Re-Upholster a vintage couch what to do?

[mrseace711]

When we bought our home in 2010 the original home owners asked to leave a few things (antiques mostly) or throw them out since they had no need for them we kept them well more like I kept them my husband wants the couch I fell in love with OUT of the basement and in the dumpster DH gave me the go ahead to refurnish our sitting room that currently has our old couch that is falling apart under its cover and 2 wing back chairs we were given. I really rather not buy new I LOVE the couch with was made in the around the 40's Im guessing, I want to have it reupholstered with some jazzy fabric and have the wingbacks done as well to match. NOW minus the cost of the fabric can anyone give me an idea of what to expect? I am going to call around but just seeing if there are suggestions here from my budget friendly crowd. This furniture will not see much activity since we have an everyday family room on our lower level.

Heres the couch when we first viewed the home back in '09 the only pic I have onhand right now thats just my mom kid and the realtor. Check out the blue original SHAG carpeting! it was covering beautiful hardwood floors =)

 

[Disneefun]

I don't know what to tell you to expect cost-wise since it will depend on the fabric and the labor involved. I will say to make sure you get someone to do it who knows vintage furniture. Some upholsterers don't and will do a slap dash job and may ruin your couch. We had my grandmother's couch redone (30's era) and it was well worth the money to get someone who was experienced with that kind of furniture. Someone else I know just hired an upholsterer to do a 40's era couch and chairs and it was a disaster. Evidently there were issues with how the piece was constructed, etc. that the person just wasn't prepared or knowledgeable about how to deal with and he ruined their pieces. So make sure you find someone who really knows how to handle antiques.

 

[North of Mouse]

The sofa looks almost exactly like one we had in the 70's so may not be that old I guess it depends on just how much you like it. A very good friend has had a upholstry shop for years and it's not cheap She showed us one that she had re done with all the tufts (buttons) like that and it was hundreds of dollars. She said the owner didn't care as it had been in the family for years and money was no object. But, she told me those kind are lots of work and you really are better off to buy a new one than have one recovered. They do excellent work, but I would never have one recovered personally.

 

[danielephant]

that couch is cute!!! I don't blame you for falling in love with it

 

[scrapquitler]

Just how much do you love that couch??? Reupholstering it is going to be pricey. All those button tufts are going to add $$$$ to the price. My mom had a chair done, and it only had a few buttons and it cost her over $300. I'm going to guess that it will cost you at least $500, maybe more if you pick a pricier fabric. Of course that may vary a lot depending on the person you have doing it and your location.

 

[cornflake]

It'll certainly be in the hundreds but it'll give the couch entirely new life.

I know someone has a very expensive sofa and when they'd had it more than a decade, with it the main furniture in a busy living room, it really needed help. Instead of replacing, they reupholstered and it's got new life.

So... yes, it costs money but if you have it done properly, it's not just slapping on new fabric, it's retying, replumping, etc., and makes it like new again.

 

[mrseace711]

Scary I had no idea the buttons would add so much to the price I was on break and called a place near by and starting price is $550 not including fabric and thats without seeing the couch. Vs a new couch? I was going to also have my 2 wingback chairs done in dark brown zebra but the price on that is $225 each and TJ Maxx had very cute occasional chairs in the print for $125 each hmmm...

 

[Gnomegirl]

Are you at all handy and can try it yourself?

You may be able to lessen the cost by buying the fabric yourself at a discount so look for local shops that sell or a fabric shop (like JoAnn's) where you can use a coupon.

It may be a lot less expensive to forgo the buttons on the back too as this adds to the labour.

Do a search for "Anna Maria Horner couch" and look at the images. She is a fabric designer but she owns a couch similar to yours that was reupholstered in her fabric for a show and it's adorable!

 

[lovesmurfs]

From a quality standpoint, if you love the frame, it's well worth reupholstering. I'm very disappointed with a new sofa and chair we purchased a couple of years ago -- the quality is not what you see from the other time periods (agree with PP that it might be a 70's sofa).

 

[cornflake]

Scary I had no idea the buttons would add so much to the price I was on break and called a place near by and starting price is $550 not including fabric and thats without seeing the couch. Vs a new couch? I was going to also have my 2 wingback chairs done in dark brown zebra but the price on that is $225 each and TJ Maxx had very cute occasional chairs in the print for $125 each hmmm...

The new chairs from TJ Maxx may be cute but how long will they last, how well are they made, etc.

That's the thing about quality furniture. It's... quality. Yes, it's reupholstering vs. a new couch, but it's a new couch that likely won't be the same quality.

You can certainly buy new, high-quality, hand-tied, kiln-dried frame, etc., stuff but it runs in the thousands for a basic sofa. Have an experienced upholsterer look at the piece and tell you what they think about it and the frame and what the job would take and how long you'll get out of the reupholstering, and etc.

 

[NotUrsula]

Tuft-backed will cost you big-time; many upholsters charge a per-button surcharge for each tuft-pleat they have to do.

In many cases it is possible to re-upholster such pieces without the tufts; it requires reworking the foundation padding. It depends on the shape of the frame. Something that curves toward the cushions is not a good candidate for this, but if the back is straight you might be able to have it changed to a flat back or one with sewn vertical channels, which would be less expensive than button-tufting.

 

[puffkin]

I've seen similar pieces done by an friend who does upholstery and it would run in the $700 range at her shop. I agree, my aunt had a couch like that as well...70's era.

