Myths About Reupholstering That You Need To Stop Believing

You've likely heard of reupholstering furniture, and maybe you've even dabbled in the art of it! But you probably aren't aware about the intricate ins and outs of reupholstery, of which there are many. For starters, let's begin with what furniture reupholstery is. HomeQuestionsAnswered provides some insight into this. As explained on their site, furniture reupholstery refers to the act of refinishing pieces of furniture. Most commonly, chairs and sofas are the pieces that are reupholstered. However, a number of other items can be reupholstered, including tufted ottomans, benches, stools, patio furniture, chaises, and other furniture that's made with fabric. This is most usually done when a piece of furniture is old or damaged, but you may choose to reupholster if you simply want to mix it up with new fabric to better match your style or space.

The process of reupholstery includes repairing any blemishes or imperfections on the furniture, including fixing damages to the webbing and padding. This project may, at times, be confused with the act of putting a slipcover over a piece of furniture. While this does change the fabric, it's a very different process, as reupholstery requires skills such as sewing, restoring, and renovating. There's quite a bit that goes into reupholstery, and because of that, a lot of myths surrounding the topic are commonly held. Let's bust some of those myths to provide a more holistic look at how reupholstery really works.

It's understandable that with all the DIY tutorials out there, as well as all the videos on social media of people reupholstering furniture, it's easy to believe that it's a really simple and straightforward process. However, nothing could be further from the truth! When it comes to reupholstering a piece of furniture, it is laborious and time consuming. In fact, even the smallest of projects can be quite an undertaking.

Carr's Corner has a handy guide of how long different upholstery projects typically take, which demonstrates that they're not such a breeze of a project. The site explains that for an average chair reupholstery, the time to remove and replace the fabric usually takes between eight and 10 hours. That's a solid amount of time! But that's not all — the removal and replacement of a coil spring seat may be required, which is noted to take between two and a half hours to four hours. With that being said, the entire chair project could take anywhere between eight and 14 hours, which is not a short duration to spend on one project.

A sofa is even more time consuming, as you could have guessed. Removing and replacing sofa fabric takes between 16 and 22 hours. If the replacement or repair of a coil spring seat is required, it will take between four to eight hours for most individuals. That equates to a sofa reupholstery project taking between 16 to 28 labor hours. This doesn't include the time and effort it takes to plan out the project and gather supplies, either. Plus, if accessories like trim, buttons, skirts, or borders are to be added, that will also ramp up the labor time. If we can take away anything, it's like reupholstering furniture takes time, patience, and expertise! It's an artful process, and the right attention and care has to be put into it for it to be done well.

Another common misconception about redoing furniture in this manner is that every piece is worth reupholstering. Unfortunately, some pieces of furniture are not worth the cost and effort that will go into reupholstering it, and you're better off starting with something new, or hunting for something vintage or antique that you like. Carla Aston Designed shared a handy guide to how you can determine if a particular piece of furniture is worth reupholstering. The blog explains that first, you need to evaluate whether or not you truly love the style of the piece. While it's simple to change the look with different fabric, if you don't like the style of it — including its size — then it's probably not worth reupholstering. 

Next, you want to determine what the sentimental value of the piece is to you. Perhaps an armchair is a family heirloom that belonged to someone special. If that's the case, then you'll likely do anything to keep it in your home and life! You'll also want to think about how old the furniture piece is. If it was made over 30 years ago, you may be surprised that it may be well worth reupholstering. This is because furniture made during that time period was manufactured differently, and usually made with solid wood frames. On the other hand, if the frame is made of plywood, it's likely not worth the cost of reupholstering.

Many people erroneously think that the cost of reupholstery comes down to simply the cost of the fabric. Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, a variety of factors play into the cost of reupholstering a piece of furniture. Lay-Z-Boy shares the different factors that go into the cost of a reupholstery project — and you may be surprised at just how many factors there are. 

First, you have the size of the piece. The bigger the piece, the higher the price will be (most likely). Next up is the quality of the fabric you select to be used. Obviously a more luxe fabric is going to run you a higher cost than something more affordable. Another factor that plays into the cost is how many repairs are needed. Under the original fabric, there could be repairs needed that you weren't expecting, which will raise the cost. Believe it or not, the wood finish on the piece of furniture can also affect the pricing in different ways. Finally, the labor needed to rehab the piece goes into the cost. A more complex project takes more time and energy and will cost more than something straightforward and simple.

While many DIY projects are a quick turnaround, reupholstery is one of those that is not always quick to carry out. The same can be said when you use a professional — you shouldn't always expect to have your piece back and finished right away. South West Upholstery shares how long you can expect it to take for a sofa to be reupholstered. In the case of this company, it can take three to four weeks to even go through all the preliminary steps before they physically get to work on the sofa. 

Let's walk through the process: First, an upholstery company will give you a price estimate of how much the project will cost. Once you've decided to move forward with the project, you'll need to choose the material and fabric you want used for the reupholstery. Then, the pros will strip the piece of its current fabric and make necessary repairs and padding replacements. This includes tweaking the frame, repairing springs, and so on. After that, it's time to cover the sofa with the new fabric to achieve that whole new look. Finally, finishing touches are put onto the piece and it'll be returned to you. As you can see, quite a bit goes into the process, which means it's not something that can be turned around in a flash.

People tend to think that reupholstering a piece of furniture is so straightforward and simple that it'll be a seamless process from start to finish. In reality, there are bound to be bumps along the way, as there are with many DIY projects. Even professionals will experience snafus as they reupholster a piece!

Nesco Upholstery & Design explains some common mistakes that people encounter as they reupholster a piece of furniture. The first notable mistake is compromising when it comes to quality in the name of saving money. While it's also smart to shop around for a good deal, ignoring quality is not a great idea, because you'll end up paying for it in the end. That's because using fabric of lesser quality means that the piece will not stand the test of time nearly as well. Another commonly made mistake is going too trendy in the style you choose for your piece. You're reupholstering your furniture because you want to have it for years to come! Going too trendy may prohibit the piece from aging well and being something you'll want in your home in the long run.