You’re walking through flea markets just browsing through different sales to see if there’s anything interesting and suddenly the most amazing, interesting couch that you have seen catches your eye and you need to have it in your house; there’s just one problem–it’s covered in an old and hideous fabric or moth eaten and holey.
There’s only one thought going through your mind: “How much does it cost to reupholster a couch?” If you want to reupholster a chair, then make sure you read my previous article – How Much Does It Cost to Reupholster a Chair.
It can take a lot of money and it can be a huge investment when you want to reupholster a couch and the price can run especially high.
First you need to consider the size of the couch.
If you’re not sure how many yards of material it will take to cover the couch, you can take it to a re-upholsterer to have it appraised. They will be able to give you a pretty good idea on this.
However, here are some basic guidelines that will help you get an idea in the meantime:
A small loveseat – about 12 yards of fabric/$120 plus labor
A small sofa – around 19 yards of fabric/$190 plus labor
An average couch – approximately 23 yards of fabric/$239 plus labor
A very large couch – nearly 27 yards of fabric/$270 plus labor
The more complex the couch is, the more expensive you can expect the labor to be. Most re-upholsterers will charge you a fixed amount per hour while others might just quote you a set amount for the entire job and let you know if any unexpected problems popped up while they were working.
While this is rare, it is something to budget for; for example, the couch might be damaged underneath the outer material and they might need to replace a lot of the cushioning or structure.
You should budget at least $300 for the cost of labor and talent, on top of the cost of material, but you can call your re-upholsterer ahead of time to get an idea of their charges.
For the average sized couch, you can typically expect to pay around $700. Of course, this will also depend on the type of material that you use (for example, linen will cost much less than silk or velvet) as well as who you go to to have the reupholstering done.
A large couch will run you close to $1,000 and a small loveseat will typically be around $450. Again, this is something that you need to check with your re-upholsterer in order to get a more exact and accurate amount.
Before you choose anyone to do your reupholstering, you should make sure that they have years of experience behind them.
You can also ask to see photographs of their previous work so that you can see their skills for yourself. It is not rude to do so and it will help you to make a better decision about your reupholstering needs.
If you do this, you are much more likely to be satisfied with the finished product and that hideous old couch will become a brand new work of art that will catch everyone’s eye when they enter your house.
