Julie-Ann
16-04-2010, 08:10 PM
Sometimes it is worth having a chair or sofa reupholstered rather than buying new. Often your existing piece of furniture will be a better and more solid quality.
Choosing you upholsterer:
It is always a good idea to get a recommendation.
Try to get several quotes but don’t just compare price but quality. Ask to see either photos of their work or preferably something they are currently upholstering.
By sending your upholster a photo and measurements you can get a rough estimate.
I recommend before going ahead have the upholster look at the furniture to check if the frame is a good enough quality to make it worthwhile.
Materials:
Go for the best quality you can afford not only with the fabric but also the webbing and foam.
Black Cat webbing and Dunlop Enduro foam both have good reputations.
Traditional furniture looks great in a range of fabrics and materials but the trend at the moment is to use a very modern pattern on a traditional chair or sofa.
Contemporary chairs look wonderful in leather or leatherette for a lower budget.
Many of the fabrics you can buy today are very easily cleaned. Most companies grade the fabric according to how easily stubborn marks can be wiped off. Many of the faux suedes are very easy to clean. My macro suede sofas have every thing possible spilt on them and have no stains.
If your fabric isn’t so easy to clean consider getting the chair covered with a removable cover that can be put in the washing machine.
If you have something vintage or special like the chairs Hbfotografic (http://www.decoratingforum.com.au/showthread.php/looking-for-new-491.html) has make the time to look at upholstering- these are tomorrow’s antiques.
Choosing you upholsterer:
It is always a good idea to get a recommendation.
Try to get several quotes but don’t just compare price but quality. Ask to see either photos of their work or preferably something they are currently upholstering.
By sending your upholster a photo and measurements you can get a rough estimate.
I recommend before going ahead have the upholster look at the furniture to check if the frame is a good enough quality to make it worthwhile.
Materials:
Go for the best quality you can afford not only with the fabric but also the webbing and foam.
Black Cat webbing and Dunlop Enduro foam both have good reputations.
Traditional furniture looks great in a range of fabrics and materials but the trend at the moment is to use a very modern pattern on a traditional chair or sofa.
Contemporary chairs look wonderful in leather or leatherette for a lower budget.
Many of the fabrics you can buy today are very easily cleaned. Most companies grade the fabric according to how easily stubborn marks can be wiped off. Many of the faux suedes are very easy to clean. My macro suede sofas have every thing possible spilt on them and have no stains.
If your fabric isn’t so easy to clean consider getting the chair covered with a removable cover that can be put in the washing machine.
If you have something vintage or special like the chairs Hbfotografic (http://www.decoratingforum.com.au/showthread.php/looking-for-new-491.html) has make the time to look at upholstering- these are tomorrow’s antiques.