Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ page). Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our Web site may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please E-mail us winterssewing@gmail.com or call us  at 503-838-4999.

Why should I have my furniture recovered?

People have their furniture recovered for a number of reasons, some of which are:

• It’s a family heirloom and they want it restored.
• The furniture is quality made, and the client wouldn’t be able to replace it with a new piece of equal quality.
• The Clients really like their present furniture and just want it renewed.
  

• The furniture is just the right size and can’t easily be replaced.
• When you have your furniture recovered, you usually have a much wider selection of fabrics than what is available with new furniture.

We mainly do furniture of this type: The client really likes their furniture, they way something unique, they have high quality furntiure, the furniture fits a specific purpose, it is sentimental, or it is an antique.

Furniture reupholster is seldom the cheapest way to go. However, IF there is some reason that you are attached to your furniture or you really like it, upholstery will give you something that no new furniture can give you. It gives you a link to your past, or to your sentiment, or will fill that specific need you have. So, the questions to ask yourself are these

1. Do we like our furniture? if so, how much?
2. Do we have a budget for this project?
3. Is this a high quality piece of furniture? (What was considered average furniture 50+ years ago was of a higher grade than much of the so-all high end furniture of today.)
4. Are there any special memories attached to this piece of furniture?
5. Is anyone really attached to the furniture?
6. Does this piece of furniture fit a specific need that some other furniture can't fil. (For instance, is it of a particular size to fit a certain space that other furniture is either too big or too small?)
7. Does this furniture fill a specific purpose?
8. Is this furniture a antique?

If you can answer yes to one or more of the above questions, perhaps you might look further into having it recovered or rebuilt. Having something recovered cost about the same as a mid-range new furniture. And, with reupholstery you usually get a much wider selection of fabrics.

But, if it is a low end piece of furniture, and you don't particularly like it, and if no on is attached to it, then buying some new furniture might be one option.

How long will take to have my furniture recovered?

We are often backlogged out a couple of months or so, sometimes less, sometimes more, however we don't need to have the furniture in the shop until we are ready to work on it. The length of time we will need to have most common furniture in our shop usually runs about one to three weeks, in most cases. However, what usually takes the longest is the lead time for us to work through all the other jobs that came in before your job. This can be anywhere between a couple weeks to several months or more, depending upon how busy we are. See completion dates below*.

If you have some special event coming up, contact us as early as possible. If you wait until a few weeks before the even, unless we have an opening, we may not be able to meet your deadline.

Small Jobs: If you have a small job, such as dining room chair seats, a small footstool, or other small job, we can sometimes work it in between the larger jobs. But our ability to work a small job in is affected by how many other jobs we are working on, what stage we are with the current job, how many other rush jobs we have in process.

*Completion dates: We don't work by dates, but on doing quality work on each job,  by how long each job takes and what else is going on in our lives. Some jobs take longer than we thought. If the upholsterer get sick, then that also affects the schedule. If we give an estimated completion date, this is just to give you a  rough idea of when the job will be finished. The dates are only approximations, and can change.

When are our busiest and slowest times of the year

Halloween to Christmas are often the busiest times because people often are having people over for the holidays and want to get their furniture recovered before then.

Typically the time right after Christmas through the first 2 or 3 months of the year can sometimes be the slowest for us, and we can often get your work done very quickly. However, the last couple of years there has not been a slowdown for us.

Note: each year varies and sometimes we are very busy year round and never have a slow time; some years may be very slow and we may not have a “Thanksgiving rush” or a “Christmas rush.”

What is the process of having something recovered?

1. First the client contacts of a quote. With modern furniture we can often often give a rough quote over the phone. To receive a more accurate estimate, email us some pictures, or bring the furniture by our shop. 
2. Choose  your fabrics from our samples in our shop
3. When have seen your furniture, by picture or in person, and you have chosen your fabric, then we can give you a price (you are under no obligation to make a decision right then. Many of our clients may take several days or longer to decide.
4. If you decide to go ahead, we will write up a work order, and we require your signature and a 1/2 deposit. (at this time, if it's early enough in the day, we'll check stock on the fabric while you wait. Otherwise we'll check stock on the fabric the same time we order it on the next business day)
5. After you leave we'll order the fabric. Unless the fabric is back-ordered, it usually arrives in a week or less. When it arrives we put it on our shelf, where it stays until we do your job.
6. When we are ready for your furniture, we call you and make arrangements to get the furniture into our shop.
7. When the job is finished, we'll call you and make arrangements for you to get your furniture.
8. The balance of the job is due when the job is finished.

Questions About Fabric Uses And Durability

Here are some links to fabric information:

FAQ's by (ACT) the Association for Contract Textiles . This web page answers various questions about fabrics

Information about Fabric durability . Also, by ACT

AHFA: Woven And Knit Residential Upholstery Fabric Standards And Guidelines . A pdf file containing much info about fabrics 

Fabric Durability

How much does it cost?

Having a sofa or chair recovered costs about the same amount as buying a mid range furniture. To see our general labor prices, go to the Upholstery Labor Prices page.