When it comes to buying a slipcover most of us probably think of ready-made slipcovers.
Ready-made slipcovers are widely available from a number of retailers and not particularly expensive.
But for covering that lovingly worn couch (Which definitely beats paying thousands of dollars for a new one!) ready-made slipcovers are not the only option.
There are other types of slipcovers, each type – as is also the case with ready-made slipcovers – with its advantages and disadvantages.
What are the different types of furniture slipcovers?
Let’s discuss them … and consider each type’s benefits and drawbacks.
In this article … Ready-made slipcovers Custom-made slipcovers Slipcovered furniture Specialty covers • Furniture protectors/ pet furniture covers • Covers for outdoor furniture • Plastic furniture covers DIY slipcovers Throws and other simple couch covers Conclusion
Ready-made slipcovers: So convenient!
Ready-made slipcovers are pre-sewn coverings designed to fit over your existing upholstered furniture.
They come in a range of sizes with options to fit the dimensions and shapes of various pieces – couches, loveseats, armchairs, and so forth. They also come in a variety of styles and materials, the materials themselves having their own pros and cons.
Many people buy a ready-made slipcover to cover a worn but otherwise serviceable piece of upholstered furniture. Others purchase ready-made slipcovers as a preemptive measure, to protect their upholstered furniture from wear and tear.
While ready-made slipcovers certainly offer an easy and cost-effective way to protect and refurbish upholstered pieces or update the look of a room, one of their most important qualities is the ease with which they can be cleaned.
Most are machine washable – though some materials may require special care (and it’s always wise to read the care label before washing) – and this makes ready-made slipcovers a tremendous aid when it comes to household cleaning.
Advantages
The primary advantages of read-made slipcovers are:
Affordability. Compared to reupholstering or buying new furniture, ready-made slipcovers offer a cost-effective solution to refresh your upholstered pieces or overall decor.
Ease of use. Though bulkier slipcovers and slipcovers for oddly shaped pieces, like recliners, may require a little more finagling, you definitely don’t have to be an engineer, or even a Task Rabbit, to use one. And once you get the knack of fitting and adjusting your slipcover, changing it for laundering or style is easy enough.
Ease of cleaning. The benefits of being able to machine wash a ready-made slipcover cannot be overemphasized. (Trust me!) Upholstered furniture, especially heavily used upholstered furniture, accumulates dust, dirt, and is subject to stains. Your upholstered furniture will get dirty way before it shows wear and tear from abrasion. Though I have said it before, I will eagerly restate the obvious – you cannot throw an entire sofa into the washing machine. But a slipcover? That you can.
Disadvantages
Despite their benefits, ready-made slipcovers also have a few drawbacks.
Because ready-made slipcovers are designed to fit standard furniture sizes, they may not fit your furniture perfectly.
Indeed, customer ratings and reviews indicate that issues with fit are a leading cause of dissatisfaction. Sometimes buyer’s remorse seems the result of inaccurate measurement and sizing guides. Often these complaints appear to stem from disappointed expectations of achieving a more tailored look than is realistically possible with most ready-made slipcovers.
Closely related to the “fit issue” is the issue of having to frequently adjust a slipcover as it shifts or comes untucked over the course of normal use. There are tools to help with this. It is also useful, when choosing a slipcover, to remember that different fabrics will behave differently. But all-in-all a certain amount of shifting is in the nature of the beast. A ready-made slipcover is designed to be removable after all. It is not upholstery, and it is not fixed in place.
Where to buy
It’s a bit hard to find a ready-made slipcover in a brick-and-mortar store these days.
On the other hand, when it comes to where to buy ready-made slipcovers, there are endless online options.
These options range from slipcover companies like SureFit and Paulato by GA.I.CO. (distributed in the U.S. by Mama Mia Covers), to specialty marketplaces like Wayfair, to diversified online retailing giants like Amazon and Walmart, to innumerable third-party retailers doing business via the Amazon and Walmart marketplaces.
Custom-made slipcovers: Achieve a tailored look.
If a tailored look is what you are after you may want to consider custom-made slipcovers.
While removable, like ready-made slipcovers, custom-made slipcovers are sewn to the exact measurements of your specific piece of furniture, ensuring a perfect fit offering a balance of style, precision, and personalization that’s hard to achieve with ready-made alternatives.
