WHY RE-UPHOLSTER?

In today’s "mass produced society" quality is often one of the first things to be sacrificed to make way for profit, when deciding weather to re-upholster or to by new this should be one of the first things to be taken into account.

Ask yourself - What is the quality of your existing suite? The more you paid for your suite when it was new the better value you will be able to achieve by re-upholstering. In the last eight years the price of new furniture has doubled, e.g. If you paid £1,500 for your suite eight years ago to buy one of similar quality today would cost you at least £3,000.

Recover or Re-upholster?
When obtaining estimates it is very important to compare like with like as there is a vast difference between having your suite recovered and having it re-upholstered.

Re-upholstery
This involves removing the existing covering and stripping the suite right down to the frame then rebuilding from the frame upwards. When the frame is stripped down to the wood all the joints can be checked for wear and tear and any necessary repairs can be made at this time. The suite is then rebuilt using all new fillings, new springs and new CMHR foam to meet all the current fire regulations, only then is the suite covered in your choice of new (fire retardant) fabric.

Recovery
This involves removing the existing cover and again replacing with new, but not necessarily all the fillings need to be changed, only what are discussed with the upholsterer before hand. For example you may feel that there is nothing wrong with your cushion interiors and they will be used again. A recovered item will not necessarily meet current fire regulations if it was originally made before 1988. Although all the new components added must by law meet the fire regulations, because there may still be old foam, canvas etc. inside which does not comply then the suite will not comply.

Benefits
One of the main benefits of re-upholstery/recovery is that not only can you keep your quality suite but you will have a great deal more choice of fabrics than you could ever hope to have when purchasing a new suite. When purchasing a new suite you are given perhaps a choice of 15 or so fabrics to choose from, perhaps 100 or so if you choose a quality specialist company. When re-upholstering or recovering you can choose from thousands, ensuring you are more likely to find something to suit every taste, from modern chinneils to the old favourite Draylon Velvet.

You may be reluctant to live with the same suite but you will be surprised just how different a suite can look in a different fabric. Don’t feel that you have to cover the whole suite in the same fabric. There are many different ways you can use fabric. For example a contrast on the cushions or arms, or the settee in one fabric from a range and the chairs in another from the same range perhaps the same colour but a different pattern or the same pattern in a contrast colour. Many of the modern fabrics lend themselves to a particular part of the pattern being used for the cushion boarders, which can again give a contemporary feel to a classic suite.

It is also important to remember that re upholstery is also the environmentally friendly option. With the worlds forests under threat reusing your frame will not only be practical but also environmentally friendly by not letting your suite end up in a land fill site.