Sofa reupholstery

Whether you are restoring a cherished family heirloom or updating a high-end designer piece to match a new interior scheme, professional reupholstery ensures the comfort and structural integrity of the piece are preserved for decades to come.

What Does the Work Involve?

• Initial Assessment: A tradesperson inspects the sofa to check the frame's condition and calculates the exact meterage of fabric required.
• Stripping: The old fabric, staples, and padding are removed, exposing the "skeleton" of the furniture.
• Structural Repairs: Loose joints are reglued, and worn webbing or broken springs are replaced or retensioned.
• Internal Refurbishment: Old, degraded foam or feathers are replaced with new, fire-retardant fillings to restore the sofa's original shape and support.
• Template & Cutting: The new fabric is carefully laid out to ensure patterns align perfectly across cushions and arms.
• Upholstering: The fabric is stretched, tacked, and stitched into place, often including bespoke details like piping, buttoning, or decorative studs.

Typical Costs

Several factors influence the final price, most notably the complexity of the design and the quality of the fabric. Labour costs in London and the South East are typically 20-30% higher than the national average, and structural repairs discovered after stripping the piece may add to the initial quote.

How Long Does It Take?

• Consultation and Fabric Selection: 1–2 weeks (including waiting for fabric samples to arrive).
• Fabric Lead Times: 3–10 working days (longer for imported or bespoke printed textiles).
• Workshop Labour: 1–2 weeks for a standard sofa; 3+ weeks for complex antique restoration.
• Total Turnaround: Most UK upholsterers operate on a 4–8 week lead time from booking to delivery.

DIY or Professional?

While small projects like dining chair pads are suitable for DIY, reupholstering a full sofa is a highly skilled trade. It requires industrial sewing machines, specialist pneumatic staplers, and an expert understanding of fabric tensioning to avoid "puckering" or "creep."

Crucially, professional upholsterers ensure all materials meet UK Fire Safety Regulations. Attempting a DIY job with non-compliant materials can invalidate your home insurance and pose a significant safety risk to your household.

Choosing the Right Tradesperson

• Check Qualifications: Look for members of the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers (AMUSF).
• Review the Portfolio: Ask for photos of the "insides"—a good tradesperson is proud of their frame repairs and webbing work, not just the final fabric.
• Check References: Look for reviews specifically mentioning "pattern matching" and "longevity" of the work.
• Questions to Ask:
  • Is the pickup and delivery service included in the price?
  • Will you provide a fire safety certificate for the new materials?
  • Do you offer a guarantee on the structural repairs and stitching?
  • Can you work with "Customer's Own Material" (COM) or must I buy fabric through you?

UK Regulations

In the UK, all upholstered furniture must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. This is a legal requirement for any furniture used in a domestic setting.

• Fire Labels: Professional upholsterers must ensure that the finished piece carries a permanent fire safety label.
• Interliners: If you choose a fabric with a high natural fibre content (like 100% cotton) that isn't back-coated, the upholsterer must use a fire-resistant interliner.
• Foam Standards: All new foam must be "Combustion Modified High Resilience" (CMHR) foam.

Common Problems

• Fabric Sagging: This occurs when fabric is not tensioned correctly or if low-quality foam is used that compresses too quickly.
• Pattern Misalignment: On striped or patterned fabrics, poor cutting can lead to "wonky" lines across cushions and backrests.
• Hidden Frame Issues: Many homeowners are surprised by additional costs when an upholsterer discovers a cracked frame or "fatigued" springs after the old fabric is removed.
• Poor Density Choice: Choosing foam that is too soft for a seat cushion can result in the user "bottoming out" against the frame.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to reupholster or buy new?

Reupholstering a high-quality sofa is usually 20-40% cheaper than buying a new sofa of equivalent quality. However, it will likely cost more than buying a "budget" sofa from a high-street mass-market retailer.

Can I reupholster a leather sofa with fabric?

Yes, most leather sofas can be converted to fabric. However, the internal padding may need significant adjustment, as leather stretches differently than woven textiles.

How much fabric do I need for a 3-seater sofa?

Typically, a 3-seater sofa requires between 12 and 16 metres of fabric. This varies if the fabric has a large pattern repeat that needs matching, which requires extra material.

What is 'stripping to the frame'?

This means removing every layer of fabric, staple, tack, foam, and wadding until only the wooden or metal skeleton remains. This is the only way to ensure the foundation of the sofa is truly sound.

Do I need to provide my own fabric?

Most upholsterers have accounts with major fabric houses (like Romo, Linwood, or Warwick) and can provide samples. If you provide your own, they may charge a "cutting fee" to offset the loss of commission on the textile sale.

Expert Tip: Always ask for a "rub test" score (Martindale rating) for your chosen fabric. For a domestic sofa used daily, look for a score of 20,000 to 30,000 or higher to ensure it won't wear thin within a few years.