 

[Judique]

When we bought our home in 2010 the original home owners asked to leave a few things (antiques mostly) or throw them out since they had no need for them we kept them well more like I kept them my husband wants the couch I fell in love with OUT of the basement and in the dumpster DH gave me the go ahead to refurnish our sitting room that currently has our old couch that is falling apart under its cover and 2 wing back chairs we were given. I really rather not buy new I LOVE the couch with was made in the around the 40's Im guessing, I want to have it reupholstered with some jazzy fabric and have the wingbacks done as well to match. NOW minus the cost of the fabric can anyone give me an idea of what to expect? I am going to call around but just seeing if there are suggestions here from my budget friendly crowd. This furniture will not see much activity since we have an everyday family room on our lower level.

Heres the couch when we first viewed the home back in '09 the only pic I have onhand right now thats just my mom kid and the realtor. Check out the blue original SHAG carpeting! it was covering beautiful hardwood floors =)

I had an estimate done for a couch frame without tufts in a fabric that ran $50 a yard. It was going to be around $1100.

I've had a channel back chair done and that was $350 a few years back. Then the cat got at the back and I had to have back redone and that was $200. The chair has family sentiment so I will keep having it fixed up if it needs it.

The couch I let go and now I'm sorry I didn't recover it. It's hard to find a quality comfortable couch, so if you like it, go for it.

 

[fakereadhed]

You can do this yourself by recovering the old fabric on the frame. All it takes is fabric, a hot glue gun, trim, and upholstery tacks. Martha Stewart mag had a DIY years ago and I helped SIL redo her antique furniture. The only thing that requires real skill is the cushion covers that need to be sewn. That you could hire out to a seamstress. The trim is the priciest part. The tufting can be easily done by tucking and tacking the fabric with a needle and thread. You can get a gizmo at JoAnn that covers buttons with matching fabric. It's not hard- just time consuming! Google for instructions.

 

[North of Mouse]

Sorry, fakereadhed, not quite that simple. I watched my friend that has the shop and it takes special machines to do the tufts, also to sew around the wood that surrounds the stuffed area - it is a big job even for the professionals to do that type of sofa. She would have charged hundreds, but her work was top notch.

 

[fakereadhed]

Sorry, fakereadhed, not quite that simple. I watched my friend that has the shop and it takes special machines to do the tufts, also to sew around the wood that surrounds the stuffed area - it is a big job even for the professionals to do that type of sofa. She would have charged hundreds, but her work was top notch.

Did you think I was suggesting OP should become an upholstery pro?

I was suggesting she could do a DIY and save herself a bundle Instead of paying a pro. (This is the budget board.)

A DIY actually IS that easy!

Here is a quick example of a very, very, colorful and, um, interesting DIY:
http://www.diypics.com/do-it-yourself-furniture-upholstery/

 

[marlynnp]

And as soon as I clicked on the picture and got a look at the chair, I could tell it was not done by someone who knew what they were doing. It looks like crap.

OP if the 'bones' of the furniture are good it is well worth spending the money to get them done. They'll last three or four times longer than chairs from TJ Maxx. I would caution you against picking fabric that's too trendy though, you don't want to have to do them again in a few years.

 

[cornflake]

Did you think I was suggesting OP should become an upholstery pro?

I was suggesting she could do a DIY and save herself a bundle Instead of paying a pro. (This is the budget board.)

A DIY actually IS that easy!

Here is a quick example of a very, very, colorful and, um, interesting DIY:
http://www.diypics.com/do-it-yourself-furniture-upholstery/

North and Marlynnp are correct - the OP isn't talking about messing around with a junky chair she got at a yard sale and who cares if it's a whimsical mess.

The woman in the link didn't reupholster anything, she hot glued and stapled fabric on top of an upholstered chair. I cannot begin with what a lumpy mess that must be. I mean if it's a $5 flea market chair you want to make look festive for decoration, whatever.

The OP is dealing with furniture she wants to use as... furniture.

Reupholstering involves removing the original fabric (correctly, because you need it for a template), assessing, repairing, replacing etc., the stuffing/batting/whatever is involved in all pieces of the item, assessing and repairing and retying the springs (which is a pain in the rear) and recovering them, making sure the frame is sound and well-braced, then reassembling the entire piece, cutting and sometimes sewing the fabric, attaching it on top of the batting, attaching it correctly through the back of the frame, sewing new cushion covers if there are cushions, doing the finish work (nails, studs, tufting, buttons, etc.). I've done it. You can do it yourself if you do research into how to do it - but it is a serious project and a lot of work.

People don't charge hundreds for it because they're ripping people off, they do it because it's skilled craftmanship and a lot of labour.

 

[SandrA9810]

It will be well worth the money to reupholster that couch over getting a cheapie/crappy piece at TJ Maxx.

Plus there's this story about how important it is to have quality pieces of furniture from earlier time periods.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/modern-furnishing-homes-burn-faster/story?id=12806666#.Twu_Sm-PnpU

You'll never get that quality in a retail store today. You be thankful many times over if you get it redone by a professional. If you do want to get rid of it, I'll take first dibs on it. My aunt would love to have a piece of furniture like that. She's short legged and can't stand current deep seated couches. She'd give anything to have a couch like that.

I actually saw one recently at the local thrift store in California. It was beautiful, and the wood was just amazing work. There were two pieces, love seat and couch, and only like $200 for both.

 

[North of Mouse]

T J Maxx is not the place to look for a quality sofa . We have excellent furniture stores in our area that are not shoddy made, but you do have to be willing to pay the price and they're not all deep seated with lots of pillows. You just have to be willing to shop and look for the right one you like. It may not be a whole lot different than the price to reupholster the older one though, so it has to be the OP's decision. I sort of got the impression she thought it might have been a budget deal to have that one redone, but as a PP said it is very involved. You have to basically "make" it again. I've seen my friend even refinish the woodwork But I've seen her finished product (before & after) and it's probably better than new - unbelievable - It was definitely the work of a true craftsman She would have never done a "partly" refinished piece - it was all or nothing - but with her reputation she had a waiting list