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Fixing A Broken Wooden Sofa Frame

May 09, 2023

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Broken couch? No worries, you can fix the wooden frame yourself with this easy DIY.

Our corner support brace snapped, but with a few basic tools, our sectional sofa was good as new.

How To Repair A Broken Couch Corner Bracket

Oh boy, I have a lot of DIYs to catch up on. We've been so busy doing things around here, I haven't had enough time to share it all.

However, as the projects have started to slow down, I can finally tell you about all the renovations and redos.

Some of them were planned. Others...well, sort of just popped up.

How nice of them.

So what am I going to start with today?

How about one of those little pops. An unexpected sofa repair.

Unfortunately, this isn't my first sofa rodeo.

No, back during the floral couch days, I was constantly trying to keep my beloved piece together.

I actually repaired the arm of that sofa not once, but twice.

The second time was a more involved DIY, I had to patch it, but it worked and it looked good until the new sofa arrived.

Thankfully, that dreamy green checked couch is not the one that broke. I think I'd cry.

No, this was the other brand new one. The sectional sofa in the basement. The basement that hates me lately.

Beige and Orange Floral Decor Accessories

So I had no more tears left for that room.

Don't get me wrong, I was all smiles when the redecorating down there was complete. 

A beige sofa replaced an old dark green sectional, that I'd steam cleaned so many times, I thought it was going to vaporize. 

And it looked fabulous. Light, bright. modern.

And finished.

Until the washing machine flooded the space and we needed to rip up the carpet and replace it with stick tiles.

It was a giant bummer and an exhausting way to spend our anniversary weekend, but I was grateful that sofa was unaffected, and silver lining, the new carpet squares actually matched the room better.

So all in all, it was a win.

And the room was finished again.

Then it happened.

Broken Sectional Seating

The new sofa broke.

Yup, the corner of the end loveseat piece just snapped when we leaned on it to get up.

It sunk down enough so that the pull out sleeper/ ottoman wouldn't slide back into place. Plus, it kept sinking with any pressure applied.

Loveseat Broken At Corner

Noooooo. How could this happen? It was brand new.

My husband knew immediately that it was the corner bracket that had broken. He could feel it when he reached underneath to investigate.

It's funny, I wasn't even upset. I think I actually laughed, considering what this basement has already put us through. Besides, it was just a couch.

So I breathed and called the company...Bob's Discount Furniture...and they said no problem, they'd send a tech over the next day.

In less than five minutes he looked at it and said, It's broken, we'll get you a new one

Well, that was easy, I thought. Yeah, too easy.

Turns out they don't have that model anymore, so I could have a credit for what I paid for the sectional and pick out a new one. 

Great plan, except due to the size of this tiny cottage, that was the one and only sectional sofa in their store that would fit our space.

Broken sectional sofa laying on its side

And I didn't need $2000 worth of any other furniture, which is what the sales rep suggested I do with my credit if I couldn't find another couch. Grrr.

I also really liked this couch. It had that unique slide away ottoman and a storage compartment under the chaise.

Apparently, it did still come in blue, but I'd literally just redecorated around the beige and blue, eh, pretty, but not my jam.

So, I told Mr. Exquisitely Unremarkable to get his tools together and make that mess go away. And he did.

How To Repair A Broken Wooden Couch Frame 


It was actually a pretty quick process.

He started by gently prying away the staples that tacked the black fabric backing onto the frame.

Next, he located the small broken triangle shaped piece of wood that was supposed to be bracing the corner of the sofa frame.

It was easy enough to find. It was a flimsy piece of wood floating around inside. 

He took the that thin, cracked triangle into the garage and using it as a template for the proper angle, he cut a triangle out of a piece of scrap wood, that would fit in the corner.

However, his wood was much thicker and larger overall than the tiny, thin piece they had installed.

Wood Blocks To Brace A Broken Couch

Honestly, I can't believe the wood they used to construct the sofa. It's no wonder it snapped.

His repair was going to add strength and support.

Construction glue and two wooden triangles, old broken one and new one for repair

Next up, he drilled a few pilot holes into the wood before gluing it into the corner, since he knew he'd be working at an awkward angle.

Then he removed the screws and he used a construction adhesive to bond it into place.

Repairing A Sofa With Wood and Glue

He placed the glue on both the block itself and the wood inside the sectional sofa, that he'd be securing it to.

Using Construction Adhesive To Repair A Sofa

Then he added those screws to make sure the new corner support stayed put.

Screwing A Broken Sofa Together

Once the glue set and dried, he flapped the black backing material in place and used a power staple gun to close that open area up again.

How To Repair A Broken Sectional Sofa

And then used a hammer to tap the staples in tight, so they wouldn't grab the ottoman fabric, as it slid in and out.

He did a fantastic job.

Stick Tile Carpet Flooring in a finished basement

When he was done, it was as good as new.

Actually, it was better than new.

It was Exquisitely Unremarkable.

And gosh, I really hope it stays that way now, because honestly, we're both pretty tired!

😉

Have you ever repaired a sofa?

