is it worth to reupholster a couch?

Linda G. Harris

last year

I've moved to a house with formal living room. Should I reupholster my sturdy but worn sofa

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Comments (4)

Little Bird
last year
I requested quotes for re-upholstering Ethan Allen chairs with worn-out fabric, and the price to do that is about the same as buying new chairs from EA. So it’s worth it if you have very valuable furniture, or a special design that isn’t made anymore. But if it’s a regular store brand, you’re probably better off getting new ones.
Anne Duke
last year
I reupholstered a 25 yo Lee Industries sofa three years ago for $1600. Worth every penny and will have it for years to come. If its well made and the style suits your style, you can’t go wrong with reupholstering.
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Comments (22)
Absolutely yes, if your pieces were well built to begin with, reupholster. A reupholsterer I know told me to buy old and reupholster, because bang-for-the-buck old is usually a lot better built and will last. Your cushion foam can be completely replaced, as can all the other padding. The important part is the frame. This guy told me the old frames were done with wooden dowels, and plenty of bracing. He got called by a local furniture store to go get a sofa. A woman had vaulted one-handed over the back of it when a hot ember spit from her fireplace to her carpet. It snapped. He took it apart and found out it was nailed, and the corner gussets were *cardboard*! There wasn't one stick of bracing in the whole 6' length. You should also know that when you get a sofa or chair reupholstered, there's quite a lot they can do to change it. Skirt/no skirt. Make the arms fatter or skinnier. Add back support, and so on. Tell him exactly what you do and don't like about the stuffing -- too soft? Too firm? You'll get it back like brand new. Incidentally, there are charts out there telling you how much fabric you need. JoAnns and Calico Corners should have them, and you may find one online if you snoop around. You can save a ton of money if you find a bargain on your fabric on ebay, or see Fabric Guru.
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Thanks lyban! I don't think you can buy the wool by the yard, so I bought a king size off kijiji for $150 and had it cleaned, then used my existing queen sized blanket that I don't use that much on the chair. My sister gave me the queen sized one as a wedding gift. Although I was at first reluctant to cut it up I felt that it would get a lot more visibility and use as an awesome chair. She is happy, I'm happy, and I still have a HUGE king size points blanket to use on the bed in winter. What a special birthday gift from your brother! The beach and bath towels went on sale this summer - first time I've ever seen them on sale! I bought four bath and two beach! Of course this is my ultimate HBC dream ... This post was edited by sochi on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 23:30
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Comments (9)
Hi jemdandy - nope none of it comes apart. It's just one gigantic couch :) We decided to bring the sofa to our new home, thinking that even if we wanted to sell it the market would be better here than our old location. I also wanted to get a real quote for doing the reupholstry since I've heard people guess anything from like $800 for labor to a few thousand. I contacted a well reviewed upholsterer in town and he quoted me $950 for labor plus $100 for new foam. I would provide my own fabric and I'm going to try to find some for ~$20/yard if I can. All in all that's not too bad - it's a lot less than I thought it would be - and it's probably less than we would spend on a comparable quality couch so we've decided to keep the sofa and reupholster it. For now we'll have a couch to sit on and we can defer the decision to keep/sell for the next time we move ;) Thank you all for your help and opinions!
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Is a Lee sofa worth reupholstering?
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Comments (15)
Thanks everyone for your input! First of all, relative to car analogy (and I did have a 45 minute commute - on a good day. . . preretirement), I drive a Prius, LOL. So no danger of buying a landfill sofa, etc. This explains the CL love, there is so much "stuff" in the world, manufacturing could stop for years and no one would have to go without. I would also prefer to get an older sofa vs. anything new for quality as long as it has been used well. My perception of Lee is that it is a midrange sofa. I have no issues with reupholstering if it is going to last, but if there is a danger of the springs sagging or frame cracking, no thanks. This sofa just happens to be the right color (pale green) and style (track arm) that I'm looking for. Local Lee distributor says ~$600 for the 3 seat cushions replaced with spring wrapped (Cloud 9) cushions, which would be minimal fixing up. The sofa is $400, so I'm looking at $1,000 for the TV room sofa which is OK, but if there are potential functional issues, no thanks. I've been watching for the other brands mentioned (Lane, Baker, Hancock Moore, Hickory Chair, CR Laine (that one is new, thanks for that tip)), but so far, all have been the rolled arm look. I guess I'll cool my jets and keep looking. I've even managed to track down the small shops that a couple of custom sofas (thru interior designer) came from, and they both used "no sag" sinuous springs. It's my understanding that these can be a quality suspension system if correctly done + quality springs, but figuring that out in a stranger's living room may be a bit much to ask! Thanks again, I always learn something from you!
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marmiegard_z7b
last year
I have at times considered this and may yet in future. What would move me toward reupholstering would be more related to decor and seating goals than just a cost breakdown. But yes, first the target piece would need to be “ desirable “- not necessary highest cost but proven, comfortable or restorable, not easily replaceable. For example, new EA furniture may not be as good quality as “ vintage “ EA.
Second benefit might be an opportunity to get a fabulous fabric, whether quality- wise or a great color or pattern that makes the room special. Coukd do same thing with custom- ordered pieces from some of the major companies but again, that might be what makes the price do-able, old piece + special fabric vs new + special.
With chairs I would also consider custom/ semi custom slipcovers, especially if going to a white or light color.
Having read some of the stories on building or renovation, though, I’d really like it if I were able to see examples of work.
Helen
last year
When I remodeled, I also completely redecorated and did reupholster three chairs - two were matching and one was an occasional chair.

I did this because they had beautiful completely unique wood frames that were part of the design of the chair and they could not be purchased new. FWIW I chose fabric that was a bit "unexpected"

I would not have a sofa or chairs reupholstered that didn't have some element that could not be duplicated. For what it will cost to reupholster, you could have a new one done custom if you like completely to your specifications. I had a sofa done custom and every part of the measurement - height of seat; depth of seat; height of back plus "stuffing" was selected by me - not to mention every element of the style and of course the fabric.

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is it worth to reupholster a couch?

Comments (4)

Little Bird

Anne Duke

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marmiegard_z7b

Helen

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