Advantages
Like ready-made slipcovers, custom-made slipcovers facilitate cleaning and are easy enough to use (though custom-made slipcovers fabricated to cover individual cushions may require a bit more effort to put on and take off).
Custom-made slipcovers also offer a couple of distinct advantages.
Precise fit. Since they are made to measure, custom-made slipcovers fit your furniture perfectly, eliminating any loose or baggy areas. This ensures a more polished and sophisticated look than is generally achievable with ready-made slipcovers.
Choice of material. While ready-made slipcovers come in a variety of fabrics and textiles, the choice is not infinite and may not offer the exact material or pattern you want. Having slipcovers custom made gives you the ability to select the specific fabric that best meets your needs or matches your vision for the overall look and feel of your space.
Disadvantages
Despite their benefits, custom-made slipcovers also have some drawbacks.
One of them is cost, as custom-made items are generally more expensive than ready-made alternatives.
The other is that custom-made slipcovers, once purchased, are not easily returned (unlike ready-made slipcovers which can be returned for a refund if not suitable).
Where to buy
If you’re looking to have custom-made slipcovers created locally, your best choice would likely be an upholstery shop. Upholstery shops specialize in fabric coverings for furniture, and many offer custom slipcover services.
Other options for locally made custom slipcovers include professional seamstresses or tailors, furniture stores (which may offer custom slipcover services or be able to recommend local providers), and interior design firms (which may offer custom slipcover creation as part of their larger design services).
Custom-made slipcovers can also be purchased online. Sites like Needle & Shears Custom Décor and SlipcoverShop.com offer custom-made slipcovers for a variety of furniture types. SlipcoverShop.com also sells ready-made slipcovers.
Slipcovered furniture: Couches designed with slipcovers.
There are slipcovers and then there is slipcovered furniture.
Slipcovered furniture, as the name suggests, is furniture designed with removable slipcovers. This type of furniture comes out of the box, so to speak – though in some cases quite literally – with slipcovers already on it (or package adjacent).
In lieu of upholstery the furniture itself is often covered with muslin as a base material. This base material is then covered by the piece’s removable slipcovers – which are tailored to fit precisely as a custom-made slipcover would be.
Advantages
Slipcovered furniture shares with ready-made and custom-made slipcovers the key benefit of allowing you to remove your furniture’s covering for cleaning.
But the true godsend of furniture that is slipcovered by design is the replacement cover.
Replacement covers. Know that not all slipcovered furniture comes with replacement covers. The covers of such pieces are removable for cleaning, but not replaceable.
When slipcovered furniture does come with replacement covers it makes it possible for the lucky owner to swap out or upgrade their couch’s cover and achieve the polished look of upholstery or custom-made slipcovers at a fraction of the cost of either.
Of course, you do have to buy the furniture itself to attain this distinct advantage.
But once you have made that initial purchase replacement covers designed specifically to fit your piece are available from the manufacturer at a very reasonable price.
A perfect example of this is provided by IKEA’s Uppland sofa, which replaced IKEA’s now (sadly) discontinued iconic Ektorp sofa. Starting at $799.00 the Uppland sofa comes with removable, machine washable covers – one for every individual cushion and one for the body of the sofa. Replacement covers are available in eight different colors ranging from $69 to $219 (depending on the fabric) for the complete set.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of slipcovered furniture are the obverse of its advantages.
As a starting point you do have to buy an entire piece of furniture.
And should the manufacturer stop making that furniture line – as with IKEA’s Ektorp sofa – replacement slipcovers will similarly cease to be available. You will then be in the same boat as everyone else seeking to slipcover or recover their upholstered furniture.
Much to IKEA’s credit, and indicative of the Ektorp sofa’s popularity, IKEA has continued to offer replacement covers more than three years after the Ektorp line was phased out, albeit only for the sofa and only in Lofallet beige. Still, SO grateful!
Where to buy
So, IKEA, obviously. But of course, there are other choices.
Pottery Barn, for example, offers a number of slipcovered sofas and also sells replacement slipcovers. Though more expensive than replacement Uppland covers, Pottery Barn offers more than ten times the selection of fabrics, with choices encompassing nearly a hundred different colors and styles of material.
Specialty covers: Pets, pollen, and plastic.
