Install and Fix

Learn how to install your Slipcover Set and fix most slipcover problems

The Base

Prepare Your Furniture

1. Take off all existing slipcovers and/or skirts. (If they are not easily removable, they can be left on.)

2. Remove and put all the cushions aside.

Put the Base Cover on

1. Find the center labels on the Base Cover and position them in the same places on the sofa or loveseat frame.

2. Now find the arm labels and choose any side (left or right).

3. Take that arm label and place it on the arm, then pull the slipcover over the back of the arm.

4. Repeat for the other side.

5. Finally, stretch the slipcover down on all sides all the way to the floor. Pay attention to the seams, as they must roughly correspond to the furniture’s contours and should be placed symmetrically, when facing the furniture.

Put on the Cushion Covers

Before completing this step, read on to get the details on Cushion Cover installation. Then come back to Step 4 in this section to finish with the whole Set.

Put Everything Together

1. Place cushions on the furniture making sure to press down so the Base Cover adjusts well.

2. Are there any waves spoiling the look in the front bottom of the sofa? Grab that fabric, pull it up and fix it under the bottom cushions. If you don't have any, you can try hiding the fabric under the top cushions or try the hack in the next step.

Some Refining

1. Problems with creases, folds or bulging?

Check to see that the seams of the slipcover are placed symmetrically.

Still having problems? Smooth out the fabric and hide the excess under the cushions or tuck it into the furniture's crevices.

2. Does your furniture have long legs you want to show?

Choose a corner and roll up the excess fabric at the bottom until the leg shows. Actually, you can roll the fabric up even more than that, but don't forget to pull the fold down to cover the furniture frame. Repeat this step on all sides.

3. Still got waves in your slipcover?

You can use laces to fix that!

To read more on how you can solve every possible slipcover problem and how to use the fixes above, skip ahead to the Troubleshooting section.

Cushions

Prepare the Cushions

If the old cushion cases are easily removable, take them off. If not, they can be left on.

Put on the Cushion Covers

1. Find the Top Flap label on the Cushion Cover.

2. Pull this flap over the back of the cushion.

3. Take the bottom flap and pull it over the bottom side of the cushion. Now, if you’re putting the cover over a big bottom cushion, make sure to squeeze it to put the cover on. Don’t worry, the cover is tough and can take the tension well.

Putting the cover over a top cushion is usually very easy.

3. For cushions of non-box shapes, scroll down a bit and read the Special Instances part.

Some Refining

Possible improvements:

1. Take the cushion and make sure the seams correspond to the shape of the cushion.

2. Pull the fabric from the front of the cushion to its back or bottom, so that the front facing parts look neat.

3. If there’s excess fabric at the bottom (especially for the back cushions), use the ribbons inside the cushion cover to secure it.

Don’t pull the ribbon of the front facing part too hard to avoid creating wrinkles, but make sure to do the opposite for the loose back end.

Finally, hide the remaining small bits under the Top Flap.

For details on these fixes and how to solve more problems with the cushions, read the Troubleshooting section below.

Press here to return to Base installation.

Special Instances

T- Cushion
How to put on the cover:

Start with the long side that has the t-bit.

Position the Top flap as if it were a box cushion with the t-bit taking up the full length of the front of the cover.

Put the bottom flap over the bottom part of the cushion.

Put your hand inside the cover to spread out the t-bit if it is compressed.

Use the ties if there is excess fabric in the back.

Put the cushion on the couch and hide any extra fabric under the cushion or in the corner between the cushion and the couch.

Diamondback cushions
How to put on the cover:

Covers would be put on diamondback cushions just like they would be put on box cushions, but if the cover doesn't fit and there is excess fabric on the bottom, try to rotate the cover by 90 degrees.

Two cushions in a single large cover
How to put on the cover:

Stack both cushions on top of each other. They will now both fit in the case. Once inside, spread them out and adjust the fit until they are side by side.

Troubleshooting

Click on ⊕ (the part of the sofa you’re having issues with) or scroll down and read all the sections
Sofa
Cushions
Front
Side
Back

Front

Problem:
Sagging/waves in the center
Solution:

1. Easy way: tucking. You can take the sagging part in the front and tuck it under the cushions.

2. Use laces. They can be found in a brown bag with the Base Cover.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

Problem:
Arch when the cover is fixed at the frame of the sofa
Solution:

Use laces that can be found in a brown bag with the Base Cover.

More details on how to use them can be found in the Glossary at the very bottom.

Problem:
Arch when the cover is fixed under the sofa legs
Solution:

Take the cover out of under the legs and fix it at the frame of the sofa. You'll probably have to Roll it up, check out the Glossary on how to do it best.

Front corner

Problem:
Creases in the front of arm
Solution:

1. Ensure the seams of the Slipcover are placed symmetrically.

2. Roll up the fabric at the bottom.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

Inner side of arm

Problem :
Creases on the side
Solution :

1. Ensure symmetry.

2. Use Roll ups.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

Inside bottom corner

Problem :
Fabric pops out (top cushion only model)
Solution :

Yeah, we know this isn't perfect, but we're working on it. In the meantime, use the tried and tested tips:

1. Simply tuck it the excess fabric in furniture crevice
2. Use something soft like pool noodles to stuff in the crevice along with the fabric to secure it, maybe even employ twist pins

We have some pictures in the Glossary to show how it's done.

