HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO REUPHOLSTER A SOFA OR CHAIR?

Reupholstery has been a topic that’s come up in my DM’s lately as I shared the reupholstered chairs in my office reveal, and one of the most common questions I receive is “how much does it cost to reupholster?”

While it varies by location/upholsterer and depends on so many factors, I thought I’d address this in a blog post, because there’s not that much information about reupholstery online. 

I’m going to break down some scenarios and costs using the chairs that Christine of Nouvelle Vie reupholstered

Scenario 1: REUPHOLSTERING ONE ARM CHAIR IN DESIGNER FABRIC

• Price for Hickory chair from FB MP: $150
• Yards needed: 10 (more yards are required for a gathered skirt)
• Total fabric cost: $1,700 (note, I did receive a very small discount from Kravet, but it was still a big chunk of change out of my pocket)
• Labor: $650
  • Adding a ruffled skirt usually costs extra
  • Self-welt (piping along curves and cushion in same fabric)
  • Adding down feathers to existing cushion (it was in good shape so the cushion fill was mostly repurposed)
  • Slimming down the scroll back

Total price: $2,500

Of course, the total cost would be significantly lower if I went with a cheaper fabric. With a $40/yd fabric (which you can easily find at these places), the chair would cost $1,200. You can still find gorgeous designer fabric at secondhand fabric stores or my personal favorite, eBay!

I’ve never spent so much on a single item before. But this is my DREAM chair and while I was worried I’d regret this big purchase, I don’t regret a single thing. It brings me so much joy and will last for years and years. 

Scenario 2: PAINTING AND REUPHOLSTERING A SINGLE DESK/DINING ROOM CHAIR

• Chair from Facebook Marketplace: $25
• Yards needed: 1.5
• Fabric: $160
• Trim: $9
• Labor (painting and reupholstering): $190 

Total price: $384

Scenario 3: REUPHOLSTERING A 72″ LOVESEAT (quote)

• 14 yards of fabric 
• Labor: $1,200

Note, I also received a slipcover quote for this, which was $1,100. I think there’s a misconception that getting a slipcover made will be cheaper than upholstery, but there’s a lot of sewing and labor involved with slipcovers! 

OTHER COST SCENARIOS BY LOCATION

I gathered some market research on costs for upholstery around the country and am sharing those responses below. Note, these costs are for LABOR only. It does not include the cost of fabric.

Take these with a grain of salt, it’s for contextual purposes only, and my hope is that I can provide you with enough information to make an informed decision!

• South Carolina: Club chair $350 (9 yds)
• Idaho: 70″ English Roll Arm sofa $1,500 (15 yds)
• St. Louis MO: Armchair and ottoman $500 (11 yds)
• Atlanta GA: King bed frame with channeling $1,300 (16 yds)
• Philadelphia PA: Six 90’s style parsons dining chairs $3,500 
• Boston MA: Two armchairs $1,500 (24 yds)
• Morristown NJ: 65″ loveseat $900 (15-18 yards)
• Asheville NC: Small accent chair $325 (3 yds)
• Rochester NY: Slipcover sofa $700 (18 yards)
• GA: Sofa $900 (15 yards)
• MD: Ballard nursery glider $625 (9 yards)
• Savannah GA: skirted entry table $175 (6 yds) 
• Charlotte NC: skirted chair $450 + $100 for new springs (10 yds)
• Bucks County PA: wing chair $595
• Lancaster PA: 12 Louis dining chairs $300/ chair 
• Seattle WA: bench for the end of a king-size bed $700 (6 yds)
• Dallas TX: sofa $1,440 (24 yds)
• Houston TX: round 40″ ottoman that needed new foam $400
• Phoenix AZ: skirted sleeper sofa $1,100 (24 yds)
• Boston MA: large sofa $2,000 (20 yds) 
• Milwaukee WI: 6 faux bois dining chairs $275/chair Milwaukee 
• Kansas City MO: 6 dining chairs $175 per chair (1.5 yds/chair)
• Washington D.C.: Club chair 8.5 yds $625 

An interior designer sent me this message and I thought it was worth sharing:

“As an interior designer, I price things out a LOT, and I have worked on projects in different cities before and after Covid. 1) norms differ by city 2) don’t go with the cheapest price. You often get what you pay for. 3) prices have JUMPED in the last 2 years. Things that used to cost me about $175-$200 now cost easily $275-350 (thinking of a specific upholstered dining chair situation for me). I find I am frequently having to justify costs, and the thing is, the cost is the cost. And the factors of cost are cost of living, gas to get to the workroom, price of eggs the workers want to put on their table, material cost (would you believe me if I told you the price of FEATHERS has quadrupled in the last 2 years? Thank you avian bird flu and supply chain. Also, there is a foam shortage due to a freeze that took out a petroleum plant in Texas and a hurricane that badly damaged a plant in Louisiana in 2021, both of which were the primary maker of furniture foam in the southeast. But nobody really knows these things).”

General things to keep in mind when considering upholstery:

• Before dropping off with your upholsterer, don’t take anything apart (especially cushions). They use existing fabric and foam as a template and may also repurpose foam if possible. 
• Custom is always more. A custom banquet, for example, usually costs more because it usually needs to be made from scratch.
• Depending on the item, you can change the look by:
  • adding or removing tufting (I removed tufting with our green living room chairs)
  • With a sofa, you can switch up the cushions. Do you want one long cushion? Three cushions? Or two? While one long cushion may look great, you should consider how it may sag on one side
  • You can opt for a tailored skirt, ruffled skirt, fringe, and more with a chair or sofa. Here are some examples of finishes – depending on which you choose, it would vary in price and yards needed

How do you know if something is worth reupholstering?

The three things I recommend looking for when buying a secondhand sofa or chair (whether you have the intention to reupholster or not) are condition, bones, and brand.

“Bones” are easy to distinguish and vintage is much better quality. If it’s ridiculously heavy, it has good bones. Vintage pieces were not imported like modern-day brands (Wayfair). Modern brands usually use low-quality materials like particleboard, MDF, or soft D1-D2 grade wood, which is junk and will eventually break.

Older furniture is made of heavy wood and the craftsmanship is higher. You can feel rest assured that if a tag says it was made in North Carolina (the furniture capital of the world), it’s a solid, quality piece. The frame and arms should be sturdy (no wobbling), as frame repairs are pricey and intrusive, meaning fabrics and cotton/foam must be carefully removed to repair the break and then rebuilt.

I promise; there’s a plethora of cheap, solid vintage sofas and chairs on sites like Facebook Marketplace that, with new upholstery, could be way better than any modern-day fast furniture piece. And although it may be a significant cost upfront, you can customize it to your wants and it will last for years and years. 

More upholstery-related blog posts that you may find helpful:

• How to choose fabric for upholstering furniture
• Where to buy designer fabric and wallpaper
• Everything you need to know about buying secondhand sofas and chairs

xo

Alisa