a suede material appear a slightly different color when it is brushed in a particular direction. When you insert the tiny replacement piece into the burn hole, make sure the nap runs in the same direction as the material around it.

8. Insert the couch fabric

Push the patch of replacement couch fabric into the hole. Use tweezers to flatten it and position it, so that all the sides are flat below the top layer of couch fabric. When it is flat, recheck the nap and twist the insert, so that it is in the correct position.

9. Glue or stitch in the couch fabric

Since you can fix the burn hole in a couch in two ways, I will divide the two main methods you can use

• Glue method: You can use fabric glue for the piece of fabric. Use a toothpick, dip its tip in the glue, and dab it between the couch fabric and the patch. Make sure to coat the part of the patch that you need to adhere to the underside of the couch fabric around the burn hole. Be careful about not spreading the glue on the top part of the hole. Distribute the glue to the underside of the hole, so the patch remains in place. Take your time when you push dabs of glue onto the edges of the patch, do not miss any spots. If you are using the gluing method, the repair should have enough time to dry before you are using the couch again. You should at least wait for two hours, but it is better if you leave it for at least 24 hours
• Stitch method: When you have a material sofa that has a woven texture, you may want to stitch the tiny patch in place. You can use an upholstery needle, make sure to match the thread with the color of the couch. Thread your needle and tie a knot. Trim away any excess thread from the end of the knotted end. Before you insert any replacement patch, push the needle down through the hole and bring it up along the no-fray edge to hide the knot under the patch. Insert and position the fabric patch. Stitch it in place by using tiny crossover stitches. Your stitches should be small and follow the direction of the threads in the fabric. Stitches should be down around the sides of the holes and come up through the couch fabric behind the no-fray edge. When you have done stitching, make a double stitch and hide the end of the thread.

10. Drying process

When the burn hole was on the flat seat section of the couch, you can place a large book on the repair to ensure the surface stays flat during the drying process. It is challenging to keep it flat when the burn is on the back of the arm of the sofa. You can drape a folded blanket or thick towel over the couch to prevent any lifting of the fabric when the repair was near the top.

How to Fix Cigarette Burn on A Microfiber Couch?

If you smoke on your sofa, you will burn your couch with a cigarette, maybe not intentionally but accidentally. When the burn is small, you will be able to fix it yourself. Below we will discuss how you can do that:

First, you should trim any loose or frayed threads around the burn hole. Use a sharp knife to cut any signed microfiber fabric, so that, you reach the undamaged material.

Then, apply some super glue to the edges of the hole. Do not use too much glue or it will seep through and it will be visible on the surface of the couch. Press down a piece of microfiber fabric of the same color onto the glue area and hold it in place, so that, the glue dries.

Finally, fluff up the fibers around the repair area with a toothbrush or your fingers.

Sofa Burn Repair

With the right tools and techniques, you can easily fix sofa burn. There are a few things you need to take into consideration before you start the repair process, such as the size of the burn, and the type of fabric your sofa is made from if the burned area is close to an edge or seam. When you have this information, you can start the repair.

When the burn is small and affects a limited area, you can use a matching fabric to patch it. Although, if the damage is extensive, you will need to replace a section of the sofa. It can be done by cutting the damaged section and then sewing it with a new piece of fabric. Try to use identical fabric, that was originally used on your sofa. It will make a seamless repair job that looks new.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

In this article, we have discussed that it is possible to repair a burn hole on couches, it can be done by making a patch from an extra piece of fabric that can be taken from a hidden section. The patch should be cut to size and then stitched in or glued by using an adhesive, such as fabric glue. You should fix the burn hole to prevent it from stretching, so that, it does not become very prominent, thus, fix it as quickly as possible.