When I was in high school, I could never find the right dress for homecoming or prom. While most kids were headed to the local department store, I was begging my mom to sew the dress I saw in 17 Magazine in my favorite color. The only reason my mom did this was because it was less expensive to make a dress than to buy one (or the idea of shopping with me was just so painful).

Just as the fashion industry has changed where you can buy a prom dress for less money than the cost of 3 yards of organza, the same goes for furniture. You basically have three options when it’s time to consider a refresh on your furniture and it’s important to understand them all.

1. Recover: Just as it sounds, you are simply buying fabric and having someone recover it. This is a less expensive way to do things but don’t cut corners if your piece really needs more than a fresh coat of fabric.

2. Reupholster: You get the whole enchilada; new foam, batting, ca tune up on the framework if needed and then recovering it. Sometime this can also allow you to change up or update the arm design or feet of your upholstered item too.

3. Buy New: You get what you pay for in this day and age and therefore, cheap furniture may be readily available to you but it will be a gamble if it lasts. Quality furniture is going to cost more, look nicer and should stand the test of time.

So now that you know what your options are, let’s ask a few more questions to help you decide what’s best for you.

1. Is the piece of furniture a quality piece of furniture? If your furniture is made before 1965ish, chances are it was made to last. It wasn’t uncommon to think when you bought that dinette set, it was supposed to stay with you from when you were newlyweds to the day you die. This isn’t to say that furniture made after 1965 is all bad either! Investigate the brand name and clues on construction and details to determine if the quality is there. If you strike a gold mine and you do have a quality piece of furniture, chances are that buying something of the same quality today will cost you more than having that sofa recovered.

2. Is your furniture piece something you love because it has sentimental value? Can you ever imagine your home without it? I don’t care what anyone says, if you have great grandma’s settee from the house she grew up in and you love it with all of your heart, it deserves an automatic, YES, on recovering or reupholstering it!

3. How many arms does it have? This might sound silly but the fabric is not the only thing that cost a lot. The bulk of your money is going to the labor, specifically those arms or any other small intricate areas that will require detail and craftsmanship.

4. Are you considering sustainability? Simply put, recovering your upholstered furniture might be more expensive but it supports small business and your local craftsmen while keeping things out of the landfill.

5. Can’t find anything you like while out shopping? Well, it goes without saying the options are literally endless when you get to choose your own fabric, your own finish and you even get to decide how the cushion will sit. If you are like me with the prom dress, recovering or reupholstering would allow you to end up with a tailor-made creation just right for you!

All things considered, what did you decide? It’s not easy these days! Furniture is certainly a big investment and stylistically a reflection of who you are as an individual or as a family. I’ve been in this business my whole adult life and even for myself, I have to ask these very questions every time we need to replace or buy new furniture. In the end, knowledge is power! I hope this will help you a bit in your decision making.

All the best,

Sarah

Recent Experience

I recently received quotes from 3 different upholsters on recovering chairs for a client. The chairs were originally Ethan Allen, a reputable company who prides themselves on quality American made furniture. No doubt the chairs were solid but the blue velvet was simply not going to work in the new house.

I was actually impressed that all three upholsters quoted almost the exact same amount, (give or take $25-$50). Clearly there is a formula on time and labor and everyone is pretty in synch. In addition, each upholster asked for the same amount of yardage; also impressive!

I would love to share pricing but every city is different and cost of rent among other things probably ranges from state to state and city to city. I can share however that fabric generally costs between $40-$80 retail if you are ordering and $20-$60 if you are buying ready made cut yardage directly off the bolt. There are some great warehouse places and even fabric outlets online to get fabric $5-$30 but it usually takes some hunting and you will not get all of the info on the fabric such as cleaning codes, wearability and what it’s made of.