If you love hunting for furniture in antiques stores, flea markets and thrift stores, or surfing for deals on eBay and Craig’s List, you’re not alone. But can you spot a gem that just needs reupholstery?
Here are nine tips to help you decide if a piece is worth reclaiming:
1. Do you like the shape of the piece? Upholsterers can plump up cushions, lengthen a skirt or remove the channeling or tufting in the back of a chair. But just as a face-lift can only improve upon what is already there, an upholsterer has to work with the structural frame of the furniture.
2. Is the frame solid? “If you take hold of the arms, does the rest of the piece wobble? Do all four legs sit evenly on the floor?” asks Rich Turkington, an upholsterer in West Grove, Pa., “The back of the frame shouldn’t move back and forth,” he says. “But don’t be dissuaded by a sagging bottom – that can be fixed.”
3. Is the frame made of hardwood? Check under the skirt or beneath the fabric dust cover on the bottom. “If the piece has some weight, it’s probably hardwood and a better-quality frame,” says Turkington. “That may also indicate denser stuffing and a coil-spring foundation – these all make a piece heavier.” Such features also make furniture worth reupholstering.
4. How do the arms feel when you squeeze them? If the arms feel squishy inside, the chair may have been made with cheap foam that has disintegrated – one sign of an inferior piece that isn’t worth reupholstering. If the arms are lumpy or sagging a bit, that can easily be corrected with new stuffing. An upholsterer will retie sagging springs, replace lumpy stuffing and redo cushion fillings so that you have the equivalent of a new piece of furniture.
5. Do you recognize the brand name? If you find the label of a reputable furniture manufacturer – Baker, Century, Drexel-Heritage, Henredon, Lee Industries, Michael Thomas and Vanguard are several – that bodes well for the quality of the frame, no matter how bad the outer fabric looks. Fabric is cosmetic and will be completely replaced in reupholstery.
6. Can you send a photo of the furniture to the upholsterer? Before you take possession, you may want to get an opinion from an upholsterer. He or she will be able to tell you about styling options and approximate costs for the custom labor needed to transform your piece from trash to treasure.
7. Does reupholstery make economic sense? Reupholstering can cost almost as much as buying new furniture. There is almost as much labor involved in rebuilding an old piece as crafting a new one, and the fabric cost is the same. Still, no one can put a value on the worth of your grandmother’s sofa or your dad’s favorite chair. And, distinctive antique pieces may be difficult to find as new styles.
8. Have you considered the environmental impact? Reupholstery was one of the first forms of recycling, and keeping chairs and sofas out of landfills is a good thing. If you are on a limited budget, it’s better to purchase good furniture from a thrift store and re-cover it than to buy new items that are cheap and won’t have a second life.
9. Have you shopped for furniture in your own home?
A piece of furniture that’s been banished to the spare room could have a great new life if reupholstered. Even leather pieces can be re-covered in new hides. Furniture that doesn’t seem comfortable may feel different with a change in cushion filling or plumper arms.
Jan Jessup, Calico Corners
Source : http://www.dallasnews.com/
