Slipcovers/re-upholstering furniture?

[His_Ruby]

Hey all.

My DH and I have some kind of old and ratty looking furniture, a couch and armchair that do the trick for our apartment but are kind of a “bleh” on decoration. We really don’t want to buy new stuff, as we’ve got other expenses and we want to wait until we buy a house.

Has anyone ever made/used slipcovers for furniture? I think this is what I’m going to do, but I’m totally clueless and thought it might look silly?

 

[puzzleannie]

I used to do this all the time. any more it is cheaper to buy ready-made slipcovers from catalogs–Penney’s, Brylane Home, spiegel–as the fabric and accessories are getting more expensive, and you have to waste so much to cut it to fit. got a brown suede-look slipcover for an old vinyl sofa that had dried up in the Texas sun in our family room, $35 on sale from Brylane, which looks great, I bought pillows from the dollar store and made my own bright shams and covers, it looks like something I saw in the Pottery barn catalog for $2000, whole thing was less than $50. Don’t even try to match a plaid or pattern for your first attempt, try a solid color. I found double-knits, heaviest guage I could find, worked best when I had kids because the fabric stretches when kids jump around on furniture, and that fabric has give, and easier to tuck back in and make it neat. I did reupholster a recliner after our dog ate the foot rest and front of the chair (yes, ate, not chewed), but nearly had a nervous breakdown.

upholstery fabric, lining and batting is expensive, so don’t make the investment unless the frame is in good shape, and the piece will hold up under at least 5 years of use. A cheap chair on sale is probably cheaper than reupholstering, so slipcover first. If the piece is okay to sit on but the seat sags, the slipcover places sell boards to put under the seat to make it firmer, which will give you some more mileage.

 

[StratusRose]

You know, you can buy some nice used stuff off of craigslist for about the same amount some slip covers would cost.

 

[dulcissima]

I bought a slipcover for one of my couches that I am pretty happy with for about $40 at Kohl’s. It makes the couch look new and when it gets dirty, I can put it in the washer and dryer and it comes out looking new again. If you are looking at inexpensive slipcovers, I would recommend getting one of the one piece ones with elastic that helps fit it to the couch.

My mom had some furniture reupholstered and really regretted it. She said it was almost as expensive as buying something new. I think I would only consider it if the pieces in question were of exceptional quality to begin with.

Otherwise, maybe you could look at Craigslist for something used.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

. . .
My mom had some furniture reupholstered and really regretted it. She said it was almost as expensive as buying something new. I think I would only consider it if the pieces in question were of exceptional quality to begin with.
. . …

My parents almost made the same error years back, but went to slipcovers when they saw the price difference.

 

[MJE]

I had furniture re-upholstered a few years ago and it is $$. However, the quality of the furniture was top notch and I knew the size and style would be hard to find; it was built in 40’s. The guy who did my pieces has a great reputation and is top notch. In the mean time a friend of mine found a woman working out of her garage part time and was alot less expensive. I would go for used furniture from craigslist in your case. People sell good clean furniture for reasonable $ on craigs.

 

[Jay2]

I’ll 2nd… unless the “core” of the furniture is very well-made (read that as $$expensive$$ when new) I wouldn’t bother with reupholstering.

Around here we’ve got a few furniture rental outfits/outlet stores. These places take in furniture that’s been used in offices, photo-shoots, model homes, etc. The stuff is practically brand-new, rarely even sat on, but sold at a DEEP discount… and because of it’s initial purpose, it is some really nice stuff! Check into this possibility

 

[keri6789]

I bought a slipcover for one of my couches that I am pretty happy with for about $40 at Kohl’s. It makes the couch look new and when it gets dirty, I can put it in the washer and dryer and it comes out looking new again. If you are looking at inexpensive slipcovers, I would recommend getting one of the one piece ones with elastic that helps fit it to the couch.

I 2nd the Kohls couch covers. I waited until they were really cheap on sale and spent $40 for each cover. I really like them. I have a dog so its really nice to be able to take it off and wash it when it gets dirty.

 

[Marysann]

I have been out of the country for a while. What is Craig’s list?

 

[Jennifer_J]

I like surefit.net for slip covers. They are good quality and last. I think Target sells the cheaper version of this brand. Remember that too cheap usually means it won’t last as long esp with my 5 children and dh sitting on them . I like that I can remove and wash the covers(most of the surefit covers are maching wash and dry–read the description to be sure ), and that they cover the old, ugly couch that we have!. My favorite covers have been denim, because it’s so durable and matches most anything!

Jennifer