One of the most important skills you can develop is your ability to see past "what is" and picture, "what could be". It's important when assessing a home and it's equally important when assessing a tired piece of furniture.

Upholstery is ALL about the framework. A good, rugged frame (hardwood or iron is ideal) is what you look for when deciding whether or not to reupholster. I'm only offering my immediate thoughts: but early-mid-80s EA is probably decent quality, even if the "look" is dated. Probably domestically manufactured and probably of good, stout construction.

"Reupholstery" has a couple of "faces". UPHOLSTERY refers to the webbing, springs, and padding that provide the comfy support and padding you expect when you settle into your favorite chair; at least if you work in the trade! When I hear "upholstery" I instantly think about the components the average owner never sees or thinks about. You can RECOVER something or you can REUPHOLSTER it. Recovering involves ripping off the present fabric and simply putting new fabric over the existing UPHOLSTERY. Make sense?

There is no point in reupholstering something with a cheap, flimsy frame, but rebuilding a nice looking piece from the frame up can put a new face on something you already own and like. It's up to you to decide whether or not the money required to accomplish the task is "worth it".

This is where the "lines" thing comes in. Can you look at your furniture, close your eyes and picture different fabric that might be more appealing to you? Do you need help doing that? Or has the entire shape and look of your pieces grown tiresome to you? There's a subtlety of difference there and I'm not sure if I've conveyed it accurately.

Recovering something involves a lot less work than does reupholtery. But BOTH are labor intensive and that translates to money. Upholsterers get paid by the hour to rip down some of the nastiest stuff you can believe andf then, effectively remake it.

There is no doubt you could go out tomorrow and replace your pieces for less money than you could "rework" them. But you'd be buying inferior quality when it comes to framing.

I had a couch and 2 chairs reupholstered (they were 50 yrs. old, BEAT, but in original upholstery) some years ago. The guy I send my work to is great about giving me a good assessment. He has told me to "dump" some things, but mostly he's been keen on my projects and he's given me some invaluable lessons on how to "assess" things. I have some really nice pieces of furniture now; I couldn't afford the quality in today's market, but I certainly could have replaced them for less than I spent to have them reupholtered! (with something incredibly cheap and make to "wear out" and be "thrown out").

So... I've given you nothing definitive, Sooey. But if I were you, I'd stew on the questions I've asked of you. And I'd probably call a couple of area upholsterers and ask what they think. ...

Hi Chelone,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question. You have given me a few new points to ponder.

These two pieces are in excellent condition. They were in our living room which was used only for company, holidays, special occations. The padding, webbing and springs are all about perfect. These pieces only need to be recovered. That will cut down on the labor & time. So I would only be looking at fabric, labor & time for re-covering not for the total re-do which would be re-upholstering, right?

OK, now I need to think this through...again. These are heavy, strong pieces that only need new fabric. I'm starting to see that they are worth new fabric, new life.

Thanks, Chelone. You have been a big help to me. You have answered other questions for me here at THS...giving me good information each time. Thank you.

sooey

I recently had the same dilemma. I had a very solid construction Crate & Barrel sofa but the fabric was completely shredded. It was a beautifully made, kiln dried hardwood, eight way hand tied, yadda yadda yadda. It was about 12 years old. I struggled with the question of reupholster/recover or buy new. I opted to buy new leather, which I love. But when my husband took a sledge hammer to the sofa to dismantle it to throw it in the dumpster I got heartsick. I think I still am. I regret not having a professional come in and at least give me an assessment of what they thought I should do. Don't know if this helps, but it might be worthwhile having someone assess the piece.

Yeah, Sooey, you'll be looking at new "face fabric" (what you'll plop your can on after a long hard day), possibly some muslin (a barrier between the "stuffin'" and the face fabric) and, POSSIBLY some additional batting to "fluff up" what already exists.

I'm basically GUESSING, but knowing what I know about upholstery, I'd say you'll be looking at roughly 1/2 the labor to "go all the way" (sorry!).

Fabric prices vary greatly and if you opt to purchase fabric on your own be prepared to accept an "up" or "cut" charge per yard. This surcharge essentially makes up the mark-up the shop would have realized if you'd purchased the goods from them. This sounds usurous on first reading, but upholstery work is messy and time consuming. Mark up on fabric is a way for a shop/tradesman to guarantee a certain level of profit on what can be a difficult trade to estimate precisely.

I'm glad this has been helpful to you.

About 15 years ago I was faced with the decision to totally reupholster my parent's E&A sofa - very 70's, but in good shape. At that time, I was quoted around 1200. Instead,we bought a new E&A sofa for around 1800. Sometimes I do regret it since the old sofa was very large and comfy. But I have been happy with the new one.