Advice on reupholstering a sofa

13 replies

sh77 · 06/10/2011 15:02

Sofas are so expensive and so I am thinking of buying a good second hand one and getting it reupholstered in a fabric of my choice. Has anyone done this? Any idea on cost (3 seater) and recommendations for good companies?

OP posts:

fresh · 06/10/2011 15:39

IME it can work out as expensive as buying new, but you are of course saving one sofa from landfill and re-using an old one. For a three-seater you may well need 13m plus of fabric, and it will need to be suitable for upholstery (look for a rub-test of at least 25000, more if you have kids/dogs/cats) and might also need to be backcoated for fire resistance. Some fabrics will come with this already built in, some will need to be sent away for treatment and a good retailer will be able to organise this. The alternative is to get your upholsterer to put a calico interliner underneath the fabric which is fire resistant, but again this will add to the cost. When looking for fabric, try not to pick anything with a large pattern as this will increase the amount you'll need in order to match the pattern across the sofa. I'd recommend finding a local upholsterer - if you're anywhere near Bath I can suggest someone if you pm me. Allow at least £500-600 for labour on a three seater. (You can see why it can be as expensive as buying one new, once you've bought the fabric as well...)

fresh · 06/10/2011 15:41

Forgot to say there are some exclusions to the fire regs if the sofa is pre-1945 (I think, check it out). But it would be safer to use fr material in any case.

mistlethrush · 06/10/2011 15:47

I did this - got a sofa for my first house from a work college (which she'd upholstered not very well). 9 years ago, the bottom was on the floor and it was really unusable any more - had it stripped and rebuilt and reupholstered and it cost £600 including the fabric. It was buttoned too, and new sprung base fitted. It still looks great and is really comfortable.

Before getting it done we looked at new sofas, couldn't find any we liked.

Can recommend place up in Yorkshire for it - but depends where you live whether that will be any use.

mistlethrush · 06/10/2011 15:48

colleague not college.

Original poster

sh77 · 07/10/2011 21:06

Thank you both so much for your really useful advice. I live in C. London but am considering options outside of London due to the cost. Am looking into the cost of fabric and will PM you both for your contacts.

OP posts:

Jcee · 07/10/2011 21:50

I had my sofa bed done as my cat had destroyed the cover with it's scratching and picking! It gave the sofa bed a new lease of life and still looks fantastic. I bought my fabric on eBay and paid an upholsterer to do it and iirc it cost about £350 for labour. Am in north London and this company did it for me. Pm me if you want more info

DecoUpholstery · 15/12/2015 16:43

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Pen1960 · 25/01/2016 17:19

I thought I would add an update to this thread. I have just had a large two seater sofa re-upholstered. It was in good condition and didn't need any remedial work. The total coat was £1200, expensive I know but a lot cheaper than buying another good quality sofa from Wesley barrel or equivalent. I needed 14 metres of material, I chose one that was expensive £50 per metre as I was looking for a particular shade. You can cut the cost by choosing a cheaper fabric. I used a company called Cottonwood that is based in Newnham on Severn Gloucestershire. Advise and quality of workmanship is excellent.

Mc660 · 15/03/2016 13:00

I have inherited a 2 seater sofa and two armchairs, for the sofa I have been quoted £1,100 plus vat excluding fabric to have it upholstered, I had no idea it would be so expensive. I am also going for a fairly expensive fabric at £50 per meter. I live in the bishops stortford, Hertfordshire area so was wondering if anyone knew of a reasonable upholstery?

Nepotism · 15/03/2016 14:51

I did an upholstery course and did it myself. Great fun and very rewarding.

newlabelwriter · 15/03/2016 14:57

We are getting ours done (in SE London) and it's £450 for labour and £40 PM for fabric of which we need 9 metres. The guy was recommended by a friend and he said it should take about 3 days. I love our sofa and would be a bloody fortune to replace.

dulwichquine · 29/03/2016 20:18

Dear Newlabelwriter, think I need my sofa reupholstered. I am in south east London. Has yours been done and are you pleased with it? If so, would you be happy to pass on details of the person who did it? Many thanks!

MakeTeaNotWar · 21/07/2016 09:06

Where are you all getting your fabric from?

Flip