Does anyone here have experience getting a couch reupholstered?
I can't find a couch I like and can also afford. I am thinking maybe I could find a used couch with the structure I like and get it reupholstered to the color/fabric I want. Would this actually be a cheaper option? What am I looking at spending to get a couch reupholstered? Anything else we should know about about this?
Oh! and just to clarify. I am not talking about doing the work myself. I want to know about taking it to a professional and having it done.
I know a lot of use here are on tight budgets. Hopefully this thread can be helpful to more than just me.
I'm a marine upholsterer but at my work we do furniture. It WILL NOT be cheaper to reupholster your couch than buy a new cheap couch with a free TV. But you will be able to pick your fabric, work with the upholsterer to change the style, repad it with new high quality foam, and have it actually last for 20 years.
An upholstery shop might charge $50-$80 an hour. A couch could take from 8 to 12 hours depending on the style (brass tacks and pillow backs vs plain jain) fabric can be anywhere from $20/yard to $100/yard.
Do yourself a favour and buy your fabric from the upholsterer. He will have good durable upholstery suitable fabrics. If you buy some junk online for cheap it'll wear out or fabricate terribly, and he wont warranty the job. Also he might charge you for not buying it from him. Upholsterers don't often make money on the labour and rely on the profits from foam and fabric to stay afloat.
It costs money because it's a lot of work. You will end up with a superior couch.
It's definitely not cheaper to have it reupholstered. About a couple weeks ago a friend was moving and wanted to get rid of his club chair, it looked kind of like this, and I decided to take it and have it reupholstered. I figured free chair plus the cost of reupholstering, I'd end up with a deal!
Boy was I wrong. The total cost of the job (including the fabric bought from the reupholster shop) would have cost around $560, and I did not choose super fancy fabric. I ended up giving the chair to goodwill because the cost just wasn't worth it.
My advice, just keep searching for a couch you like. It'll be worth it in the end and less expensive.