Your project looks pretty straight forward, no weird shapes or tufting, etc. Reupholstering isn't hard, but can be a little fussy.

My aunt took a reupholstering class through an adult education class in her town. The class was cheap, maybe $100, and you brought your own project to do. Maybe you should look into doing something like that, so you can have some back up if things get hairy.

I believe in you. It's a nice, easy rectangle. If you've already purchased it, pull up one of the corners on the back to see how it's constructed. It's basically going to go back together the way it comes apart. If you want to keep it super neat you can stitch the corners as they appear already or if that's too much (although I doubt it is) you can always do the fold to one side and tack under method (like military corners on a bed or wrapping a present). Go for it!

great find! it's a rectangle, so pretty straightforward - the risks are minimal & if you're not crazy w/ the way it turns out, you learned enough to try again, or get you through until you have the funds to pay an upholsterer. also, there are great youtube videos & instructions on this site & others, so read a few tutorials before you start, and you should be fine.

as for bolsters, upholstery foam is ridiculously priced, so you might consider a bunch of throw pillows along the back for now. good luck!

That's a super easy project, but the foam will be a little costly. I took an upholstery class and my first project was a mid century sofa. The new foam was the most expensive part of the whole thing. Around $300.
You can totally do it, though!

There are some online sites where you can buy custom cut foam and the price varies depending on quality. Also, Joann's Fabric sells foam, though I'm not sure if they have single pieces large enough. Do you have a sewing machine?
My sewing skills are pretty limited but I made square cushions for a chair. I found that adding piping camoflauges my bad sewing! I just traced the old cushions, mine had rounded corners and I think it would have gone better if I had squared them off. I also used a non-geometric pattern so you can't tell if it's crooked. And velcro to make an envelope closure instead of a zipper. Good Luck!

Since you need new cushioning anyway, why not look for new cushioning that is already upholstered the way you like? The biggest challenge will be to find the right size.

Redoing the wood is the cheapest since you just really need some gloves, a few cans of oil, stain, stripper, etc. and a cloth. You can do that yourself, as long as you have a well-ventilated work space.

New foam would be a major part of the expense. Rather than buying new foam from a foam place, you might be able to buy a foam mattress more cheaply. Check on-line and at some regular mattress places just to see, after checking your piece for thickness and size.

I don't normally reupholster anything, but my one successful project so far on a big "cushion-type" project like this was when I took the advice of an experienced person and carefully removed the existing cover and picked apart the seams and used it as a pattern.

Good luck. That's a great piece!

For the wood I'd suggest a Danish oil (or teak oil) it is a wood refresher, stain and sealant in one. I just used it on a few pieces in my home and it was a snap. Sand, apply and soak in, apply, wait 30 min and wipe and wipe and wipe, air dry and done. The danish oil came in a few different shades at the Lowe's we went to and it was only about $7 or so for the can and it did two dressers and a very small coffee table. Good luck!

if you have some sewing skills or know someone that does, here are 2 DIY's that would probably work for what you want to do:
Piped Bench Cushion
Summer Sewing Portable Cushion
you will just have to change dimensions for your cushion. if all goes well, you might find yourself with the option to make new covers when the mood strikes you!

i agree with BlueIntuit though about the cost of the cushion. good quality ulpholstery grade cushions can be expensive so shop around. i was going to DIY my dining banquette but the cushion insert that i wanted was too pricey to justify the price. i ended up having them custom made & it was less than what i would have paid & looked better. but on a less project (like a dog bed or outdoor cushions) i would not hesitate to DIY.

good luck!

I've purchased foam from diyupholsterysupply.com before and it's definitely cheaper than Joanne's, plus they do custom sizes, which is really nice. I got new foam for two cushions for a Danish modern armchair for under $40 with shipping.

I'm a big fan of Howard's Restor-A-Finish http://www.howardproducts.com/prod-restor-a-finish.php Super easy to use, even a beginner can do it :) Good luck!

Buy a stapling gun and have a friend give you hand.

