Multiyork sofa - recover or get rid of

[Maggiethecat]

The sofa is about 20years, well constructed but needs recovering.

Had a quote from the company which specialises in covering these sofas (Multiyork went out of business some time ago but their sofas are still going strong) for about £900 to supply new covers.

There's an extra £120 for fitting it (ie they post the covers to you to fit yourself but you can pay for someone to fit covers if you think you'd struggle).

This is in the new sofa territory of costs, albeit perhaps not of same quality, and I'm wondering if I should just get rid of the sofa if there is no cheaper alternative for recovering.

Btw, got a quote from a local company that would charge £1500 plus VAT

Depending on shape, and if it’s just new fabric you want, you can cover it yourself. I’ve recovered my sofa twice- it’s 30 years old - using a staple gun for the main part and a sewing machine for the seat cushions. Mine is a Knowle-type style - all square edges more or less, so that makes a big difference.

Will try to find a way to make it work!

I bought fabric here

www.the-millshop-online.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI34yNwq6g9gIVgrHtCh24pw4kEAAYASAAEgLfbfD_BwE

Discount code

www.dealdrop.com/the-millshop-online-uk

Recover, 100%.

We used Plumbs recently, I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

I’ve got Plumbs coming for a look see on Friday. I’ve got two Multiyork sofas and another sofa that, I can’t remember exactly who made it, but it was from a small independent place - they’re all about 20-24 years old. All of the covers are shot but they are all so comfortable. I had thought (because I’d only ever seen them advertise in Sunday supplements) that Plumbs might be a bit naff but then a friend of mine had them do two sofas and an armchair and they looked amazing. I think two will be covers and one might need reupholstering so, let’s see what the estimate is. I’m just about to have a massive amount of decorating (three large rooms, new bathroom and hallway/stairs 😮) and I want the sofas to look good too. I do need to keep costs down (not sure if it’s going to costs less though) but I also want to avoid three great sofas going to landfill. Fingers crossed for an affordable estimate!

Re-cover it.
The william morris one upthread looks lovely

We have multiyork sofas passed on to us, recovered using Plumbs. It was absolutely worth it. Keep the multiyork for sure.

You'd be mad to get rid of the Multiyork.
£1500 to get it re-upholstered sounds like a bargain.
You'll have a better than brand new sofa for £1500!!!

I'm currently looking to get one of our sofas reupholstered. It's probably nearly a hundred years old. Metal frame and horsehair. We bough it 38 years ago. We've had it reupholstered three times since, but it's still going sttong. They don't make them like this anymore, but Multiyork is a close equivalent!

Update - just been to where sofa is (it’s not where I live) and frame and cushions are great but think springs may be going.
Can’t feel them when seated but can when feeling the base.

Any way to check for sure before splashing out?

If the springs are going - they'll need to be re-tied, which isn't hard - but it will mean full stripping - the risk is if you don't strip the furniture back and opt to just cover over what you've got, you don't know whether you are just covering defects below - if then you need to strip back after you have recovered, most materials can be reused if they are in a good state but the top fabric will usually need to be replaced and it is the most expensive item.

Get it properly reupholstered with new foam and the springs fixed rather than spending £900 on what sounds like loose covers - if you can fit them yourself.

Plumbs often contract work out to smaller upholstery business, I found my local one and liaised direct.
Did a brilliant job - cost £550 for arm chair, they are now booked into do sofa !

Lostpotato what was the name of the company who supplied Multiyork covers please.

In the trade OP, for most sets of loose covers for a Multiyork 3 seater we'd estimate around £800 to £1000 labour plus the cost of your fabric - between 16 and 20 metres depending on the pattern repeat. A Multiyork sofa should have a mesh top spring unit in, so you'd need to take that out from underneath and replace - we usually charge around £200 to £300 for this as the units are made to order. We'd then repad over this so it would feel like new.

You may need to replace the padding on the arms and front borders if worn, but most Multiyork furniture was made well and we get an awful lot of them in to replace the covers. You'd struggle to get something of similar quality for £2k to £2.5k and a new set of covers should last you another 10 or 15 years. Go for a high martindale (rub test) fabric and wear shouldn't be an issue.

@Chadchad - the company that deal with Multiyork covers is mysofacovers.com

@Badger1970 - got it reupholstered instead of replacement covers. They checked springs, padding etc and I chose a lovely green velvet fabric. Got Guardsman fabric protection too. All in cost almost 2k but it looks good and is so comfy!

Can't believe I almost got rid of?! Thanks to all of you who knocked some sense into me 😂

Great outcome, OP

Thanks for the info👍

Delighted to find this old thread, having a similar debate about our 18 year old multiyork pair. They are still going strong now but ready for a change of colour scheme.

This