Hi all,
I've finally found the money to have my Craigslist find sofa recovered after getting the $1600 quote for the job last June.
Now I'm working on finding the fabric.
I want to stay true to the period of the piece (it's a Dunbar from the late 50's early 60's - think "Mad Men") but I want it to wear really well & not attract every piece of lint or cat hair in the house.
Here is my problem, all the fabric I like (right style, good fabric content, backed & enough double rubs ,30,000+) seems be north of $130/yard. I need 16 yards.
I want quality fabric does it really have to cost $2000!?
Thanks,
Wendy
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I tried another reuphosltery business posted here jags furniture http://reupholster.ca for 3 seater (labour only) he quoted me $575 my 3 seater has no tufting fixed back and loose seat cushions. I asked him for loose back and loose seats he said $610. for replacing foam he quoted me $20 each cushion so totalled me for $730 that includes labour for reupholstering and foam replacement. I visited him in brampton and saw his work on a sectional couch he was making and his work is satisfactory or can say as i expected. He don't carry fabric and recommended me few places.
Hello Wendyp,
You may want to browse our New Fabrics gallery (http://houseandhome.com/design/new-threads) for some inspiration.
Good luck with the sofa!
Gwen McAuley (gmcauley at hhmedia.com)
Designer fabrics is a good place no doubt, I am in reupholstery business and we have lot of customers that bring us material from there and they get it for fair value.
We provide reupholstery services at very low prices please do consider us when shopping around. http://reupholster.ca
Thanks Carswell - that's what I'm hoping for. I''m not big on trends & am looking for something that will last & give me plenty of options down the road. :)
That's a nice fabric - and a good neutral colour that will stand you in good stead over the long haul. It will allow you plenty of options for changing paint colours and accessories over time. Good choice.
I still think even with the upholstery costs that you got a good deal. A lot of those older pieces of furniture are really well made and you have to wander into some pretty high price brackets to get comparable stuff these days.
wendyp, what a nice way to spend your inheritance - I hope you enjoy your couch for many years when it is done!
After looking at HUNDREDS of fabrics and getting 20 odd samples, I've finally decided on a fabric.
[U]
[URL=http://www.knoll.com/products/textileproduct.jsp?prod_id=1054&flag=cat&cat_id=86]Circa by Knoll Textiles in Camel.[/URL][/U]
It's lovely, not quite yellow, not quite gold, not quite beige with a subtle sheen that I hope will hug the lines of the sofa well. PLUS, it is reasonably priced at $70 CAD/ $50 USD. I liked the Knoll Rivington when I got it my hand, but not as well as the picture or as well as the Circa fabric - Rivington was just too busy.
Currently investigating having the fabric order delivered to nearby Point Roberts USA to save on some of the freight & per yard costs.
Feeling good about this decision.
Would it be cheaper to buy new, yes.
However, the $ I'm using for the project will be paid for using the entirety of a small inheritance I received from my grandmother; so I want to do something with it that will last.
Thanks for all your input. As usual, you guys ROCK.
Northern Miner was not referring to the OPs actual cost, but to the reply from UpholstryGuy that said he routinely works with fabrics that cost $1000. The thing with reupholstry is that often people think it will be cheaper than buying new, a perspective that is very much reinforced by designer shows and mags. The catch is that cheaper is in the eye of the beholder. When you are talking about buying a new sofa in the $5000 - $15,000 range, $3k to recover is a steal. But for me, an $1800 sofa would be a real splurge, so recovering would be a crazy idea!
The cost for fabric was $1,600 not $16,000.
With labour it will cost about $3,000.
Thankfully people have a choice as to how they spend their money. Some would prefer to buy new and and others like the thought of recovering a better made vintage piece. Wendyp's sofa will be much more sturdier than anything bought new these days I suspect.
I'm still choking on the $1,000 per yard! I guess I don't get out much, but from here $16,000 to recover a couch really seems ludicrous. Cripes you can buy new cars cheaper than that!
