You’re driving down the road when you spot a couch or other piece of furniture on the curb, or maybe you’re strolling through the local Salvation Army store and can’t resist buying that slightly less than perfect sofa. Maybe your parents or a friend bought new furniture and you offered to take their old stuff, but it’s not in the best shape. The question is, should you toss that old thing or is it time to invest in couch reupholstery?
It can be a tough decision, but if you consider a few things first, you should be able to decide. The following questions will help guide your thinking on what to do with that flawed furniture you found.
- How big is your budget? Depending on the fabric you choose, the cost of labor and the amount of structural damage the couch or chair has, unless you have lots of extra cash, you’re probably better off not being tempted to haul abandoned furniture back to your place or keep Mom’s old sofa. It would cost the same amount of money or even less money to buy new furniture instead.
- Does it have sentimental value? Even if the piece of furniture isn’t an antique, if it’s a piece that’s been in your family since you were little, or it’s the couch your kids played on and full of happy memories, you probably shouldn’t get rid of it. In that case couch reupholstery is great way to preserve precious moments while prolonging the life of your couch and even updating it with a more contemporary fabric and pattern.
- How bad is the damage? If the chair or sofa is badly damaged or smells like a giant stale ashtray, leave it at the thrift shop or yard sale and buy something new instead, unless it’s a one of a kind, too-good-to-be-true valuable antique that’s free or costs almost nothing to purchase. If there’s not much damage and it’s in your budget reupholstery is a great way to bring new life to abandoned furniture.
- Can it be cleaned or repaired instead? Maybe the couch just has a rip or two, and some superficial stains. If you like the fabric and it fits in with your existing furniture when the damage is superficial, upholstery repair and/or upholstery cleaning could save you a lot of money over the cost of completely reupholstering your new find.
By keeping the above things in mind, you should be able to make sound judgments about when to replace and when to reupholster your old couch and other furniture. These questions might even influence your decision on whether to pick up abandoned items or just pass them by for someone else.
Maybe you have ideas of your own about this topic. Leave them in the comment section below. If you’re still not sure on whether you should invest in couch or other furniture reupholstery, give us a call today.