If you're not sure about refinishing the wood part, I suggest cleaning and polishing with something like Briwax and very fine steel wool. It will hide scratches and even out the color. For the cushion, it is simple to make and you can do a "trial run" with fabric remenants ($1 a yard) before purchasing the fabric you really want to use. For bolsters, recently I pulled out the filling of two inexpensive bed pillows and filled two 8x30 bolster covers purchased on sale. Good luck!

Don't forget to check out your local public library for books/videos on upholstering and refinishing wood!

My advice would be to try it. Your piece has some perfect angles for a first-time DIY upholstery trial. And if it turns out not as you'd hoped, you can then shell out the cash to get it done professionally.

Check around locally and see if there are any upholstery or DIY furniture rehab classes going on. Sometimes adult education programs or even craft stores will have classes where you can work on a project like this with a teacher to help you along each step of the way.

And if all else fails, consider that $500-800 is a LOT less than most sofas/daybeds cost new so if you really truly love this piece, having it professionally re-done might be worth the investment, even if it takes you a few months to save up to do it. GOOD LUCK!

Do it! Daniel from Manhattan Next did a very similar project here: http://manhattan-nest.com/2011/11/18/face-yo-fears/

There aren't any instructions, but I just wanted to give you a successful example. :)

I wish I could do something like that, but I don't sew. Anyone know of alternatives that might actually work?

If you can sew, you can make these cushions. The least expensive site I have seen (and purchased from, many times) is
http://www.cushionsxpress.com/catalog/Custom_Cushions-2-1.html
And they are fast, too. You'll definelty come in under what was quoted for you, but it still won't be cheap. That's a big expanse of foam and fabric.

Sorry, here is the corrected hyperlink:

Cushions Xpress

If you are handy, crafty and can figure things out on your own you can do this project. As you take it apart you keep track of what you are doing and then do it in reverse. It goes back on in the opposite order that you removed everything and you pay attention to how it was applied, attached etc. And this is a good starter project.

Absolutely. It is an easy project, you can even add tufting if you like that look.
Make sure you select some fabulous fabric.
he wood looks little worn; are you going to refresh it or paint it?

Staple gun? Really?

Totally use a staple gun! I made a daybed, plopped down a twin futon (could've had foam cut too), then stapled fabric over the whole thing. Velvet is quite forgiving. Then place it against a wall and buy a bunch of pillows. Voila.

The foam will be expensive but with a coupon from Joann's you might get it cheaper. You can find cheap remnant fabric at some fabric stores to save money. If I were planning a cheap redo, I would line the existing foam with cotton batting and cover with a simple (cheap) fabric and polish it with Howard's

Check out an upholstery book from the library... it will help. I am sure you can do it. My recommendation would be to keep the foam (very expensive) but buy some new "cotton batting," which is a cotton that you can use to surround the foam and make it look more full in shape. A synthetic version would be dakron. A staple gun and sewing machine are musts!

I agree with pretty much everyone else here--go for it! Refinishing wood is time consuming, but not difficult. I highly recommend Smart Strip if you're looking for a stripper--no nasty fumes, water cleanup. I used it on my last refinishing project and loved it! (although I found that the lid was a BEAST to get off). The cushion itself should be pretty easy if you have basic sewing skills, but replacing the foam would be quite pricey. Get on the mailing list for Joann's/Hancock/etc and they'll routinely send out coupons (joann sends out 40% off coupons pretty frequently).

Good luck! It's really a pretty great looking piece!

PS If the frame seems to be in pretty good condition but just slightly scuffed and dingy you could try Restore-A-Finish or something similar. No stripping, no sanding, and fills in minor scuffs and scratches and brings the luster back to the finish.