Anything over $2,000 would start my new replacement is better than old recovering thought process. Stretching that I could possibly agree with up to $3 grand, but over that and 'no way' lights start flashing.
Furniture, to me, is something you buy or have to use and that means being up to the demands of everyday abuse. Yeah I do think different -- blame it on my part Scottish mixed breed family heritage!:D
I like the colour and it will suit your space but I love the Spruce!!! I hate to admit this but I can remember it.
Hi
Try Fabricana Imports in Richmond, the designer/upphlostery section is well stocked with quality fabrics. Some are more then $130.00 per yard lots are less. Make friends with the staff they are wonderful
I'm with you. That fabric is absolutely right on for the era of that sofa (and I know that for sure since my mom had a similar sofa from the 60's in that kind of weave).
I've just fallen in love! I hope the fabric sample I've ordered lives up to the promise of the picture!!!!
[U]
[URL=http://www.knoll.com/products/printTextileProduct.jsp?prod_id=1080&skunno=1&colorname=Sunflower]Knoll Rivington in Sunflower[/URL][/U]
Seriously, as soon as I saw it, my immediate reaction was - this is it!!!
You could always put it on Kijiji if you decided not to pursue this. ;)
If you do go ahead, pick a neutral colour so it will not outgrow its usefullness.
Hope that helps
Thanks Upholsteryguy. I had a highly-recommended upholsterer come out & measure the sofa (almost 90 inches long!!!) to do a quote which came in @ $1600 + the cost of foam, if I wanted to change the cushions. For un-patterned fabric, she calculated that 16.5 yards would be required.
So, a bit more dear than you're estimate, but in the same ballpark. :)
What I've gathered, quality upholstery is expensive, but worth it on well-made furniture. For a dyed in the wool cheapskate such as myself, it's a bitter pill to swallow, considering I bought the sofa for $150. Yes, a screaming deal, to be sure, but indicative of my propensity to purchase pieces that cost well under $1000. Spending $3000+ on any piece of furniture, for any reason, makes me a bit squirrely. Hence, my hesitance regarding expensive fabric.
Yes, the timeless battle of cost vs quality. Hoping to land somewhere in the middle. :rolleyes:
The price you have been quoted is not out of line!!! It is expensive to upholster but if you have something unique and of excellent quality it is worth it. Upholstery was the thing to do but with the coming and availability of cheaper quality furniture that looks good, it has become an expensive alternative. However, if you love that chesterfield (and I do) go for it!!! Everyone tends to forget what the price of a good quality, high end chesterfield is (I can't afford it or perhaps it is not a top piority) compare that to the price of upholstering your chesterfield and they will equal out but you won't have the style you want.
Hi Again just to give you an Idea of cost to reupholster your sofa you would be looking at around $1200. Thats what our shops basic price is to recover a 3 seater sofa. If the sofa needs alot of work on the springs, frame, cusions thier would be an up charge. That price does not include fabric, and for an average 3 seater sofa you would be needing,( depending on exact measurement of your sofa & type of fabric) 18-22 yards
Hope that helps
How handy are you?
Upholstery is actually not that difficult. Get yourself a couple of good books and have a look over the instructions for doing a piece like yours and see what you think.
You could conceivably do the body and have someone do the cushions for you - since zippers and piping are a bit tricky if you're not good with a sewing machine.
Hi Again just to give you an Idea of cost to reupholster your sofa you would be looking at around $1200. Thats what our shops basic price is to recover a 3 seater sofa. If the sofa needs alot of work on the springs, frame, cusions thier would be an up charge. That price does not include fabric, and for an average 3 seater sofa you would be needing,( depending on exact measurement of your sofa & type of fabric) 18-22 yards
Hope that helps
Hi Arizona - the upholstery costs won't be cheap. $1600 + $450 if I want foam centered/with feather replacement cushions made for the under-bum/deck cushions. If I go with an expensive fabric - say $100/yard, that's going to bring the grand total, BEFORE taxes to over $3000.
