Thrifty Modern Living: Make That Sofa Last!

Let's face it: Everybody wishes they had more money these days. While we here at Chez Vel-DuRay are indeed fortunate, who knows what the future holds? So we are watching every nickel, just like the women in "American Thrift" (a GM movie from the 50's about thrifty women, and how the American Family is built on savings. Times have certainly changed)

So when we noted, with some trepidation and foreboding, that the sectional in the Sala Grande was increasingly saggy, we decided to do what cheapskates have done since time immemorial: reinforce the thing by sliding some plywood under the cushions.

Don't think we didn't try other things before resorting to this, but part of the problem is the sectional's rather cold war-esque construction: To even get at the area where the springs are in order to see what was up, I would have had to have cut through the gauzy fabric on the bottom of each section, then cut through some burlap, and God knows what else. Since the upholstery is still in good shape (even if it is a bit tacky for my taste - ivory, with a sort of subdued floral pattern) I couldn't bring myself to go that far.

We used 1/2" plywood, which is perhaps a bit thick, but it was what we had on hand. This made the sofa more sturdy all right, but I was distressed to note that, when sitting across from it, you could see the edge of the boards between the cushions and the bases. So I ran a line of white tape across the edge of the board, and it looked better. Certainly good enough for the people who visit, who we ply with liquor before they even get as far as the Sala Grande. With enough booze and appropriate lighting - and if there's one thing the Sala Grande has, it's appropriate lighting - who will even notice?

In the meantime, I've started to save up for a trip to the upholsterer. I should have enough money by 2035 or so. Then I'll start saving up for the fabric.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, enjoy the first part of "American Thrift". Subsequent sections can be accessed from the You Tubes....