Top corner

Problem :
Creases (top and bottom cushion furniture models)
Solution :

1. Ensure the seams of the Slipcover are placed symmetrically.

2. Roll up the fabric at the bottom.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

Problem :
Folds (bottom cushion models only)
Solution :

1. Ensure the seams of the Slipcover are placed symmetrically.

2. Roll up the fabric at the bottom.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

Other

Problem :
It's hard to install the Base Cover on large furniture
Solution :

No problem. Pull the slipcover over with confidence and force.

As long as the bottom elastic doesn’t rip (which is very hard to do), everything will fit. All you need is just a pair of strong hands to pull the elastic over, the fabric will adjust.

Outer side of arms

Problem :
Creases on the side
Solution :

1. Ensure the seams of the Slipcover are placed symmetrically.

2. Roll up the fabric at the bottom.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

Problem :
Arch when the cover is fixed at the frame of the sofa
Solution :

Use laces that can be found in a brown bag with the Base Cover. More details on how to use them in the Glossary at the very bottom.

Problem :
Arch when the cover is fixed under the sofa legs
Solution :

Take the cover out of under the legs and fix it at the frame of the sofa. You'll probably have to Roll it up, check out the Glossary on how to do it best.

Back

Problem :
Waves
Solution :

1. Roll up the fabric at the bottom. Focus more on the back.

2. Use laces. They can be found in a brown bag with the Base Cover.

More details on how to implement these solutions correctly are shown in the Glossary at the bottom of this section.

General
Special Cushions and Cases

General Cushion Cover issues

Problem :
Something pulling from the inside (visible in the front of the cushion)
Solution :

Untie the strips, try again. Read the Glossary at the bottom of this section on hiding the excessive fabric at the bottom.

Problem :
Excessive fabric at the bottom
Solution :

Try tying the strips inside the Cushion Cover. Read the Glossary at the bottom of this section on hiding the excessive fabric at the bottom.

Tips for any case

Tip:
If the cushion seems to be a bit tense, don’t worry and just put it on the sofa, it’ll stretch the slipcover fabric well and the look will be fine
Tip:
Sometimes you need to smoothen out the fabric
Tip:
Make sure that the seams are placed well – ie. symmetrical and align with the shape of the cushion in visible places

Using single large cases

Problem :
Putting three cushions in a single case
Solution :

Push out the middle cushion slightly to avoid sagging of the cover

Problem :
Putting two cushions in a single case
Solution :

The cushions look best when placed neatly in one line

Problem :
The single Cover is too tight or too loose
Solution :

Tight: No worries, just place the cushions in the cover on the couch and everything will spread out fine

Loose: Spread the cushions out inside yourself

Non-rectangle cushions

Problem :
T-cushion: There's extra fabric between the t-bit and the bottom
Solution :

Put the cushion down on the sofa base and tuck the excess fabric under the cushion itself

Problem :
Soft T-cushion
Solution :

Once installed, pull the cushion by the t-bit hard to bring it out

Problem :
Diamondback cushions: the case is too small
Solution :

Try turning the cover by 90 degrees and put it on

Glossary

Using Laces

1. Once the Base Cover is installed, tilt the couch and put it on its back, so that you have easy access to its underside.

2. Find the small loops at the bottom of the Base Cover and find the small brown bag that came with the cover. This bag contains a set of black laces.
3. If the Base Cover is already installed, the loops should be located opposite of each other (one at the front and one at the back).

4. Take one lace and put it through these two loops. Note: Use the short laces for front-back loops and long laces for the side loops.

5. Try to create reasonable tension when using the laces. Caution: DO NOT YANK THE LACES WITH FORCE. Create tension, but do it slowly.

6. Tie the laces' ends together.

Ensuring Symmetry

Make sure that the seams of the Base Cover on the left arm of the furniture are placed in the same spots as on the right arm and vice versa. The Arm Seams should roughly correspond to the actual arm shape of the sofa.

Also, mind the seams at the back of the sofa. They should also be in the same spots in relation to each other.

Use Roll Ups

1. Go to one of the corners of the furniture.

2. Grab the slipcover fabric at the bottom by the white elastic band.

3. Pull it down all the way to the floor or get it as low as possible.

4. Roll this extra fabric from the bottom up. Stop rolling when you reach the base of the sofa.

5. Want to create more tension and smoothness? Roll it up a bit higher than the base of the furniture. Next, pull down the rolled fabric and fix it at the base of the furniture. You can do it more than once, if the fabric has room for that.

Excess fabric at the bottom of the cushion

1. Try fixing this by finding the fabric strips inside the cushion case. They can be found on the inside at the front and back of the case.

2. Grab the strips that are opposite of each other.

3. Tie the strips together: make sure that you grab the back strip (the one that’s on the loose end of the cover) at its root (the place, where it's attached to the cover) and pull the excess fabric towards the front of the cushion.

4. Then grab the front strip at its end and try to tie it to the root of the back strip without pulling the front strip. Note: Don’t pull the front strip hard, keep it as loose as possible or else you’ll see some “bumps” in the front of the covered cushion, when you're done.

Tucking in

Find the spot where the fabric is loose. Simply tuck it into the crevice of the sofa.

If the fabric keeps popping out, try to wedge a foam roll or even a pool noodle into the crevice.