<p>Has anyone ever had a sofa recovered? I love my sofa of 20 years. The frame is well made, and it is still sturdy and comfortable. It has held up well for its age, but alas the fabric is torn, and it is time. I thought I would do the “green” responsible thing, and have it recovered instead of hauling to a landfill, but so far (after 3 quotes) the price is approx. $1400 for the labor alone. Yeicks.
Add fabric, and it is far more expensive than a new one.</p>
<p>Any advice on how to find a more reasonable price? Or, is that typical?</p>
<p>I have had a sofa + a set of dining room chairs reupholstered. Yes–expensive, but in both cases they were family pieces that I would never get rid of. If you love the sofa and it’s still comfortable, I’d say go ahead and re-cover. (Also, I assume newer stuff is not as well made.) (Plus–if you decide to stick with the old one, you might consider a drastically different color/fabric. It’ll seem like a new sofa to you!)</p>
<p>Have you looked at slipcovers? Pottery Barn has some cute ones if they would suit your decor.
I would keep asking friends for a good upholsterer and get more estimates. I had one done over a decade ago for 30% of your estimates.
I reverse commute to a more rural area from a suburb and everything is much more reasonable here, so you might look for an upholsterer in an area where there is not as much demand.
Maybe I will look into getting into the upholstery business!</p>
<p>I redid a little upholstered rocker. I couldn’t find anything that was the same size. It cost as much as a new chair to reupholster it. $1400 sad to say sounds about right. I considered a slip cover, but I didn’t really like the way the last one looked. I don’t regret it though it obviously was expensive.</p>
<p>We had the same situation about 7 years ago.The choice was to reupholster an older sofa we really liked (for about $1600…that included the fabric back in 2004). We chose to buy a new sofa. Ours was not a family heirloom…just a sofa.</p>
<p>kjofkw, keep checking around for upholterers…Fabric stores often have lists and it’s easy enough to ask for them references. I found a young woman this way and she’s done lots of work for us–patio cushions, DR chairs, worn-out loveseat…she isn’t cheap, but other estimates were higher</p>
<p>Especially true in you’re in an urban area: “Just like eggs…it’s cheaper in the country.” Craftspeople often live in rural areas…Good luck in your efforts. Hope you’re successful!</p>
<p>If your sofa is a good brand, I would certainly reupholster it. I do not think that furniture is as well made today as it was 35 years ago, when I was a blushing bride. All of the better furniture stores are no longer around, perhaps because people do not think they want to hold onto their furniture. Throw away mentality? I think so. I still have my 35-year old baby. It’s in the playroom now, with its original fabric. If I were to move, I would try to take it along, probably reupholstering it! It cost $2500 new, and I don’t think I could replace its quality for that price. The current one is well-made and custom upholstered. I expect to have it for years. You CAN find a good upholsterer, although I think it’s probably a dying art. Like shoe repair. But don’t get me started!</p>
<p>I just helped my mother find someone to redo chairs that were 40-50 years old, it was around $500 per chair PLUS fabric. They are old & well made solid chairs and fit her short frame, she is happy.</p>
<p>The city where I live actually has quite a few upholsterers, and they’re busy. A lot of their business comes from fairly young people who buy/restore vintage furniture, which is fashionable these days. I tried to bargain-shop for a chair I wanted recovered, but most of the bids were pretty much in the same ball park. Fact is, reupholstery is labor intensive and it takes some skill, hence the high prices.</p>