Uphostery

I'd love to have my couch reupholstered. Other than the fabric, which is stained from kids and pets, the unit is in perfect condition. It is a queen sized sleeper, which was quite expensive when brand new. I know that the fabric I choose will determine the cost but would anyone have a ball park estimate as to how much something like this would cost?

Reply to
mightymom
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This is a "Me too" post! We were looking at ours last night, and know it must be replaced as the surface fabric is terrible. However it is a lazyboy, with recliners in it, and structurally is sound. I am looking at a three seat couch and matching love-seat.

If it is too darned expensive to re-upholster, I will just replace with inexpensive ones from Rooms to Go or Ashleys. The two dachsies expect to sit on it, and lie on the back to watch the critters out in the yard!

Gillian

Reply to
Gill Murray

Dont' know if this will help either of you, but as a temporary measure, at least, you might consider the slipcovers carried by Target. I noticed they are sale this week for $40 and are machine washable!

Reply to
lewmew

Gill Murray ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

It's very hard to assess how much. I did an upholstery course and any pieces are reasonably easy except for the style where the cushion is actually attached to the sofa or chair, although it looks as if you can take it off. Those are murder to do and even the experienced upholsterer who taught us said his company charges accordingly.

It's always difficult because most of the furniture today is so badly built that it seems a crime to junk good solid stuff. It is quite easy to do and a good course can teach you how. It's quite surprising how it all goes together and even cutting the pieces of fabric is really not that strategic or difficult.

Reply to
lucretia borgia

As long as you pay attention as you're taking things off, it's not terribly difficult to do the reupholstery. However, the killer financially is often the cost of the fabric! I have two wingback chairs that desperately need reupholstering, and I'm happy to do it myself, but they'll each take around 6-7 yards of fabric, which adds up mighty quickly, especially with decent fabric. With a good sale, I could actually replace the chairs with something pretty nice for what it will cost to buy just the material for a lot of the fabrics I like! Ouch.

Best wishes, Ericka

Reply to
Ericka Kammerer

If it was a single piece, I would either try it, or buy covers. However with all the bits that slide in and out (DH LOVED them!!) I think it would be cost prohibitive. I do not have the skills to sew that. Last year I bought aome neutral fabric, and sewed "seat covers" which I can tuck in to the best of my ability. I tried sewing them with a curved needle to the basic fabric, but DH kicks around a lot, and the stitching came undone. SIIIIGH!! Gill

Reply to
Gill Murray

I have an early-1970s, three-cuhsion, queen-size sofa-bed that I had reupholstered about seven years ago. As already mentioned, the price of the replacement fabric is a major factor of the total cost. IIRC, I paid around $900 for the fabric (medium price) and labor for reupholstering at a local furniture store. It (almost?) would've been less expensive to purchase a brand new sofa-bed instead , but it's nearly impossible to find any sofa that isn't over-sized and way over-stuffed! I quite fond of the style of sofa I have, and I didn't want to replace it -- it's a hand-me-down from my late grandmother.

Since I also live not too far from a large Amish community, I checked that route, and the price quoted wasn't much different than where I did get the work done. Plus, I would've had to arrange my own transport for the sofa (not exactly an option in my case). In addition, the waiting time for the Amish lady was more than nine months (no, I don't believe she was pregnant?)! I also checked with a community college, but that panned out. Ask around your community and be sure to get several references. Good luck and MWV (milage will vary).

Skyhooks ""aahhtt"" s b d g l o b a l ""ddoott"" n e t

Reply to
Skyhooks

What she said!

I inquired of a friend who had done upholstery whether I really needed the expensive stuff from the upholstery collection, or if I could get away with some $5/yard calico. She assured me that dress fabric would wear out in a year or so, and then I'd have to do the whole project again -- with as little as I enjoy sewing, she knew I didn't want that.

Our couch and loveseat had removable cushions on both the seats and the back, which meant extra fabric to cover both sides of the cushions, not just one side of the seat/back. And the cushions were just wide enough that I couldn't fit two-across on the fabric, so each one had to have its own yard-and-a-half.

I bought new couch/loveseat for less than it would have cost for the gazillion yards of fabric. And I didn't have to sew a thing.

