Why You Should Check Out Your Local Upholstery Shop Before Shopping New
One common thing that we hear from prospective customers when we give a quote for a project is “That’s too much, I could just go and buy a new couch for less than that”. This may be true, you probably can go out and get a new piece of furniture for cheaper, but there is a reason that you see such a difference in price.
Why is reupholstering worth it?
The quality of materials and craftsmanship in older furniture is much higher than most cheaper options out in stores. Going to an upholstery shop will get you a continued high level of craftsmanship and materials that are worth spending a few extra dollars on.
With furniture, cheaper prices will often mean that cheaper materials were used in the production process. When you buy a piece of furniture, you are essentially getting what you are paying for. The more you pay, the higher the quality will be… the less you pay the worse the quality will be.
Why does quality matter?
When shopping for a new car, you expect that it is going to last you at least 100,000 miles without having any major problems right? You take your time to carefully consider what you can afford, even if it seems to be a bit over your ideal price range, you still weigh the pros and cons of having a vehicle that you can rely on. Why should buying furniture be any different?
The structure of a piece of furniture is arguably the most important. Without a strong frame, it is not likely that the piece is going to last all that long. Furniture that is mass produced today will nine times out of ten be made out of a pressboard structure. Pressboard is made out of paper scraps that have been combined with some adhesive and then pressed together and heated. This pressboard can be sturdy for a short time, but it stands no chance when put up against the quality of solid wood.
Furniture that is made of solid wood can last lifetimes if taken care of properly, but it is not likely that anyone can say the same about cheap pressboard furniture. Instead of buying a new couch every 3-5 years, go to your local upholsterer and explore all of the endless possibilities that you can choose from for a couch that will last you years to come.
When it comes to the fabric that one may use on their furniture, it is important to think about how the material will hold up to normal wear and tear. In the upholstery industry we measure the durability of fabric by something called an abrasion test. This test is measured by double rubs. A double rub is one back and forth motion on a piece of material, meaning that if a fabric passes with 35,000 double rubs, then it has been tested to withstand up to 35,0000 back and forth motions. Anything that is above 30,000 double rubs will be a material that will last you years to come. This measure is often not something that is taken into consideration when companies are building furniture by mass production.
As you use your furniture over time, the foam within the cushions will naturally begin to break down. This is very normal, but there are significant differences in the wear of foam depending on its quality. Foams that are considered high density is what is going to be used by your local upholstery shops. This high density foam can last up to 20 years inside your furniture and has a significantly slower breakdown time. Foams that are used within newer and less expensive furniture are not high density meaning they are going to break down quicker because it is made out of cheaper materials. Going to your local upholsterers not only gets you higher quality materials, but it also allows you to customize furniture in all ways that you can possibly think of!
One of the coolest things about custom upholstery is that you get to hand select and tweak every single aspect of your furniture. You can have the upholstery technicians custom tailor everything from the firmness of foam, what kind of fabric you would like, decorative nails, gimp, tufting styles, welting preferences, and so much more. With custom upholstery there is no need to settle for something that you don’t absolutely love. I am sure your local upholstery shop will appreciate your business a whole lot more than huge furniture retailers. We urge you to go out and support your local upholstery business where they can stand by their work and you can be proud of how your furniture has been designed.
