Reupholstery Cushions Cost of Redecorating

Hang on to that battered Naugahyde recliner and sagging sectional--especially if they’re made with hardwood frames, coil springs and metal plates. Reupholstery may be the solution for reviving and restoring quality furniture--at half the price of starting over.

“Nowadays we’re trying to save the trees. People are starting to keep their good furniture, and pretty soon you won’t be able to buy it,” said Laura Aranda-Hill, owner of Aranda’s Custom Upholstery in Vista.

Plywood and plastic are rapidly replacing hardwoods and metals. People say furniture was once built to last forever but is now being built as a disposable commodity.

“When you buy a new sofa for $450, you know it won’t become an antique,” said Carl Henning of Oceanside, who is planning to have a piece reupholstered. “It’s not made to last.”

Most upholstery shops concede they can’t compete with the bargain-basement prices of mass production furniture. But when it comes to matching “apples to apples or quality of furniture to fabric,” said Roger Gureczny, owner of La Costa Upholstery, that’s a different story. “We are accustomed to working with $400 to $500 budgets.”

Having furniture reupholstered is not just for people on fixed budgets. On the contrary, reupholstering is in vogue among a high-income group, according to most upholsterers. “It has become sheik to save money,” said Kerry Bylerly of Encinitis, who is getting started in the upholstery business.

North County has its share of upholstery shops, particularly in Oceanside, Escondido and Vista. The majority are small, family-operated establishments that began as back-yard businesses--the name given to upholsterers that work out of their homes and make up a large segment of North County’s cottage industry.

Several North County full-service shops are also family-owned but, in addition to reupholstering, they frequently act as a liaison between the customer, interior designer and fabric representative.

The upholstery business is competitive. There are discount fabric shops, do-it-yourself classes, and a wide range of prices and services to choose from. At one time, the typical upholstery shop would only recover furniture when also providing the fabric. Today many clients not only want to furnish their own fabric, but look for free telephone bids, and free pick-up and delivery.

Although a number of upholstery shops tout a guarantee on labor, customers normally ask to see samples of workmanship before making a final decision. Selecting a reputable back-yard upholsterer often requires getting references first, said upholstery instructor Eric Duvall.

UPHOLSTERY CLASSES

A number of back-yard upholsterers in North County have received their training through the Regional Occupational Program at Palomar College. Taught by Duvall, whose upholstery background spans 17 years, classes are in demand each semester. “It usually fills up fast,” said Joane Osborne, who directs the occupational program at the college. “We teach it as a professional class, so our approach is very professional.”

Duvall, with help from three aides, teaches four classes a week that run for 19 weeks. They are held in a 1,200-square-foot facility in the Shadowridge Business Park in San Marcos. Each class is limited to approximately 20 students who enroll on a credit or no-credit basis.

Students are taught furniture and auto upholstery techniques, using state-of-the-art equipment that includes 18 industrial sewing machines, compressors, power saws, large cutting tables, video equipment and an assortment of hand tools. Beginner classes start with a video presentation focusing on equipment safety and the basics of upholstering.

“The most difficult thing is for students to learn how to use the sewing machines,” Duvall said. “They are three times as fast as standard ones.”

Students must first prove their machine competency by sewing on paper without thread--an exercise that may take some people three hours and others three weeks. Learning pattern layout is another tricky, but important facet of the class.

The majority of Duvall’s students are women who want to learn upholstery for household projects. Once they realize the financial possibilities, their outlook changes. “They see that this is a good way to make some extra money and stay home with the kids,” he said.

While most students bring their own projects, many choose to work on a school-supplied project, which comes with free materials. Students work on everything from sofas to antique chairs, but Duvall does not recommend recliners. “You can do two sofas in the time it takes to do a recliner,” he said. “We actually videotape students ripping the recliner apart.”

Students learn how to start their own back-yard business in Duvall’s advanced upholstery classes. Topics such as how to charge for labor and purchase equipment are covered in-depth. Duvall tells his students that $1,200 to $1,500 will buy them a used industrial sewing machine, compressor and miscellaneous tools. The investment is small, but the outlook for success is great, according to Duvall. “People are becoming homebodies and are wanting their furniture to look presentable,” he said.

Auto/Furniture Upholstery

Eric Duvall, instructor

Palomar College

1140 W. Mission Road

San Marcos

Call: 744-1150, ext. 2574

BACK-YARD UPHOLSTERERS

Margaret Ryder is a Duvall-trained back-yard upholsterer with a 10-year track record. “This is my sanity,” said Ryder, 62, who describes herself as a little slow on the job and set in her ways. Like most back-yard upholsterers, her Vista garage is filled with furniture piled high, cutting tables, miscellaneous bolts of material and lots of tools.

A Singer sewing machine sits in a small ante room. “It’s one year younger than God,” she said. A bookcase is crammed with books on upholstering. “I have been collecting them for years at used bookstores and thrift shops--never pass one up.”

Getting started is not tough, said Ryder, especially with Duvall as a contact. But she also picks up jobs in unusual places. “I did a big four-piece grouping for a couple I worked the polls with,” Ryder said.

According to Ryder, most shops charge for labor by the yard of fabric. As a rule of thumb, two yards of fabric are required for each foot of furniture. At $25 to $30 a yard or $50 to $60 a foot, a shop may price their labor at $300 to $400 for a 6-foot sofa. Ryder will charge less but take longer to complete.

Her garage also doubles as a classroom for teaching upholstery as a hobby. Most of her students like the one-on-one attention and are willing to pay the $7.50 an hour she charges. Ryder also travels to students’ homes. “Sometimes they just get stuck,” she says. “See this green bag? I make house calls.”

