topic Re: Approximate reupholster charge? in Home

Approximate reupholster charge?

Grammyto3 — Fri, 03 May 2019 20:19:42 GMT

I can’t decide whether to have my glider and ottoman reupholstered or just buy new.

Any idea what upholstering costs?

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

Lilysmom — Fri, 03 May 2019 20:47:04 GMT

@Grammyto3 , I wanted to redo a sofa and love seat. The cost far exceeded the cost of a new set. The upholsterer said if it was a really good name it was worth it. It was a good name, hardwood frame, excellent cushioning, I just didn't like the color. I passed as I didn't like the style of the sofa enough to pay that much.

For me, it would depend on how much I loved the piece. LM

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

libbyannE — Fri, 03 May 2019 20:52:18 GMT

There is no simple answer, because, for starters, fabric costs vary dramatically, depending on what you choose. A high-quality furniture piece is worth reupholstering, but don’t waste your money on a cheaper chair or sofa. We had an excellent loveseat with down-filled cushions reupholstered. Years ago, we bought the high-quality two-seater for around $2000, and the reupholster cost around $1800. I am not sure what a “glider” is.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

haddon9 — Fri, 03 May 2019 21:03:55 GMT

When I think of a "glider" I imagine an outdoor piece but I'm assuming that this is an indoor piece. As others have mentioned, upholstery can be very expensive...often more so than just buying new.

A little off topic....Many years ago we purchased a Dane Decor leather chair & ottoman. It was expensive but we got many years use out of it and ended up buying a new one.

Right about the time we bought the new one we gave DS the old one to bring to college. Once he and his roommates moved on he gave the old leather chair to one of them. My son's friend reupholstered the chair himself in leather (I had no idea he knew how to do this!!) and the chair looks like new!...DS showed me a photo of it.

I was amazed and happy the chair was brought back to life and is being used!

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

proudlyfromNJ — Fri, 03 May 2019 21:09:26 GMT

Yes it is expensive. I priced a small sofa and loveseat. I think it was about five thousand but that was for slipcovers. They said the seamstress was so good they would look like they were reupholstered. I decided to buy new but haven’t done it yet.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

ahoymate — Fri, 03 May 2019 21:19:15 GMT

As others have said, it depends on: the type of fabric you select for the reupholster & the quality of the piece you have.

If the glidder & ottoman are not of high quality, then it would most likely be best to toss & buy new. Labor & fabric are expensive.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

Still Raining — Fri, 03 May 2019 21:26:07 GMT

It will be at least as much as new. However you can specify the grade of foam, replace springs and get much better, unique fabric. I have done several items and would do it again.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

blackhole99 — Fri, 03 May 2019 21:42:10 GMT

I have a love seat that cost 600 dollars 40 years ago and I had that reupholstered about 20 years ago for 500 dollars and chose the same high quality fabric that was on it, but in a different color. The only thing they replaced other than the fabric was the spring down cushion with a regular foam cushion.. We are still using that love seat all these years later, but I'm not having it reupholstered again.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

Grammyto3 — Fri, 03 May 2019 22:49:07 GMT

Wow, I didn’t expect it to be so high.

A glider is a rocking chair that glides instead of rocking. The ottoman also glides.

I paid $500 for it 18 yrs ago. It’s perfect except for the cushions and they do not sell replacements.

I guess I’ll have to buy new.

Thanks for for all your info!

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

speedy girl — Sat, 04 May 2019 05:13:06 GMT

I have talked to an upholsterer about this very same question. What he told me was that unless it is something you are very sentimental about, it would be better to just replace it.

I hated to do that but his price was too high.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

Lilysmom — Sat, 04 May 2019 08:50:29 GMT

@Grammyto3 , if you want to get an idea of the cost, take a photo to the upholsterer and ask him to apply a mid range fabric cost and give you an estimate. I did that with a chair and got a ballpark figure. LM

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

gardenman — Sat, 04 May 2019 10:23:53 GMT

@Grammyto3 wrote:
Wow, I didn’t expect it to be so high.
A glider is a rocking chair that glides instead of rocking. The ottoman also glides.
I paid $500 for it 18 yrs ago. It’s perfect except for the cushions and they do not sell replacements.

