apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would say dont do it. I removed the legs from a new sofa to get it around a tight corner, and not being gentle enough compounded with my presumption that the sofa frame was studier really compromised the structure of the sofa.

when I pulled back some of the upolstery I discovered that $3200, only buys a frame that is put together with staples with foam that is adhered with glue... Not what I expected when the sales person extolled the hard-wood frame, etc...

I have seen this done. The upholsterer didn't literally cut the sofa in half -- he removed the two ends (arm and side). These actually had separate frame pieces and fabric sections. He was able to use a screw gun to reconnect the frame and it did look as good as new. The upholstery wasn't a problem on this one. He said that sofas with skirts are more time-consuming, but not all that difficult.

I'd see if the guy has references. Does ABC recommend him?

I agree with Jako. Even if this service is low-priced and convenient, it would have to be repeated when you move again. Why don't you look into a sectional sofa? That way, you'll have a nice sized sofa that's easy to move.

One thing to keep in mind is that using one of these services most probably will void the manufacturer's warranty.

I had this done at time of purchase with a sofa
(from UproarHome). It has been 8 years since the sofa was delivered, and to this day, I cannot tell that anything was done. I would recommend this without hesitation...

I'd seen Dr. Sofa referenced quite a few times, supposedly a specialist in this sort of thing:
http://www.drsofa.com/

This is today's issue on Manhattan Users Guide. I just finished reading their entry when I flipped to AT. http://www.manhattanusersguide.com

This just sounds like you are asking for trouble. Family heirloom, yes, but for a brand new sofa? Better to buy something you know will go through the hall.

I thought it was a bad omen when I saw today's Manahattan User's Guide. My new sofa was due to arrive today and it's even the same Room & Board one in the picture. Luckily, it fit through the doors fine and looks great. Click on my name for a picture.

Also make sure that you know how to take your door off its hinges. I thought I had correctly measured that my new couch would fit through the door frame. However, since the door opens inwards, there was not enough clearance. Luckily, a neighbor with a screwdriver came to the rescue while I begged the delivery men not to leave. I now have a nice couch but I dread my moving day!

I bought a huge Mitchell Gold sofa, didn't measure doorways and went through the same problem. Try Rob at 516-641-1689 (recommended by doorman at the time). He does this for a living.

He came in, cut the thing in half, brought it up and put it back together again all in one day. Charge was around $250 or $350 - I can't quite remember- but I am told this was a very reasonable price. Anyway you can't tell at all that my sofa was ever in more than one piece. I don't believe the cut the upholstery- just the frame and then refit the upholstery back over the frame once it has been reconfigured.

fyi, any well made sofa will have a frame that has integral arms, base and back, hand tied coil springs, as opposed to the flat sinusoidal ones. i don't think you will have much luck putting one of these back together if you cut one of these sofas in half. so watch out and take a close look at the sofa construction before you call in doctor chainsaw .. also, something else to watch out for..its deceptively hard to measure a sofa to determine whether it will fit through the doors or not. ..the last sofa i made and installed was in my own apartment and i very nearly screwed up.. i remeasured the sofa, elevator and doorways a number of times and still got it wrong, almost. the movers couldn't get it in the elevator and had to lug it up 14 floors in a narrow egress stairway, it nearly didn't pass a sprinkler riser on the way up. (who would plan for that!), if that wasn't scary enough, when we got to the top we didn't have room to get the sofa out of the egress stair (low ceilings), thankfully the neighbor was home and her open front door gave us the extra clearance we needed. i thought we would be ok from here, but there was one last obstacle. the front door to the apartment. it wouldn't fit through!!... i couldn't get it through!!!. after all we had accomplished and overcome i was about to go crazy and knock the wall down. i was desperate. fortunately, on the third try, it squeezed in. phew..... and never again will i make a sofa sized with such minimal clearances through the usual obstacles of doorways, passages and elevators..

