Furnishing Face Lifts

Reupholstering: Learn when to try it yourself and when to hire a professional.

You’ve all seen it done on HGTV and Trading Spaces a hundred times. Got an old piece of furniture? Just recover it in a jiff! But how doable is it for the average homeowner? And are the results really worth all the grunt work? We consult local pros, such as Jane Patterson of HomeStyle Ltd. and Cesar Perches of Country Road Collection, for the scoop on do-it-yourself reupholstering. Before deciding to reupholster a piece, Patterson says it is important to make sure the piece is in good shape to begin with. She says that reupholstering cheap or uncomfortable furniture is usually not a good idea. “There are good reasons to buy new stuff,” Patterson says. She recommends reupholstering a piece if has a hardwood frame, cushions that are in good condition and is nice and comfortable to start with. Perches echoes her thoughts saying he considers older pieces to be generally of better construction and more suitable for reupholstering. “They will have real wood in them and not just plywood,” he says.

DO IT YOURSELF

According to Patterson, there are a few upholstery projects that are basic enough to do at home. As far as furniture goes, dining room chairs or barstool seats that pop out are a great place to start. In fact, she has a lot of customers come in ask- ing for tips on how to accomplish the project. Basically, she says that if you can turn the chair over and see screws that are removable, the seat should be pretty easy to recover with fabric and a staple gun. Some dining sets even come with a cream colored fabric on the seating because they are meant to be recovered with a fabric that matches the owner’s space.

Find Your Fabric

Before you cut or remove any screws, you need to choose your fabric. Patterson suggests choosing a solid fabric for beginners. “A solid fabric is always going to be easier than a pattern because it doesn’t have to be lined up,” Patterson says. She suggests staying away from anything that is really thick because it will be harder to staple into and secure firmly. Even if the thicker fabrics seem like they’ll be more durable, Patterson
says the new seats will most likely get dirty or you’ll grow tired of them before they wear out. So choose a fabric that’s easy to work with, and it will be easy enough to do again with a new material in a couple of years. Avoid stretchy fabrics because the fabric isn’t meant to move after it’s stapled in place.

Cover Your Bases

Once you’ve chosen your fabric, it’s time to lay out your tools and get started. First, turn the chair over and unscrew the seat cushion. Then measure out the new fabric, leaving two or three inches around on all sides to give you something to hold onto and work with. If you’re using a pattern, be careful to line up the same part of the pattern on each chair and flip the seat over several times to check if the pattern is centered. You might start by putting a staple on the top and bottom, and then flipping it over again to check to see if the pattern is right where you want it. Staple about 3⁄4-inch in with staples 1⁄2- to 3⁄4-inch apart. Depending on the shape of the seat, working with the bulk in the corners can be difficult, but just use your scissors to trim away the excess fabric as much as you can to make sure it lies as flat as possible. This is also a good time to put in some new foam or padding, which is available at most fabric or craft stores.

What You Need: Staple gun – from a hardware store Staples – long ones that will go through a lot of fabric and folds Hammer – to reinforce staples and make sure they’re firmly set Screwdriver – to remove the screws in the object being covered Fabric – nothing too thick or stretchy Yard stick or tape measure – so you can measure twice and cut once Scissors – make sure they’re sharp Batting – for extra padding (available at fabric or craft stores)

Some dos and don’ts of DIY reupholstering:

1. Don’t staple the fabric over the screw holes.Make sure you’ll be able to attach the seat back onto the chair easily.
2. Do put a liner over the back, if you care what the chair looks like when you flip it over.
3. Don’t take off the original fabric unless you have to. If there’s only one layer, you should be able to add one more.
4. Do choose your upholstery project carefully. Patterson says that if you really want to try and tackle a more sophisticated upholstery project, you may run into more than you bargained for.“It’s not just stapling; it’s sewing: making box cushions and zippers,”she says.“Then you’ve got to have a certain sophistication of sewing skills.”
5. Don’t underestimate your own craftiness. “I’ve got a theory that if you do it yourself you might do more,”Patterson says.“Plus, you get a sense of accomplishment out of it.”

OR DON’T

Whether it’s a flea market find or your grandfather’s chair, remember that just because you can see potential, doesn’t mean it’s DIY. An upholstery job that requires more than a staple gun may require hiring a professional to do the work. Every upholstery job consists of two parts: fabric and labor. There are plenty of places in town to find high-quality upholstery fabrics. Just make sure you buy enough fabric. Most armchairs require
6 to 12 yards and a sofa could require 18 to 22 yards of fabric. Keep in mind that you will need more fabric for a pattern than a solid to be sure
it is nicely centered. Fabric also varies in price greatly depending on where you look. Outlets in Springfield, such as F M Stores and the Fabric
Outletsell many upholstery fabrics for less than $10 per yard. According to Patterson of HomeStyle Ltd., fabrics there start at $12.99 per yard and go up depending on the type and style. Accent & Designs Upholstery not only works mostly with local interior designers but also sells a variety of upholstery fabrics, which are included into the price for reupholstering (about $500 for an armchair and $1,200 for a sofa).

As far as leathers are concerned, Patterson recommends avoiding them for reupholstering jobs. Unlike fabric, which is sold by the yard, leather is sold in hides and by the square foot, so it gets very expensive. Patterson says that it could take several hides to recover an armchair and one hide may run $600-$800.

At Country Road Collection, reupholstering fabric starts around $25 per yard. Perches has been working at his trade for 17 years and spent the past eight years working at Country Road Collection. He says he always takes pieces down to the frame rather than going over the original fabric. He replaces the springs and renews the webbing, padding and foam before applying the fabric. Typically, customers should expect to spend between $375 and $400 to have Perches refinish an armchair and around
$700-$800 for a sofa. Loose cushions, bad springs, skirting, patterned fabric and more tailoring will all require more labor.

For smaller pieces like chairs and ottomans, Patterson says her customers can bring them right into the store for the upholsterers to do an estimate on labor costs and how much yardage they will need. They typically charge between $350 and $500 for labor to reupholster a sofa and between $225 and $300 for an armchair.

Shop Around Fabric Stores Fabric Outlet 1333 S. Glenstone, 417-881-4966 F M Stores 1368 E. Sunshine St., 417-882-9244 Hancock Fabrics 1464 S Glenstone, 417-883-1270 HomeStyle Ltd. 2682 S. Glenstone, 417-886-3501 Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts 3370 S. Glenstone, 417-883-6766 Upholsterers Accent & Designs Upholstery 3518 W. Nichols St., 417-882-4200 Country Road Collection 1929 E. Bennett St., 417-864-8667