01/25/2022
With the current high prices and shortages of lumber, I'm getting many clients asking these questions once again so I thought I would repost something I wrote last year. Lumber shortages continue to affect furniture manufacturers causing extreme delays and lower quality furniture. Your grandmas ugly old chair or that Marketplace gem can be a solid choice for years to come. Do the math and compare the quality!
Repost from 2021:
SHOULD I UPHOLSTER MY SOFA OR BUY A NEW ONE ????
I have answered this exact question for clients over and over again and usually, it consists of the same issues. One loves it, the other hates it. One is attached to it because it has sentimental value, the other can stand the 90s teal and burgundy plaid upholstery covered in baby burps. The truth of the matter is simple. Upholstery can be an expensive practice, however, there are so many more pros to upholstery than cons. Not only does re-upholstery keep furniture frames out of landfills, making it eco-conscious, but it also reuses quality furniture and increases the longevity of your pieces many times over.
Your first step should be determining whether your furniture piece is more than 10 years old. If you have a furniture piece that is older than 10-15 years then right off the bat you definitely have better quality furniture. Younger furniture is usually not sturdy enough to upholster and should definitely be tested. If you are considering buying used furniture pieces to reupholster lift it, if it feels sturdy that’s a great sign. Many manufacturers lowered their standards in recent years by using woods previously unsuitable for furniture frames. Manufacturers often assemble pine frames with staples and fast drying epoxy, as opposed to strong hardwood and screws of the old days. Next, you should wiggle the arms and legs, the joints should feel secure and steady. If you look under the piece, check for coil springs , higher quality furniture will have coiled springs under the deck tied with twine in 8 directions.
Listen to your gut. If you love your sofa, then you love your sofa. I personally have re-upholstered my 14 ton sofa 4 times in the last 20 years and will continue for many more years. If it’s good quality and you’re on the fence about spending the money, ask yourself whether you are likely to find a piece you like as much. The perfect shape, size, color and feel of your piece is entirely up to you when you upholster. If you're not loving your sofa, look online to Marketplace and find a style that you do love and we can go from there. If you want something unique and to your comfort level, then upholstery is a great choice. The care, quality and craftsmanship that goes into upholstery is one of a kind and is done by artisans that are a dying breed who care about longevity and quality.
Experienced upholsterers can tell you immediately whether or not your piece is worth recovering, and they will almost always tell you the truth. Upholsterers don’t like working on junk furniture however they will recover anything if you insist. Many people are astonished when they find out the price of recovering an old sofa is about the same or less than buying a new piece. In many cases the cost of reupholstering is directly related to the cost of the fabric. Careful shopping for fabrics can reduce the price by several hundred dollars. Fabrics DO NOT follow the well known maxim “you get what you pay for", its easy to find inexpensive fabrics if you look for them.
Here’s the thing: buying new furniture might seem more cost effective in the moment than reupholstering. However if you are comparing the price of a brand new piece of furniture with a pine frame and glued joints to a classic solid older piece with an oak frame and screwed joints, you will find the price to be very comparable between the two. With upholstery, you get to decide the fabric, colors and any custom design changes you choose.
Something you should take into consideration before deciding is first , approximately how much fabric will I need and what is the cost of the fabric I have chosen. And second, what is the estimate from the upholsterer. Always research this before deciding if it’s worth it or not. And rumor is, a small upholstery business that has a good reputation may be your best bet.
If you take a picture on your phone and message it to Holy Cowch, I will be happy to give you a total labor and fabric estimate.
Regarding the fabric, I am different than most upholstery shops in that I don’t force my customers to buy fabric from me and then double the price. I don’t even deal in fabrics. My preference is to use Joann Fabrics 40% off coupons. Also check Michael’s and Hobby Lobby they have 40% off coupons as well. And there is Fabric Shack here in Waynesville two blocks from my workroom. I have several online favorites such as Revolution and Fabric.com. You will want to request a swatch or swatches prior to buying. You will need a good quality upholstery fabric suitable for furniture so ask the type of fabric before buying so you can compare apples to apples.
In the end, of course I hope you choose to upholster rather than buy new, you will always end up with a higher quality piece. It just makes more sense.
I hope this helps!
HOLY COWCH UPHOLSTERY