Furniture protectors/ pet furniture covers
Furniture protectors, also known as pet furniture covers or pet protector furniture covers, are specialized protective covers designed to shield your furniture from pet damage. Unlike regular slipcovers, which are primarily used to protect furniture from general wear and tear or to update the look of furniture, pet furniture covers serve a more specific purpose. They are designed to protect furniture from pet-related damage such as fur, dirt, and scratches. Many furniture protectors are also fabricated with a waterproof layer designed to further shield you couch from “accidents.”
Advantages
The primary benefit of using pet furniture covers is the protection they offer against pet fur, dirt, scratches, and spills. This can prolong the life of your furniture, saving you money in the long run. Additionally, these covers are typically easy to install and remove, making them convenient for pet owners. Most are also machine washable, making them easy to keep clean.
Disadvantages
Despite their many benefits, pet protector furniture covers do have some downsides. Some people may find that they are not as comfortable as regular slipcovers, or that they do not fit their furniture as well. Others may not like the look of these covers or may find that they do not stay in place as well as they would like.
Where to buy
While furniture protectors are available just about everywhere that you can buy ready-made slipcovers, there are some companies which focus specifically on pet furniture covers.
One such company is “pet lifestyle brand” FUNNYFUZZY, which offers “fun” pet and pet owner products designed with your pet’s perspective in mind, among them pet protector furniture covers.
Another company worth mentioning is Team K9. Like FUNNYFUZZY, Team K9 approaches its products from the pet’s perspective and offers a variety of products for pets (okay, dogs) and pet owners (dog-lovers). Worth highlighting is Team K9’s support of a range of initiatives to “give back to the canine community.” This includes donating a portion of all its sales to rescue dogs in need. That’s nice.
Covers for outdoor furniture
Outdoor furniture covers are designed to protect your outdoor furniture from various weather conditions, prolonging its lifespan and maintaining its appearance. They are the first line of defense against damage and wear when outdoor furniture is not in use. They can also protect your furniture from elements such as UV rays, rain, snow, bird droppings, and pollen.
Advantages
Though a specialty cover of sorts, outdoor furniture covers offer advantages similar to those of indoor furniture covers.
Protection. Outdoor furniture covers help prolong the life of your furniture by protecting it from weather conditions.
Money savings. Outdoor furniture covers can save you money in the long run by ensuring your furniture doesn’t have to be replaced every season.
Cleanliness. Outdoor furniture covers keep your outdoor furniture clean and ready to use.
Disadvantages
If appearance is sometimes a concern with indoor slipcovers it is even more so with outdoor furniture covers. While these covers come in different colors, outdoor furniture covers cannot match the aesthetic appeal of wood or the other natural materials from which outdoor furniture is often crafted.
In addition to appearance, condensation is a disadvantage unique to outdoor furniture covers. Though some outdoor furniture covers are designed with air pockets to facilitate airflow, in the absence of indoor climate control, condensation can form beneath the cover and can result in mold or mildew forming on your furniture’s cushions and pillows and water stains or rust forming on the finish.
Where to buy
When it comes to buying outdoor furniture covers, home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowes are good options, both instore and online.
As part of their massive and diverse array of products, Amazon and Walmart are certainly places where outdoor furniture covers can be purchased.
There are also companies like Coverstore and Covers & All that specialize in covering solutions and offer custom outdoor furniture covers.
Plastic furniture covers
The covering of upholstered furniture with plastic – at all times – to keep it in pristine, showroom condition is a phenomenon I associate with the 1960s and 1970s, though I did have one friend whose terrifying stepmother kept plastic cover over her living room furniture (and plastic runners over her carpets) well into the 1980s.
Plastic furniture covers for indoor furniture are still being made and are available for purchase today, though their role is now more to protect furniture during storage or a move.
Advantages
They do protect your furniture from dirt and spills and they are not especially expensive.
I have developed an effective method of using these covers to provide Fort Knox protection against pets – in my case cats. My “hack” is to use them over the upholstery but under a slipcover. Keep your eyes open for an upcoming post in which I will show you how.
Disadvantages
They are not attractive, and they are not comfortable to sit on – sorry 1960s.
Where to buy
You can find them on various online platforms including Amazon or Walmart.
DIY slipcovers: A solution for the creative and crafty.
DIY slipcovers are custom-made coverings for furniture that you sew yourself. (That’s the “y”!)
They can be used for a variety of furniture types, including sofas, chairs, and beds and might be a particularly good option for custom or unique pieces which a ready-made slipcover is unlikely to fit.
