How do I attach velcro tape to my couch cushions?

December 5, 2011 10:29 AM

How do I attach velcro tape to my couch cushions?

I have couch cushions that slide terribly. I bought this velcro tape to keep things in place. The problem is that the tape adhesive won't stick to the bottom of my couch cushions. or the opposite fabric under the cushion. The upholstery is microfiber. How can I easily make the velcro strips adhere to the fabric?

P.S. I've tried using various non-slip rug pads under the cushions, but the cushions still slide.

posted by reverend cuttle to home & garden (12 answers total)

Sew the tape on with needle and thread. You might have to buy the sew on kind and not the adhesive kind because the adhesive is probably going to gum up your needle.
posted by Fairchild at 10:36 AM on December 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

You will have to sew them. And you may want to choose velcro without the stickum, since it turns into a gooey, slimy mess when it gets warm.

Another thing you could try is a sheet of foam rubber. That stuff has a lot of traction, and may be thick enough to engage the cushions in a way that the non-slip rug pads could not. Just brainstorming.
posted by phunniemee at 10:37 AM on December 5, 2011

Your link isn't working. This kind of velcro can be fused (ironed) onto fabric and there are kinds that can be sewed on.
posted by shoesietart at 10:37 AM on December 5, 2011

If you have a hot glue gun, you might try that. It bonds very well to fabric.
posted by drlith at 10:38 AM on December 5, 2011

Try those anti-slide carpet underpads for hardwood floors.
posted by rhizome at 10:43 AM on December 5, 2011

If you go the sewing route, look for an upholstery needle. The needle's curve makes getting it back out of the pillow easier.
posted by MsMolly at 10:57 AM on December 5, 2011

If you go the sewing route, you probably want to avoid sewing the stick-on velcro as the needle can get gummed up. Buy the velcro made to be sewn on.
posted by shoesietart at 11:04 AM on December 5, 2011

Sorry, borked link should go here. I can't sew, so would prefer non-sewing solutions.
posted by reverend cuttle at 11:07 AM on December 5, 2011

Honestly, a six-year-old could handle this much sewing. If you can cut your own meat or fold a paper airplane, you can do it. And trust me, it will be neater, quicker and easier than any other solution offered so far.

Just get yourself a curved upholstery needle and a spool of thread in an appropriate color -- doesn't need to matchy-match, just not look overly strange. Poke one end of the thread through the eye of the needle, pull through until you have about 18" length doubled, cut and then tie a small knot at the loose ends. Push your needle down through the cushion fabric and up through the edge of the hook-and-loop swatch, one bite at a time. Pull taut and repeat. To finish, just run the needle three or four times through the same spot and cut the thread off close to the stitching.

Since you're working on the "back side" of your cushion anyway, it doesn't need to be pretty, just functional. (The only trick to good-looking sewing is consistency -- just try to make each "bite" the same size, pull it to the same tautness and place each the same distance from the last stitch.)
posted by peakcomm at 12:35 PM on December 5, 2011

I've tried using various non-slip rug pads under the cushions, but the cushions still slide.

Have you tried a much bigger piece of the rug pads, folded down to the proper size? This may give it the right thickness to get a grip. This is what I did with my microfiber sofa and my cushions have been rock solid for months.
posted by The Deej at 2:17 PM on December 5, 2011

I just did this with this rug pad and it worked perfectly. It's rubbery on one side and felt on the other, and works because my cushions are on a plastic frame. If your cushions are on fabric, try a carpet-to-carpet pad.
posted by snickerdoodle at 6:50 PM on December 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just had luck witha polyeurethane "egg crate" mattress topper, doubled in half. Thanks for your answers everyone.
posted by reverend cuttle at 6:02 PM on December 30, 2011