DIY Sofa Repair: Fixing A Broken  Corner Bracket


Happy Fixing!!
Kim Signature


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  1. Kim, I am sorry that happened to the couch. You are so lucky to have a handy husband. I hope the repair holds up. I can imagine how tired you both are with all of renovations in the house.
    Julie’s Creative Lifestyle

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    1. Thanks Julie! I'm very grateful that he's so handy and so willing to find solutions to the crazy DIY and design problems that come up over here. 😊

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  2. Argh!!!!!! The last thing I had to do with a sofa, was rebuild the FLOOR where the sofa leg went through :^0 !!! Yikes!!! Hope all else is well in your neighborhood! Blessings, J

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    1. Oh my goodness!! Now THAT sounds like a crazy repair, J! I can't even imagine what that involved...yikes!! Hoping it's quiet over there now!

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  3. Your Hubby is Mr.Wonderful!!!!! Don't you hate the way things are just thrown together today, and it's not like they don't cost a lot either. So many of the dependable companies have gone out of business or the things they sell now are imported junk. Your house sounds like mine, we refer to her as" Our Lady of Perpetual Repair".

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    1. Haha!! I love that name!! Yes, our house is also truly an ongoing labor of love. Your point about expensive junk is well taken. Lately, we've run across a lot of and as someone who remembers when things were made better, it's frustrating. The old sofa lasted over 20 years. The kids {and tons of their friends} literally ran, jumped, slept, ate and stood on it from toddlers to adults. Never fell apart.

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    2. Er...would you mind if I plagiarized your house name? LOL

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    3. Haha! Isn't that great, Pat? I love it, too. Maybe we should start a club!!

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  4. GULP... well many times after reading something that happens to you... happens to me. Thank you for the tutorial.
    Hopefully... no more unplanned fixer uppers. Hee Hee!
    Carla

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    1. Sorry Carla!! I hope our bad couch juju doesn't find its way to your house. Finger's crossed!!

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  5. He did a great job. We bought a 'brand new sofa and love seat several years ago. When they wrote up the order they listed the couch price as the SET price and wrote FREE LOVESEAT WITH PURCHASE. About a week after we had it delivered we noticed the support wood that ran across the whole back of the LOVE SEAT , and held the back in place, was broken. We called and GUESS WHAT?! We had paid NOTHING for the love seat it was FREE with our purchase. Our paperwork said so and wasn't covered under contract warranty! Needless to say, we told everyone we knew not to go there and within 2 or 3 years they were out of business. I guess they screwed a lot of people over the 5 or 6 years they were in business.

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    1. Oh no!! That’s absolutely terrible!! What a scam. I'd heard the same thing about Bob’s Goof Proof warranty, so we passed. I have to say though, the regular warranty was very good. I didn’t even have to call them. All I had to do was text them a photo of the damage and they sent their tech right over. I mean even the exchange/ credit was a decent solution. It just didn’t work for us…what was truly unacceptable was the shoddy construction. What a pain. Thank goodness for Mr. Fix It over here, or I would’ve had a blue basement!! haha!! xo

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  6. I have to laugh sometimes that our lives parallel each others. Terry just had to fix something on our new sectional from Bob's. I love their stuff and have never had an issues but this new sectional they did not put the bracket in right to hold one of the pieces. Terry said it would be a two minute job to fix it himself so we did that rather than wait a week to have a repair guy come out. I am glad you could fix the couch and keep it since it matches perfectly. Have a good afternoon. Hugs. Kris

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    1. Kris, I’m so sorry you had an issue as well, but I’m also glad to hear I’m not alone. Thank goodness for those handy guys! What would we ever do without them?

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  7. I think there is an unfixable problem with my leather sectional, and truth be told, I can't wait to replace it with two comfy leather recliners with a snazzy table in between. Or a loveseat in leather. And this one is going out to the curb!

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    1. There definitely are some unfixable couch problems out there, Gina. However it sounds like in your case it's a good reason to get some new furniture. I hope you'll share it when you get the new stuff!

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  8. Wow - that is a crazy thing to happen so soon after you bought that couch. They really don't make things like they used to. Thank goodness for handy husbands!
    I hope the furniture place gave you some money back!

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    1. That would’ve been nice, Mari, but the unfortunately their offer was only for a full credit, take it or leave it. We would’ve gladly taken a repair. Sad that they were willing to send it to a landfill for such a tiny boo boo.

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  9. Horray for your husband! Bob makes decent furniture but you have to be careful. I can't believe they wanted to give you a 2K credit.

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    1. I know...and truth be told, we purchased our sectional on sale, so that same credit was not going to get us even the same sofa at full price. This was definitely the better solution.

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  10. Hi Kim, Perfect timing! I purchased a fabric ottoman from Homegoods and my husband sat on it and the angle and leaned forward and snap one of the legs caved! Same concept! Happy Friyay! xo laura

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    1. Oh no, Laura! That stinks! I hope that this DIY helps you out and your ottoman is back in one piece this weekend.

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  11. Oh my gosh, that's CRAZY! You are so lucky to have a handy hubby! Glad it worked out for you. (And now, dear basement, please leave Kim alone!!!)

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    1. Haha...yes, thank you, Amy!! Maybe that ornery basement will listen to you!!

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