DIY slipcovers serve the same basic purpose as all other slipcovers – to protect upholstered furniture from wear and tear, to refurbish a worn piece, or to update the look of a room without buying new furniture.
Advantages
Creating your own slipcovers can have several advantages over buying slipcovers made by someone else.
Cost-effectiveness. By choosing your own materials and doing the labor yourself, you can save money compared to buying ready-made or custom-made slipcovers.
Customization. You can choose the exact fabric, color, and pattern that you want, and you can make the slipcover fit your furniture perfectly.
Gratification. Making your own slipcovers can be a satisfying project. There is, after all, a sense of accomplishment that comes from creating something with your own hands.
Disadvantages
Despite their benefits, making your own slipcovers also has a few potential drawbacks. One is the time investment. Making a slipcover can be a time-consuming project, especially if you’re new to sewing. Additionally, you’ll need some basic sewing skills and the right equipment, such as a sewing machine, which can be a barrier for some people.
Where to “buy”
Assuming you have the basic skills and necessary equipment, where to buy would be the fabric store (unless you already have a closet full of remnants).
Beyond that DIY slipcovers are less of a “where to” and more of a “how to” … as in how to make.
Making a DIY slipcover involves several steps. First, you'll need to measure your furniture accurately. Then, you'll need to choose your fabric and cut it to the right size. Next, you'll sew the pieces together to create the slipcover. Finally, you'll fit the slipcover onto your furniture. While this project can be a little challenging, it can also be fun and rewarding.
For step-by-step guidance there are numerous YouTube channels that offer tutorials on making DIY slipcovers. Pinterest is also a good resource for DIY slipcover ideas and tutorials. Simply search for “DIY slipcovers” to find a wealth of inspiration and step-by-step guides.
For help with DIY slipcovers, I highly recommend a visit to The Slipcover Maker. This is a lovely and super cool site! Not only does professional slipcover maker, Karen, offer DIY slipcover making tutorials, she will also make custom replacement slipcovers for you, taking apart your original slipcover and using it as a pattern to create a new one. Beyond those two excellent services, Karen blogs about slipcover solutions, reviews fabrics, and shares information about her favorite tools and supplies. She even offers an ebook, “The Slipcover Maker’s Business Guidebook,” for other would-be slipcover making entrepreneurs. If you are thinking of making your own slipcover, definitely check out The Slipcover Maker!
Throws and other simple couch covers
Rather than making or buying a slipcover, you can simply use blankets, quilts, bedspreads, or throws to cover your couch. You can cover just the seat, use smaller throws to wrap each cushion individually, or drape a blanket or quilt over the entire sofa.
Throws and blankets are versatile couch covers that can cover a variety of furniture types and are a reasonable choice for those seeking a quick and easy way to refresh their decor.
Advantages
Maybe the number one advantage of a throw is that you will not be disappointed by a poor fit. With this approach to covering your couch there is zero expectation of a tailored, upholstered look. You are going bohemian, and you know it.
That’s not to say you cannot achieve style. To see how several designers approached covering their sofas with throws instead of slipcovers, you may want to check out the domino.com article, “How to Cover Your Sofa With Throws.”
Cost-effectiveness is another benefit as you may well be able to use textiles you already own.
Disadvantages
Despite their benefits, throws and blankets also have a few drawbacks.
These simple couch covers, in particular, may require regular adjustment, especially on frequently used furniture.
You can minimize shifting by using safety pins or, better, blanket clips. These tiny metal and plastic fasteners will help secure your blanket or quilt. Blanket clips are readily available online via Amazon or Walmart.
domino.com also suggests using throw cushions as weights, to help hold a spread or throw in place.
Where to buy
You really shouldn’t be buying here at all. Certainly, don’t go buy an expensive new blanket or bedspread just to cover your couch. If you are thinking of doing that, you may want to go ahead and purchase an actual slipcover.
For the throw and blanket approach to covering your couch, shop in your own linen closet.
Or, at most, check out a thrift store or flea market.
Conclusion
While ready-made slipcovers are a popular and cost-effective choice for protecting or refreshing your furniture, they are not the only option available.
As we’ve explored in this article, there are various types of slipcovers, each with their own unique benefits and drawbacks.
The key is to understand your specific needs, preferences, and the nature of the furniture you wish to cover.
Whether you’re looking for convenience, custom fit, or a unique style, there’s a slipcover type – and a slipcover – that’s perfect for you!
