How to Dismantle a Recliner Sofa

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 13, 2023 References

There’s no need to worry if you need to move your bulky recliner sofa through a tight space. Most reclining sofas can be easily disassembled for stress-free transport. Many models have detachable seat backs, which are secured by locking levers. Lifting the back fabric panel or feeling in between the rear seams should enable you to release the levers and remove the seats. Some models also have removable bars bolted to the base that allow for further disassembly. To make things easier when it’s time to reassemble the sofa, take pictures as you take it apart, keep your hardware in plastic bags, and label your sofa’s disassembled components.

Things You Should Know

Raise the locking levers with a flat head screwdriver to release the seat backs of your recliner sofa.
Remove the bolted bars at the base of the sofa with a drill, which allows the individual seats and console to separate.
Snap pictures of the sofa as you dismantle it so you have a reference point when you reassemble it.
Sort and store your screws, bolts, and other small pieces of hardware in plastic bags.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Releasing Locking Levers

1
Tilt the sofa forward and lift the rear upholstery strip. Lift the sofa forward so the back faces straight up into the air. Many upholstered sofas have a detachable back panel that you can lift to expose the inner frame. Locate and unfasten the velcro strips or snaps that secure the fabric to the frame’s base, then lift up the upholstered panel.^{[1]
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2
Locate the rear locking levers. Check the frames on each side of the sofa’s seats for the locking levers. At each side of the sofa’s main body, around where the top of the arm and back join, you should see a metal lever pointing in a downward position. If your sofa has a center console, you should see levers on the frames between it and the seats.^{[2]
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3
Feel for the locking levers between the rear seams. If your sofa doesn’t have detachable strips of fabric that expose the frame, stick your hands into the rear seams on the sofa’s left and right sides. Check the seams between the center console and seats, if any are present. Feel within the seams for the locking lever pointed in a down position.^{[3]
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4
Lift the locking levers to release the seat backs. Use a flat head screwdriver or, in a pinch, your fingertips to loosen and raise each lever and release the seat backs. After unlocking the levers, return the sofa to its normal position and carefully lift the back out of its frame.^{[4]
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- If your sofa has a pair of seats divided by a center console, lift each individual seat and console back out of its housing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Removing Bolted Bars

1
Turn the sofa over to locate the base bars. Lift the sofa onto its front side so its back faces straight up toward the ceiling. Look under the sofa to see if it has base bars. If they’re present, you should see two or three bars screwed or bolted from one end of the sofa’s base to the other.^{[5]
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2
Unfasten the base bars’ bolts. Check the heads of the screws or bolts that secure the base bars. Use a drill with the appropriate bit to unfasten each screw or bolt from the base bars.^{[6]
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- You’ll probably need Robertson drive bits, as base bars are often secured with square Robertson screws.
3
Have a helper hold the sofa as you remove the last bar. It’s best to get someone to help you remove a sofa’s base bars, especially when removing the final bar. When you detach the last bar, the individual seats and console will come apart freely. Having someone stabilize the sofa will help keep its components from rolling away, getting damaged, or damaging nearby objects.^{[7]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Reassembly Easier

1
Take pictures as you disassemble the sofa. When you first lift the sofa’s rear upholstery panel, take pictures of the frame, base, and other relevant features. That way, when you have to put it back together, you’ll know what the sofa is supposed to look like when it’s fully assembled.^{[8]
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- If you’re unsure about your mechanical abilities, you could take pictures at each step of disassembly to guide you during reassembly.
2
Keep bolts, screws, and other hardware in separate plastic bags. Have plastic bags or other small containers on hand when you unfasten any screws or bolts. Place your hardware into a bag as soon as you remove it. Keep separate bags for each base bar’s hardware so it’s easier to sort through the screws, bolts, nuts, and washers.
- Label your disassembled parts so you’ll know where to reinstall “left seat back” and “top base bar.”
3
Reinstall the top bar first during reassembly. Line up each of the base’s parts up so their backs face the ceiling. Locate the predrilled holes on the top base bar where the screws or bolts fit, and line the bar up with the corresponding holes on the sofa’s base. Start by fastening the top bar’s center screws that attach it to the center part of the sofa, then work outward to reattach the bar to the base of each sofa part.^{[9]
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- After securing the top bar, drive the screws into the remaining bars to reassemble the sofa base.
4
Reassemble seats by replacing the backs and locking the levers. Place the sofa in a normal position. Carefully slide the detached seat back into its housing, and jiggle it a little until you’ve slid it all the way into place.^{[10]
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Community Q&A

Question

Can I remove the middle part of a couch and put the two ends together as one?

Community Answer

Yes; you just need a different bar to go on the bottom, because it would be too long.
Question

When reassembled, my recliners do not recline. What is wrong?

Community Answer

There should be a cable that hooks up to the handle that make it recline. You have to flip the recliner over, locate the cable underneath and hook it back in its slot.