Welcome to our How to Remove Recliner Back: Step by Step Guide
Recliner sofas are bulky and heavy enough to transport from one room to another, especially when you have to pass through a tight space. But you don’t have to worry.
Recliner sofas come in an easy disassembling design for stress-free transportation. The designs look like locking levers securing detachable seats. Releasing the lever and removal the seats will make the movement easier. Some recliners allow further disassembling, like the removal of the bars.
Take pictures when you disassemble the recliner, label the disassembled component, and put the hardware in a bag. This way, the assembling would be easy, and the chance to lose components becomes less.
Contents
Learn more about How to Remove Recliner Back: Different Ways
METHOD 01: Release of locking levers
Lifting the upholstery
By tilting the sofa a bit forward, you have to lift the upholstery strip. Many sofas have detachable backs that can be lifted to shoe the inner frame. There must be some snaps or velcro strips securing the fabric to the frame. Unfasten that and then lift the back panel.
Find the rear locking lever
Check the sides of the frame in search of the rear locking lever. On both sides of the sofa’s frame, you’ll see a metal pointing in a downward position. The position of the metal lever should be around the joint of the arm’s top & back. If you own a sofa with a center console, check for levers on the frame between seats & frames.
In between locking levers, see for the rear seams
If your recliner sofa doesn’t have any detachable fabric that can expose the mainframe, then stick your hand in the rear seat on the sofa’s right & left sides. You should also check the seam that is in between the seats and the center console. On those seems, you should see the locking levers pointing downward direction.
Lifting the locking levers
Lifting those downward-directed locking levers upward, you can release back seats. Using those flat head screwdrivers, you’ll loosen the levers and raise them, releasing the seats. After lifting them, position the recliner properly and separate the frame’s back.
If you own a recliner with more than one seat divided by a center console, lift the backs separately.
METHOD 02: Removal of the bolted bars
Turning over the recliner sofa for locating base bars
Turning the recliner upside down, making the backside face the ceiling. Look for the base bars on the backside of the recliner. If they’re present, you’ll see two to three base bars bolted or screwed from one end of the base to the other end.
Unfastening the bolts connecting the base bar
Check the heads of those screws to ensure what drill you’d need to unfasten them. Use the drill having the same bit as the screw and unfasten them from the base bar.
Most base bars have square Robertson screws. So, you may need Robertson to drive bits for unfastening them.
While removing the final bar, seek help from others
It would be the best decision not to remove the final bar all by yourself. Because when you remove the final bar, the console and seats will separate freely. Thus, the falling down of the components can get itself damaged or damage other stuff surrounding it. So, having a person to hold the components in place will be great.
METHOD 03: Making the reassembling easier
Taking pictures while disassembling
It’s easy to forget how you’ve dissembled, as you’ve struggled the whole way to find this and that stuff.
So, you have to take snapshots when you’ve lifted the recliner in the very beginning. Take shots of the base to remember how it all placed. Look for other features as well.
You can also consider taking shots of each step while disassembling, so you can reverse the process while assembling back.
Keeping the hardware (small ones especially) in a plastic bag
Keep any container or plastic bag by your side while unfastening the bolts, screws, and other small parts. Place the hardware in those containers soon after unfastening. Don’t think of gathering them later after putting them on the ground. Then keeping the bag or container would be meaningless. Maintaining this way, the chances of losing small components would be zero percent.
Moreover, keep different bags for different base bar bolts and screws.
Label those disassembled parts as “left seat of the back” or “top base of the bar” to know where to reinstall.
While reassembling, first reinstall the upper bar.
Firstly, line up the parts on the base facing the back upward. Locate the holes on the bar and line them up with the base’s hole. Firstly, you’ll attach the top bar and start screwing the center hole. Then go outward, filling the screws. In this way, attach all the base bars. Follow the process for the individual recliner part.
Reassembling seats by reversing the process, that is, replacing the backs & securing the levers.
Position the recliner normally once you set up the base. Put the seat backs into their housing. To place them properly, you have to jiggle them a little. Again turn over the recliner making the back facing the ceiling. Now, push the locking lever downward as it was before to make the seats locked in places.
Read Next: how to connect sectional sofas
Tips:
If you own a recliner having electrical power, unplug the cords from the main electricity sources before detaching the parts.
The process discussed here is the standard process, and most recliner follows it. However, if you own something different, look for the instruction manual of your model.
FAQ
How to get rid of a recliner?
In case you don’t want your recliner anymore and obviously can’t through here & there, you can call your trash removal service or municipality for checking dates when they take large-item trash. If they don’t have such services, ask for a public trash dump.
What is the average cost to fix a recliner?
The average cost for repairing the recliner is $77 to $120. However, the amount varies, depending on the shop, type of recliner, the time needed to repair, etc.
Can I operate my power recliner manually?
Your manual recliners get powered by your shoulder, arm, & body weight. Raise the handle by reaching down for elevating the footrest. Then you can enjoy any reclining position by your body weight.
Can I fix my broken recliner?
Fixing a recliner isn’t that troublesome. Usually, it takes a few minutes. For broken or missing bolts, you can replace them. If it’s your wooden frame that has broken, you can rebuild or patch it.
Final Verdict:
Knowing how to remove a recliner back is essential if you own one; it doesn’t matter how much outside mechanical support you have. By now, you’ve known it’s not that difficult, though it’s time-consuming. After a few practices, it wouldn’t be troublesome for you.