Re-upholstering - is it worth it or should I just buy something new

[multitasker]

I have 2 chairs which don't really match any other furniture in my house. Has anyone reupholstered and was it a success? I quite like the shape and style of them both.

I think I'll make enquiries and see if its really cost effective.
Gonna bump this tomorrow as I'm sure someones had it done with success.

In my limited experience, it's the fabric that can be expensive rather than the actual re-upholstering - so what it costs depends largely on the fabric you choose.

Have you looked at fabrics yet, and do you have any idea how much you'd need to do the chairs? I'd start there, and then decide if it makes sense.

dino, is yours any of these?

(And anybody else on this thread, have a look at these and check the measurements)

Or you could think about one of these "fitted" covers - I got one for a small sofa, it looks OK when carefully arranged and as long nobody sits on it

Purely from a cost pov, re-upholstering is only worth doing if the chair/sofa was expensive to start with (or an antique). As earlybird has said, fabric is expensive and you can buy chairs and sofas cheaply nowadays in Ikea, etc.

If you really love the chairs and want to keep them, then you should do it, but not if you would find similar new elsewhere.... (Fil is an upholsterer and has almost gone out of business because of the low cost of new furniture...)

I think it's worth it if you like the chairs and you can choose a wonderful fabric and then you will have a unique piece of furniture.
I had a knackered old leather chair (bought for £60 in Sally Army) reupholstered and it looks amazing...

I'm thinking that only one of them would really be worth the effort and expense - its a firm Parker Knoll one which my Mum gave me.
Yeah - I'd have to look at some fabric samples and take it from there.

we had a new slipcover made for PIL's old sofabed - it worked out less than a new Ikea sofabed but not by much, and only ebcause we had a paper pattern for it already (good old Habitat)
New slipcovers much cheaper than reupholstery though.

Recovering and reupholstering are not the same.If it is an antique or collectible adn you love it reupholstery is good but so expensive.Recovering is good for pieces still in good condition that you just want to revamp.Ikea furniture would be cheaper to buy again

I've had two sofas reupholstered and renovated and you could have easily bought new for the price (though the quality of the frame etc wouldn't have been as good). I would only have very good quality and antique furniture reupholstered unless I could do it myself or was particularly sentimentally attached to the furniture.