I don't know if there's an IKEA near where you live, but I've had really good luck with getting foam mattresses in the As Is section for upholstery projects. Also, they Currently have 24" bolster pillows for $17, which you might be able to just match in tone and spirit, and not upholster in the same fabric as the base. I upholster professionally, and I agree there's nothing difficult about this day bed - rectangles are the easiest thing to learn on. Good luck!

funny this should appear today. I am re-doing one of the same size. I purchased beautiful chocolate linen. the sewing is pretty straight forward for the mattress i didnt even have to cut anything except the bottom panel. (just place the panel over the mattress and pin it). I restrung the support webbing underneath and made a slip cover for each strap. I even tufted 55, FIFTY FIVE dark brown shell buttons. I have never done anything like this before, but my approach was to stand back and examine how it went together. take it apart and put it back together. I couldn't be happier with the final product. BTW....that is one fab daybed. i would wait until you're employed to replace the foam, though honestly, its not that expensive. You can make your cover to slip on and off so that when the time arrives you can just slip it over a new mattress.

as far as refinishing the wood, don't bother. Get a can of Briwax in light brown and rub it on and buff it off. It will hide all the scratches and make the wood look brand new in a few minutes. If I had discovered this trick when I first started buying vintage and antique furniture, everything would have been so much easier

Annoushka has a good point about the IKEA as-is section - you could probably also find your material there, as they often have a bin full of fabrics

Also, I found that this shop had decent prices on foam
http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/foam-and-pillows.aspx

You can do it, but it will be alot of work. As others have said, decent foam can be very expensive, in the hundreds of dollars. If you can possibly keep the original foam, that is much more cost-effective. A rectangle is just about as simple as it gets when it comes to upholstery, but when you're sewing the cushion (I'm assuming you have a sewing machine?), you will want to make the cover smaller than you think you should, otherwise the fabric will be all loose and wrinkly. This means it will be VERY hard to get the cushion into the cover, but you will just have to work at it.

Old English Scratch Cover—a liquid that you smear on with a rag and buff—might be the only finish you need. Old English comes both "light wood" and "dark wood." Ace Hardware sells it so I assume other hardware places do, too. It really does cover small scratches with a shiny finish.

I love this daybed. Great find. For the wood, I agree with others that Danish Oil or Teak Oil would be a good way to go. You use a soft cloth to rub it in slowly in a very thin layer. As long as the wood hasn't been coated with polyurethane finish, Danish Oil will work great. If it has polyurethane, you will have to remove it with liquid stripper.

For the cushion, the foam is going to be expensive. I recently recovered a pretty gross foam day bed by reusing the foam. I cleaned the cushion with a spray on cleaner. Then left the old fabric on. I made a cover with striped cotton fabric from IKEA. (I would not recommend a stripe, or any other pattern that shows if your seams are crooked.) I lined the whole thing with plain unbleached muslin. On one long side, I put 2 fabric panels that each were sewed in on 3 sides, the 4th side was hemmed. They overlapped to close, creating a hidden flap so that the cover could be removed and washed. It turned out very well.

vintageallison THANK YOU for the link!!!! I had to bookmark it it is that great of a source! Hera Ma.. you can definitely do this! I've learned that the best thing with upholstery and refinishing wood is that it is better to learn as you go and work everything like a jigsaw puzzle and keep organized. If you can pull it off first without harming another part, it will be the last thing to go back on. Use original stuff as templates for the new stuff. And I agree with other posters to use some kind of oil first to revamp the wood and bring it back to its original glory. If you don't like it after that, you can always go back and strip it. Good Luck and show us the after pics!

It looks pretty basic. You can buy foam at most major craft stores, or there are custom foam manufacturers in most cities. A simple rectangle shouldn't be too difficult.

The vintage dealer in me would be remiss if I didn't mention: if it's at all possible, the piece will retain more of its value if you can keep the original upholstery. Sometimes it's just not possible (I know) but if all it needs is a simple soak or dry clean, you might consider that, paired with the new foam. Keeping the upholstery would also be a good way to save costs -- high end fabric can be pretty expensive.

Good luck!

I reworked a similar daybed. I bought a custom sized foam mattress from a local shop that was the same price as a twin mattress and then sewed a simple cover and stitched it closed by hand. For the back cushion, would a pair of those body pillows work? You could always replace them later when something better comes along (affordable foam, skills, upholsterer...)