statue-of-liberty-258862_640Any well-used, well-loved piece of comfortable seating will need rejuvenation at some point in its long life. If you’re thinking seriously about reupholstery, it’s plain that you don’t want to junk your couch or chair. As a New Yorker, you know that just about anything under the sun can be successfully located right here in your home town, so you’ll be able to find sources for sofa reupholstery in NYC. But you also know that it’s not the cheapest place in the world – and if you’ve been researching the matter, you probably also know that plenty of people advocate upholstery as a good do-it-yourself project, recommending it as both satisfyingly creative and a way to save some money.

The style and condition of the furniture. If you need furniture repair as well as reupholstering, getting everything done at once by the same specialists makes sense from every point of view. And if it’s a complex piece – a Chesterfield,say, or an antique or a newer piece constructed in a vintage style – that kind of couch reupholstery requires expertise above and beyond the skills of most amateurs.

Your level of skill. Have you done reupholstery projects before? Do you have the tools already or would you have to research and then purchase them? If you’re a novice, how much leeway do you have, in terms of time and energy, to go through the necessary trial-and-error of learning the techniques — and do you want to use this particular sofa or chair as your first test piece (see the paragraph above!). A related point: do you have anyone handy to be a helper? Furniture reupholstery on a large piece is usually a 2-person task.

Transform Your Furniture: The Art and Science of Professional Reupholstery

What kind of end result do you want? Are you looking to restore the sofa or chair to its original appearance, or do you want it refurbished in a new style to suit a décor change? What kind of material do you want for the new covering? In a way this ties in with the previous point. If you’re experienced with fabrics – with cutting and sewing, and experienced with fabric selection – you’ve definitely got a leg up if you’re interested in learning about upholstering. Transform your living space with Dr. Sofa’s expert Upholstery Cleaning Services, restoring beauty and freshness to your furniture effortlessly.

A cautionary note for the less experienced: fabric must be selected from real swatches or samples! No computer will show you colors properly. Also, you may want to ask advice about the type of material that will be best not only for your style of sofa, but for your lifestyle. And if you’re thinking of leather reupholstery, most experts advise against DIY, as leather must be handled differently, with different tools, than cloth.

Cost. There are pluses to a big city marketplace! New York City upholstery professionals have plenty of local competitors, and know they must guarantee high quality, competitive pricing, and good service to succeed. In addition, they’ve accumulated experience with every type of furnishing and material, and can offer you real expertise.