Help!!!! Our couch has served us for 13 years, survived 2 kids and 2 dogs and is extremely deep seated and comfortable. But it has seen better days. I got a quote from an upholsterer and am looking at $2,000 in labor plus about $500-800 in fabric. What would you do? Recover or buy one?
The members of our facebook group for midcentury home owners love this question.
Some members pointed out that new furniture is very expensive anyway and if the couch is comfortable, then it’s better value to reupholster it.
One member who has been upholstering for over 45 years said that she has never seen the quality of new furniture as being on par with old furniture.
Below are some examples of members thoughts on the topic. These are only a few of the thousands of tips that are shared in our exclusive Facebook Group dedicated to midcentury modern home owners. If you own a midcentury house and are not already a member, join us now!
- “Reupholstering employs a local artisan and is more environmental. Very midcentury modern values.”
- “High quality fabric that you select yourself will be leagues better than anything that would come on a pre made contemporary sofa, no matter how “performance fabric” the sofa claims to be.”
- “If it’s comfortable and you like it, I’d reupholster if you can. I’m always terrified to buy a couch online… I want to sit test it as so many of the new couches just don’t offer the comfort we’re looking for.”
- “As a designer myself, my thing is to have a pros and cons list. First and foremost; is it an item that I could replace with something of similar or better quality new, or would I be downgrading? Oftentimes with a much loved piece, reupholstery is the winning option.”
- “When you get something professionally reupholstered, they gut it: new foam, new batting, new springs if needed. You’ll end up with a new sofa that’s perfect for you. It’s not just new fabric on the outside.“
- “My mom always reupholstered her beautiful sofa from the 60’s. Two times since then. The reality is that unless you can afford really high end couches, most are junk. They do not last. So you have to look at more factors than just the cost of the reupholstering. Is it comfortable, do you love it, will it last. Then decide. The reality is, if you buy quality it will last.“
You can read more tips about this topic here.