I guess I’ll have to buy new.

Thanks for for all your info!

If the cushions are removable it's a very easy process to recover them yourself, even if you're not an expert sewer. There are two ways to do it. One is to carefully remove and unstitch the existing covers and use them as a pattern to make a new cover. That can be kind of tricky as manufacturers often don't leave much margin for error, especially if the existing covers were sewn on a serger type machine that trims the fabric as it's sewn. Option two (the safer and to me easier option) is to leave the old covers in place and place the new fabric over it with the good side facing in. Trim each piece slightly larger than need be. Then pin it together where you want the seams to be. Sew where the pins are removing the pins as you go, turn the covers right side out and slide them over the old covers, stitch them shut, and you're done. If there are fabric covered buttons, you can buy button cover kits for very little money (under $5 when I last bought them) that let you recreate that look also.

Even someone with very, very little sewing experience can easily make new covers using the pin and sew technique. I speak from experience having done it myself on several occasions. I recovered a glider/ottoman with very durable fabric for less than $20, including the button covers. The only tricky part was two fabric covered straps that wrapped around the top posts of the back of the chair to hold the back cushion in place, but even that wasn't too hard. My local Walmart had very nice upholstery fabric at a very low price and even the button covers. It took several hours to complete, but wasn't too bad.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

Eileen in Virginia — Sat, 04 May 2019 13:48:04 GMT

@Grammyto3 If your ottoman and glider are high quality pieces (i.e., hardwood frames, brass fittings, quality fill and padding, etc.), it’s worth it to have it reupholstered. They don’t make furniture like they used to (and I’m not just talking about antiques). There are a number of factors that enter into the cost:

1. Type of fabric selected.

2. Patterns on the fabric selected. Think of the matching of stripes or prints that you’d

look for in a quality garment. An expert upholsterer will match the patterns throughout the piece of furniture so the transition from back to seat to skirt is seamless.

3. Complexity. Are there buttons that need to be tied down or a pleated skirt? These are time-consuming details that need to be done right.

4. Pick-up and delivery fees. The upholstery shop I use doesn’t charge for this, but I looked at one shop (very briefly) that charged $150 for this about 5 years ago.

5. Frame issues. My guy will repair frame issues that aren’t major as part of the job.

6. Extras. Do you want them to make protective sleeves for the arms of the glider or a removable cover for the top of the ottoman that you can wash? If so, it’s best to do this now when the “dye lot” is the same. DH has psoriasis and had worn through the arms on his favorite chair (among other things). I had my guy make 3 extra sets of arm sleeves when we reupholstered it so we could just switch them out as needed.

When I had my office furniture reupholstered, my employee sent digital pictures of the sofa and chairs to the upholsterer to obtain an approximate cost. The pieces were fairly straightforward, so it wasn’t a complicated job. Once I received the guesstimate, it was just a matter of the fabric selected. If you’ve got a few shops in mind, send them pictures and ask for a tentative estimate with good, better and best fabric grades. Also, be sure to ask them any questions you may have. They’re experts and can give you good advice.

Hope this helps!

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

NickNack — Sat, 04 May 2019 20:34:59 GMT

If it's a very high quality piece it's worth it to get it reupholstered. If not, it's better to replace it. I have an Ethan Allen chair in my bedroom that I've had for about 30 years. It's in perfect condition. I've reupholstered it several times.

I've reupholstered sofas and other chairs, too.

Re: Approximate reupholster charge?

Boehm Collector — Sun, 05 May 2019 15:28:02 GMT

@Grammyto3 ... my sister-in-law just had an arm chair reupholstered. It cost her $500.00 plus the cost of the fabric. I was thinking about having my couch, love seat and chair in my living room reupholstered. I only checked for prices on line. But it seemed like it would cost less to just buy some good quality, new furniture.