Do Sofa Recliners Come Apart For Moving?

Moving requires a lot of heavy lifting, especially if you do not have the help of professional movers. When you face this type of challenge alone, tricks like taking a sofa recliner apart, can help make the task simpler. Moreover, disassembling a large sofa can make it simpler to fit through a door frame.

Some newer sofa recliner models use electricity to move the footrest and back of the seat. If you have an electronic sofa recliner, always unplug it before you begin the disassembly process. This seemingly simple step, which is easy to overlook, can prevent electrocution, burns or damage to the sofa itself.

The way the back of a recliner comes off can vary by manufacturer. Look at the seams on the back of the sofa. Some sofa makers place levers within the seams that release the back of the recliner from the rest of the sofa. You may need a screwdriver to adjust the lever if you cannot do so by hand. If you do not find a lever in the back seams of the sofa, carefully tip the sofa onto its back. Look for bolts or screws in the location where the back of the sofa connects to the seat. On some couches, you may only be able to remove that part of the back that reclines.

Sometimes the back of a sofa recliner has fabric panel that is attached with strong Velcro. By lifting or removing the panel, you may be able to access different levers and screws that help hold parts of the couch together, like the arm rests. Before you remove any of the hardware from the sofa, take a picture of the assembly. The picture can help serve as a reminder when you need to reassemble the sofa. Place the hardware removed from the back of the sofa recliner in a labeled plastic zippered bag. It is also a good idea to take pictures of the whole disassembly process. Furthermore, keep the nuts, bolts, screws, washers and other hardware from the different sections of the couch in separate plastic bags.

You can start removing the footrest by extending the footrest and taking off the exposed screws and bolts. If the hardware is not exposed, tilt the couch forward so you can see into the bottom of the furniture. From here, you can detach the footrest from its hinges. You should also be able to detach center consoles, built-in cushions, spring sets or individual armrests. On some sofa recliner models, you might have the ability to detach the reclining units from the rest of couch.