Reply to
Karen C - California

The point is though, that if the furniture is older and well constructed internally, you will find the newer stuff does not wear as it did. So sometimes it is better to bite the bullet on cost of fabric because combined with good bones, you have another durable item. That was my reason for doing the upholstery course - nice chair (had been a wedding present so I didn't want to part with it) ingrate cat had wrecked it, cost of having it done, out of this world, cost of buying fabric, paying for course, a great deal less. Then, the discovery that except for aforesaid cushion type furniture, it is really easy to recover chairs, sofas etc. For everything else, there's MasterCard lol

Reply to
lucretia borgia

If you are doing nothing yourself, i.e. you have to pay all labour costs, my guess is that the cost of re-upholstering will be roughly what you paid for the piece originally. HTH.

Reply to
F.James Cripwell

Seems to me I was told that re-upholster/y is not correct English, upholster/y is sufficient. Reupholster is rather like irregardless lol

Reply to
lucretia borgia

Talking of Dachsies - we`re thinking of getting one as company for us and for Maggie. She knows a young one that she meets quite often and loves to play with it. Anyth8ing her own size or larger she seems to feel as a threat - she`s a real wooss! We love Dachsies.

Pat P

Reply to
Pat P

Gill Murray said

me three!

Years ago, our very nice Ethan Allen sleeper sofa had become so icky with dog dander that I kept it covered with a sheet. Being a single working mom, my jaw dropped to the floor when I heard the upholstery estimate. I ended up with a not so nice sleeper couch and loveseat from a discount store for less than what I would've spent to get it covered.

I think we're living in a disposable society where it's often more cost effective to buy new than to repair and replace. When I went to pull something out of the freezer yesterday, I noticed that a package of meat had liquid, not frozen, blood... iow, the freezer wasn't freezing. The unit was in place when I bought the condo 13 years and may be the original from when the condo was built

20-25 years ago. Did I know a reputable repair person? Would it be worth the house call and possible waiting on proper part if proper part was still being made? Since the answer to both questions was 'no', I hopped in car to find a store that had something for immediate or next day delivery.
Reply to
anne

Definitely true. And to get the repairs is to "buck the system" in that firms don't make it easy.

Our La-Z-Boy recliner broke (something "snapped" and it would fling back any time one sat in it) around Christmastime. We spent at least 5 weeks trying to connect with the repair dept. to find out how to go about getting it done....calls not returned, then we finally got someone and got the info and signed up, but never got a call to arrange pickup. Then we followed up again, to find there was no order ever written.

Anyway, we did eventually connect with the right person and they did finally haul it off for repair and returned it a week later, and it only cost about $112 to be fixed good as new, rather than a new chair. But we only got it back last week, after weeks of frustration. Less stalwart skinflints that we would have given up before that and just bought something new!

Sue

Reply to
Susan Hartman

Hmmm, I see your point, although I found it in several dictionaries. I do think there is a difference, though, between upholstering something and reupholstering something. I might upholster a window seat, indicating that previously it was not upholstered and now it is. I *re*upholster my chair, indicating that it was previously upholstered and I'm ripping out the old and putting in new. It's sort of like the difference between sewing and mending ;-)

Best wishes, Ericka

Reply to
Ericka Kammerer

Pat,

I think that is a great idea!

It really surprised me in Japan how many dachsies I saw. Probably one dachsie for every other dog that I saw. Some people had two or three on a single leash, and almost all were long-haired red dachshunds. I did see a couple of short-hair reds, and a couple of darling little black/tan puppies. In the pet section of a large Home Store, there must have been eight or nine for sale. The Japanese love their pets, and they had a large department with clothing, strollers, beds and other doggie items. They even had stuffed animals on a dresser, with a mirror, so that you could try the outfits on the stuffed animals, and see if they would fit *your* pet!

I brought home a kimono for each of the kids ($6 each), but haven't tried them on them yet!

Gill

Reply to
Gill Murray

How interesting that the Japanese like the longhaired dachsies. I wonder if it's because they need regular brushing, and so it requires even more interaction (as if a dachsie would ever let hem/herself be ignored anyway). We have two longhaired dachsies, and one that is supposed to be but really isn't. Add that to a golden retriever, and imagine my dog hair. No wonder I lust for a Dyson.

Dachsies are wonderful companions, but don't kid yourself, they're very demanding. And very, very loving.

-- Jere

Reply to
Jere Williams

take the wholesale cost of the material to be used and triple it....

also expect it to take at LEAST 12 weeks and perhaps 16 wks.

Kent Eagle Nest

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Reply to
ritalowy2

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