Is that old sofa or chair worth reupholstering? Here’s what to consider.

 

If your furniture is starting to show its age, you may be considering shopping for a new piece. But throwing out a sofa with fraying fabric means it’ll go to a landfill, not to furniture heaven. And it takes a lot of energy and materials to build and ship new furniture.

There’s another option, though, that doesn’t take as much of a toll on the planet: reupholstering your old pieces. Upholsterers can do many things, such as resurrecting Grandma’s old chair with a new Scandinavian fabric or whipping up stylish curtains.

If you’re having a reupholster-or-replace debate, first decide whether the item will last long enough to justify the cost. Don’t reupholster it if the piece won’t last as long as the new fabric. And even if the piece seems as if it will last, you may not save much money. Reupholstering does save the frame, springs and probably some padding and stuffing. But a comparable new piece might not be much more — and could possibly be less — than what an upholsterer would charge you to recover what you have. If it is fundamentally a good piece of furniture, it may be easy to fix a frame that doesn’t seem solid. To check, turn the item over and remove a portion of the dust catcher beneath. Some signs of quality include:

·         Solid hardwood (rather than plywood or fiberboard) at least 1¼ inches thick used for key structural elements, such as the long piece that runs beneath the knees across the front of a sofa.

·         Reinforcing blocks used to strengthen corners.

·         Coil springs under the seat, with each spring tied by twine in eight directions. Firmly secured sinuous wire springs (long, wavy wires) used in many high-quality pieces may function equally well.

You can also get a professional opinion about the quality of a piece. Take smaller pieces to an upholsterer’s shop. For large pieces ask a pro  to visit your. Cost is not

The only consideration, of course. You might want reupholster a piece if you

Particularly like its design, if it fits  in your space or if you have a sentimental

attachment   to it. You might also want to recover it because  the fabric you love

aren’t available on new pieces. 760-744-1360

Washington Post By Kevin Brasler