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Have you ever gotten furniture reupholstered? Is it $$$$?

edith headedith head 5,106 Posts
edited February 2011 in Strut Central
I got this eames herman miller knockoff from craigslist for really cheap, but the black vinyl is terrible. i do love wood back though.

i really want to get it reupholstered in a tweed or velveteen fabric. how much does it cost to get this sort of thing done?




p.s. this isn't my home or my tacky sculpture

  Comments

  • dj_cityboydj_cityboy 1,479 Posts
    ha ha ha i like the tacky sculpture and it looks like them folks have my TV stand as well, but anyways on the upholstering, i have a fairly vintage piece of furniture as well that i need to get upholstered and your best bet is to call a place that deals with upholstering, my local guy bases it off of the size of the piece and the amount of fabric needed and the type of fabric youd like to have as textiles can be a mega $$$ game, plus the labour...

    to many variables to say whether its going to be expensive vs inexpensive..

    *sick chair though
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
    Whatever you do don't do it yourself. I used to work at an upholstery shop. Half of the work we got was DYI projects gone wrong. Find someone with a good rep.
  • gravelheadwrapgravelheadwrap corn 948 Posts
    jjfad027 said:
    Whatever you do don't do it yourself. I used to work at an upholstery shop. Half of the work we got was DYI projects gone wrong. Find someone with a good rep.

    Do you have any examples of what was charged?
  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    We had our worn out 1930's mohair couch redone a couple of years ago, which included restuffing the pads and all. I think it was about $600-800.
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
    gravelheadwrap said:
    jjfad027 said:
    Whatever you do don't do it yourself. I used to work at an upholstery shop. Half of the work we got was DYI projects gone wrong. Find someone with a good rep.

    Do you have any examples of what was charged?

    I don't recall exact figures. I was about 16 at the time. I just remember people would bitch about the price when we quoted them, but were always extremely happy with the final product. The lady that did it was a drunk, but awesome at reupholstery. Her work would last decades. You get what you pay for. If this is something you're reupholstering to flip, then go with whomever. If this is something for yourself and you want it to last a long time, go with a pro.
  • leonleon 883 Posts
    An old curtain and a stapler will do.





    Just kidding.
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
    I was in charge of stripping off the old fabric. I got to keep whatever spilled out as tips. I got a lot of change, remote controls, and toenail clippings.
  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    my folks got a old couch reupholseterd for around 600$
  • Yep_RotYep_Rot 6 Posts
    We recently got an old corduroy chair & ottoman reupholstered for around $320 minus fabric cost. Ask around your city or go on Angieslist and see who has the best ratings - that's how we found our guy.
  • ScottScott 420 Posts
    Echoing the posts above, it looks to be a $300 - $400 job, depending on the fabric selected.
  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    I have two Le Corbusier knockoffs that I got for free from work. They were lobby chairs in a hideous and coarse red fabric. I had 'em both reupholstered in aubergine microfiber and paid $300 total. That was my "hookup" price, though. An ex-employee's husband owns an upholstery shop. At the time I had 'em done, she worked for me. Another place quoted me $600 EACH plus fabric! Now THAT seemed steep to me.
  • breadwinnerbreadwinner 535 Posts
    i have the eames lounge plycraft knock off -- looks like:



    you should be able to get a EX to M- chair / ottoman for the same price as reupholstery.

    $600 on ebay

    semi-related:

    does anyone know where i can buy parts for an eames lcm chair? i found a yellow vinyl version of it in the trash, but it's missing the black rubber wrap around band that holds the cushion / vinyl edge down. i haven't been able to find anyone who sells them / has them.
  • tokyobeatstokyobeats 505 Posts
    yeah, $$$ stuff the old upholstery!

    slightly related, i lucked out and got this nice tessa t4 leather badboy from the 70's in NM condition for $200!!! last year (minus the foot stool)
    Attached files
  • edith headedith head 5,106 Posts
    breadwinner said:
    i have the eames lounge plycraft knock off -- looks like:



    you should be able to get a EX to M- chair / ottoman for the same price as reupholstery.

    $600 on ebay

    Thanks, I don't mind paying the extra cost if it's within reason to customize with my own fabric choice and color.
  • edith headedith head 5,106 Posts
    Herm said:
    I have two Le Corbusier knockoffs that I got for free from work. They were lobby chairs in a hideous and coarse red fabric. I had 'em both reupholstered in aubergine microfiber and paid $300 total. That was my "hookup" price, though

    Microfiber is a really inexpensive synthetic fabric though (made from nylon and polyester) so i think $300 is a good deal for the pair although the discount was probably for the labor and not the yardage. The fabric I want is going to be heavier and likely woven in a natural fiber like a wool or a cotton, so i know I can't hope for cheap there, but I am curious to know how much the labor alone for my project would be.
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