I'm beginning to have misgivings that this is a poor financial decision... I've never recovered anything before!
Great idea cdnjatgirl - have you ordered from insidefabrics.com before? Their prices do seem a lot more reasonable....
If there is a fabric that you really like (i.e. the Kravat one) then you can check insidefabrics.com. They have pretty good prices. I would have it shipped to a place close to the border and pick it up myself.
You probably need too much fabric to go looking for remnants but ask if there are any manufacturers clearances or some such thing available. I agree that you need a good quality fabric but I also know most of us would find that a big chunk of change to part with too. Do you know how much it's going to cost to get the sofa upholstered on top of that?
Also seriously considering [U][URL=http://www.kravet.com/search/cwdinf.asp?pattern=24577&color=16]Free Time[/URL] [/U] by Kravet - more of chenille, more cat friendly (actually this is about the same colour as my cat!)
I'm hoping to stick close to the original colour - so a deep gold/mustard/topaz, but am tempted to wimp out & go with a nice beige - to match the cat :rolleyes: Alternatively, I'm quite attracted to deep forest green as well.
The fabric I'm in love with - that is too rich for my budget ... by [U][URL=http://www.insidefabric.com/p-258561-24162-412-by-kravet-design.aspx]Kravet[/URL][/U].
The picture doesn't do it justice - I have a sample here and it's got a lovely subdued sheen with a very shallow nap chenille boucle hybrid. The linen & silk give it a lovely hand. Gorgeous! But the cat would probably love it too.
Good point on the boucle Carswell, the circa would probably be better, but it doesn't come in the saturated gold I *think* I want.
With those options you posted - I think the Circa would be a better choice. The only reason I say that is that I notice you have a cat - and a long haired one at that.
I think the Boucle fabric seems to be a looser, nubbier weave which, in my humble experience, tends to be rather hard to separate from cat hair - even with the sticky clothes brushes.
Both are good choices in the sense that they suit the style of your couch.
edited to add: What colour are you thinking of?
Thanks for all the information Upholsteryguy! Have you worked with Knoll fabric at all? It's the right style, seems to be well made & comes in below the level of insane for my budget. I've ordered samples of the [U][URL=http://www.knoll.com/products/textileproduct.jsp?prod_id=162&flag=cat]Classic Boucle[/URL] [/U]and [U][URL=http://www.knoll.com/products/textileproduct.jsp?prod_id=1054]Circa[/URL][/U].
I don't think $130 per yard is to expensive, if it's good quality fabric. I agree with DBD don't skimp on the fabric , you will hate yourself for it. I am an Upholsterer and i work every day with fabrics that are $600-$1000 per yard.I also have worked with those fabrics that are $20-$60 p/y & i can see and feel the difference. So i think it is well worth it to spend $130. It will last longer, look nicer & feel better. Also don't get fooled by your Upholsterer on getting the fabric Scotchgarded. 99% of fabrics are already treated at the factory. Some Upholsterers will try to sell you the treatment, but it's a waste of $$$ once you've sat on the sofa a few times the scothgard no longer works. If you feel you need some more protection in my opinion use "Fiber seal " they will come right to you home and spray the sofa, and they will leave you a cleaning kit. I also believe they will come to your home if you ever run into a stain that you can't remove, and try to remove it for you.
Do be careful. When reupholstering it never pays to go with a lesser fabric as it will just end up looking like crap and the price for the work is wasted. Keep looking for the good prices but stick with a good fabric. Have you looked at the microfibers? There are some really nice textured ones out there and they are easy to live with when it comes to pets apparently.
One way you might find a deal is to call some upholstery shops and see if they have 16 yards around that someone changed their minds on or never picked up etc. You never know, you might get lucky.