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A question i often get asked is whether its worth getting a piece of furniture reupholstered or going out and buying a new piece, ok lets look between the two. A lot of modern furniture these days is built to last a certain amount of time, an example for instance would be a new sofa, at a glance its well padded, really plump back and seat cushions, probably to the point that they look like they could burst, you sit on it and its super comfortable and to top it off its made of Real Leather, Fantastic all of this for around a £1000. ok lets have another look at the same sofa and ask a few questions, are the cushions filled with Feathers (Doubtful for around £1000) but probably filled with 100% Polyester, Fiberfill or Dacron, all the same really, a manmade synthetic material which soon loses its strength and tends to clump together easily, thus altering the shape slightly and making the leather look baggy. Real Leather 🤔, Chances are its Pu Leather, there is alot of information on the internet regarding Pu Leather, Bonded Leather etc. Basically its manmade and has a short lifespan, starts to peel etc., Is the frame made from Hardwood 🤔, probably not, are there metal serpentine or coil springs in the seat and backs, Probably not, more likely to have elasticated webbing stapled across the seat and back areas, again will sag given time, is there cardboard sheets covering the voids between the wood, probably, I could go on and on, but basically you get what you pay for, these sofas are fantastic and will do the job nicely, but you must consider that they have a time limit on them, then throw on landfill and buy another, starting the cycle again. Shall i have my sofa reupholstered🤔 A few things to consider are, does it have a good frame (Hardwood), Metal Springs (Seat/Backs), Foam filled (Cushions),if the answers to these are yes, then its worth it. Doesn't matter if the frame is damaged or squeaks, it would be fixed in the reupholstery, doesn't matter if there are a few springs broken, they will be replaced with new ones, doesn't matter if some of the foam is missing or damaged, the damaged or missing area will be replaced with new fire retardant foam. You get to choose your own fabric or real genuine leather (Something that once stood in a field grazing) there are millions of Colours / designs to choose from all fire retardant, so you get to create the desired look your after, is there another chair in the room, say a family heirloom, then this too can be reupholstered to match your new sofa, the list of possibilities is endless. This comparison relates to any piece of upholstered furniture you have, Dining Chairs, Bedroom Chairs etc..

Having decided to use foam instead of the traditional horsehair and cotton wadding, it was time to measure (slightly oversized) the foam for the seat / arms and inside back, once all fitted and smooth the foam was covered with a layer of Dacron to give it a softer and more luxurious feel. The fabric i purchased was a Fire Proofed Baroque style, starting with the seat, i centralised the pattern and made sure it was straight and equal in all directions, the same technique being applied to both arms (trying to keep the pattern as uniform as possible. The inside back needed the pattern to run identically with the seat fabric, allowing the pattern to continue across the piece as it would look on the roll when purchased. The piece was finished with matching double piping (to hide the staples) to make the top of the settee complete. The final part was to add an hessian dust cover to the underside using traditional tacks to maintain its appearance as an antique. Rob.

I was asked to make this old suitcase into a table / feature for a client, having quite a lot of sentimental value, i needed to preserve it as much as possible, between the two of us we decided on a padded check interior with a secret compartment. Thanks Rob

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth Drivers Recaro Seat. This seat was in a bad state of repair, fabric deteriorated, foam seat bolster completely worn away. Having cut away any deteriorated foam, i then replaced it using patterns from the opposite side to recreate the same shape and density, so with new foam and seat webbing all fixed, i decided on the reupholstery to be in leather, the seat was patterned using the foam ( i tend not to copy the old fabric as a template as if it has stretched over time, any mistakes or unevenness will just be transferred to the new fabric / leather ). on completion the seat turned out great in leather and ready for another 30+ years. Thanks Rob

Part 1 of the full restoration