Sofa Re-Upholstery: What Actually Happens During the Job

It starts with stripping back to the frame

A proper re-upholstery job begins by stripping the old fabric completely back to the bare frame — not upholstering over the top of the existing cover. This is the step that reveals the sofa's real condition and determines whether re-upholstery is actually worth doing.

Checking what's underneath

With the frame exposed, we check the joints, webbing and structural integrity before doing anything else. A solid hardwood frame with tight joints and no cracking is worth re-covering; if the frame itself is compromised, re-upholstery would just be putting new fabric over a problem that resurfaces later.

Foam and cushioning

Foam and cushioning are assessed alongside the frame — if they're still supportive, they can often be kept; if they've broken down or lost shape, replacing them is usually bundled into the same job rather than treated as a separate cost later.

Choosing new fabric

Re-upholstery isn't limited to whatever fabric the sofa originally came with — you can choose an entirely different material, from luxurious velvets to durable, practical linens, which is a genuine opportunity to change the whole character of a piece rather than just refresh it.

What determines the timeline

Because the frame is inspected and potentially repaired, and cushioning may be replaced, re-upholstery takes longer than a straightforward curtain or blind order. We give a firm timeline once we've seen the piece in person during your free consultation.