I used Dr. Sofa a few months ago for my 92" Room & Board sofa. They came on very short notice (it had been sitting in the 1st floor landing overnight!) and it took them about 90 minutes to take the back off, bring it up the stairs, and put it back together. This is not chainsaw work---more like surgery---they carefully pry the staples from the upholstery, pry the frame apart, etc. And one guy had previously worked as an upholsterer at a furniture factory, so I felt better about him sewing the thing back up. Cost me 300 bucks. Well worth it. You really can't tell any difference at all. I'll have to call them again when I move!

Yay for Andre, Anna! It's beautiful. And what a great green! What upholstery is that?

I have the 76" Andre on order as well. It was *supposed to* deliver this week, but I got a call while I was away last week saying it wouldn't be ready until AFTER the holidays. Thanks, Room & Board! No, I really don't mind spending another Christmas cozied-up on my ULTRA-UGLY sofa. *sigh* But seeing your new acquisition in-situ gives me hope ; )

I'm the original poster--We decided to go ahead and go through with the "procedure." So far so good. We used MSJ (the guys recommended by ABC Home) and they were wonderful, thorough and super professional. My boyfriend took pictures of the reassembly process. Take a look if you'd like:

http://www.deaconworrell.com/pictures/SOFA/

Only in New York would there be an entire fleet of companies offering this service. I love this city!

Elyzabeth:

Can you tell me what paint color you used in this room?

Thanks,

Heather

Check this site.
We have one . Very good quality and plenty of storage.http://www.wiederusa.com/

WIEDER is a surprise - in spite of its minimalist looks it offers excellent comfort, thanks to high quality filling and wooden slats in the seat. Roomy and comfortable while not taking up too much space. Even more surprising is the ease with which the sofa converts into a double bed. www.wiederusa.com

We offer same day, 24/7 emergency services for ( Disassembly / Assembly / Reassembly ), Take Apart, Knock Down, Brake Down, Dismantling, Assembling and Disassembling.

Our professional team capable of handling a multitude of problems: touch up nicks, dents and scratches, color matching, refill chips, scrapes, glue joints, regluing, reinforcing, gold leaf, open seams, defective mechanisms, damaged and broken frames, sagging seats, broken springboards, rips, cuts, holes, burns, stains, ink marks, water and heat rings, spills, pet damages, smoke and water damages, enhancements, worn finishes, laminate, grain matching, repair, restoration, polish, refinish, upholstery, polishing, cleaning, buffing, waxing, knock down, take apart, dismantle, disassemble, assemble, etc.

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I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and am interested in having a sofa cut to make a loveseat - anyone know anyone to recommend?

I highly recommend MJS Sofa Service. I used this company recently to move a sofa into my basement that didn't fit. They were very professional.
MJS Sofa Service 516-797-1565
They logo is a sofa in a bottle - they can get a sofa into any space.

we were very impressed with the team that came out to disassemble and reassemble our couch during our recent move. Our couch is very important to us and the team really took great care of it. The team was personable, friendly and very efficient. They worked quickly and when we finally reassembled the couch in the new apartment- it looked and felt even better than before! We will certainly be using this company again and recommend their services to anyone. Thanks so much!! Mr. & Mrs. Matthew A. DeCosta
Thir info: 1-347-528-7777 or 1-888-575-6757 and web address http://www.servicefurniture.com

Recently I had a sofa delivered to my home from Montauk Sofa. The sofa did not fit in my home. I called DR. SOFA "The Furniture Surgeon". I received wonderful customer service, prompt disassembly and a wonderful end result. My sofa looks great, you'd never know it was taken apart and put back together. If you find yourself in this situation I suggest you cal DR. SOFA @ (718) 292-6300 x208.

All furniture services disassembled/assembled my couch on 9/1. Great job!Cheri Dannels
www.furnitureservices.com

Hi I bookmarked this guestbook. Thank you for good job!