When thinking about redecorating or renovating your home, the question often
arises, “Which is more cost effective – to recover my furniture or buy new?”
Before making that decision, it is important to understand if any actual
cost savings might be gained by reupholstering. You can start by creating a slipcover for your recliners.
First and foremost, whether you buy furniture new or you recover existing
upholstered pieces, the cost of the fabric is a part of the overall cost of
the furniture. When buying a new piece of upholstered furniture, in addition
to the cost of the fabric, there is the other cost: the cost of the piece
itself. If you plan on buying new furniture but you want something more unique
and something that is high quality then check out Mckinley Leather Furniture.
When you recover upholstered furniture, you must pay to have the piece
picked up from your home and taken to the upholsterer’s workroom. (Sometimes
this is represented as being free, but know that this is a hidden cost,
which is included in the reupholstering fee itself.)
In addition, there is the cost to reupholster the piece of furniture itself,
plus the cost to re-stuff the seat and back cushions, as well as any
decorative pillows that may be a part of the piece. This can be become quite
costly depending on whether you prefer a foam fill, a spring core with a
down wrap (which consists of 25% down and 75% feathers or 50% down and 50%
feathers), or a foam fill with a down wrap.
Also, if your frame is hand-tied spring construction, there is a good chance
that some or all of the springs may need to be re-tied, which of course
cannot be determined until the piece of furniture is sent to the workroom,
and the piece has been torn apart.
Not including the pick-up of the upholstered piece(s) of furniture from your
home, the cost of the fabric (which is the same in either case), and the
cost to re-tie any of your springs; the total expense to recover an
upholstered piece of furniture is about one-third less than the price of
buying new.
When you consider the cost of the fabric as part of the total cost, the
savings drops to approximately 10% to 20% – depending on the cost of the
fabric. Keep in mind there could be no savings at all (and very easily an
additional cost) if your springs have to be re-tied, or if you start making
modifications such as fattening an arm, raising the height of the back,
adding or deleting a skirt, or adding trim or braid to the skirt or back
cushions, etc.
So, unless you are reupholstering a family heirloom, or a piece of furniture
that it is especially dear to you, it makes more sense to buy new.
In addition to being more cost effective, buying new provides you with a
piece of furniture that has a new frame, new stuffing and fill, and alsoprovides the opportunity to update or change the style of your furniture and of the room where it is placed.