Ryder is eager to offer would-be back-yard upholsterers a few helpful hints, one of which stresses patience. “You might have to put that arm on six times before you get it right,” she said. She cautions people not to throw away old fabric after stripping a piece of furniture--it may hold the key to figuring out how to cut and attach the new fabric. Ryder is most adamant about calculating fabric. “Don’t just wing it,” she said. “Every time you save fabric, you make big points with the customer.”

Margaret Ryder

Call: 726-2296

FINDING FABRIC

There is no shortage of upholstery fabric in North County, but United Fabric Outlet--known as UFO--in Vista leads the way when equating selection with discount prices. Family-owned with a major partner, it is North County’s largest fabric outlet. United Fabric Outlet occupies a 17,000-square-foot building that is set up in a contemporary warehouse arrangement.

Hundreds of fabric bolts in virtually every color and content draw customers who roam the aisles looking for the ultimate fabric. There is an abundance of upholstery supplies and various types of furniture padding. Prices are prominently displayed: shredded foam at 90 cents a yard, ripping hammers at $17.50, webbing stretcher at $11.15, tack strip at 65 cents a yard and piping cord at 10 cents to 60 cents a yard. Leather costs $4.25 a square foot for a full hide with a minimum purchase of 3 yards.

A 12-person work force circulates the shop with scissors in-hand, prepared to cut anything from swatches to giant bulk orders. Most fabrics in stock run 54 inches wide and are marked 50% below retail prices. They typically range from a low of $6 a yard to a high of $96, according to store manager Eddie Lewis. Professional upholsterers receive an additional discount.

All fabrics are said to be first-quality, and most are discontinued or close-outs. By dealing directly with the mill, buyer Eric Levine can eliminate the middle man and save the customer money. Levine, whose family owns the store, said some customers buy fabric through special order, which receives a 30% discount below retail prices and normally arrives in two to 10 working days. Back orders take longer.

Since fabric sells quickly, timing is often critical. “If I like, I buy it,” said customer Jean Humphreys. Timing also means knowing when the new stock is due to arrive. Most mills have two major lines that come out twice a year. “This is a buying time,” Levine said. “Customers can expect to see lots of new fabric from February through May.”

UFO (United Fabric Outlet)

Eddie Lewis, manager

1120 N. Melrose Drive, Vista

Call: 941-2345

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

SMALL UPHOLSTERY SHOPS

Many small upholstery shops refer to themselves as mom-and-pop operations. While there is a storefront, it is often a no-frills shop. Aranda’s Custom Upholstery falls into this category, as do about 50 others in North County. The shop has been in the Vista area for more than 20 years, and repeat customers make up more than 40% of the business.

Owned solely by Laura Aranda-Hill, she moved to her present location on South Santa Fe in 1986. All upholstering is done by Aranda-Hill and one other employee in a 1,200-square-foot building. Although fabric samples are available, most customers furnish their own yardage. Simple repairs and complete fabric stripping are included in the price of labor. She normally figures labor at $30 a yard when the customer provides fabric.

Aranda-Hill offers free estimates but cautions that prices can be set only after she sees the piece. To reupholster an 8-foot sofa with three cushions, box pleats, no loose cushion backs, and fabric provided, would typically cost about $360. Pick-up and delivery would be included in that price, and the project would take about eight working days, she said.

Aranda-Hill does a lot of work for seniors on tight budgets. An elderly couple came into the shop to pick up dining chairs that were transformed from cane seats to fixed upholstered cushions. It was obvious that she had given them a rock-bottom price.

Aranda-Hill’s compassion for her customers undoubtedly stems from her own experiences. In 1987 she was in a serious accident, and an outpouring of goodwill from Vista friends and neighbors helped her keep the upholstery business afloat.

Aranda’s Custom Upholstery

613 S. Santa Fe, Vista

Laura Aranda-Hill, owner

Call: 726-7748

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FULL-SERVICE UPHOLSTERY

La Costa Upholstery is proof that all businesses are not suffering from a depressed economy. Roger Gureczny’s 13-year-old family business is buzzing with interior designers, fabric representatives and customers who include the likes of Joan Kroc and Craig Stadler. Yes, Mrs. Kroc has furniture reupholstered, Gureczny said.

But Gureczny doesn’t want to be thought of as a high-end shop.

“Sometimes when a client is on a real budget, my wife will go over to UFO and help them select fabric,” he said.

Gureczny is joined in the shop by his wife, Margaret, sister Kay and father, Joe, who also repairs and builds custom furniture. Located in a San Marcos business park, the shop contains a couple of offices, fabric showrooms, and work areas where five expert upholsterers ply their trade. Hundreds of fabric books with names like Waverly, Kravet, Robert Allen, and JD Fabrics literally fill two showrooms.

“A major advantage in reupholstering is in the huge selection of fabrics,” Gureczny said. “If you order a new sofa, you may only be able to choose from 10 to 20 fabrics, but now you have the frame, so you can get the fabric you like and spend a lot less.”

Gureczny said La Costa Upholstery sells service and quality. Shop workers return phone calls, answer questions, and hold customers’ hands throughout a project. Customers can expect patterns to match, seams to be correct, skirts to be lined, zippers on cushions and the installation of proper padding. They also offer a one-year guarantee on workmanship.

Gureczny tells clients to consider his four-part criteria when trying to decide if reupholstering is the best route to take. Is the piece worthwhile? Do you like the style, or does it have sentimental value? Is it comfortable? And, does it fit your needs?

Gureczny frequently works with interior designers. The job done for Stadler dovetailed with Cindy Lambert, a well-known local interior designer who arranged for Stadler to have a sofa recovered in a tapestry fabric, offset by two matching wingback chairs done in another fabric.

Gureczny reupholsters a lot of wingback chairs. For approximately $490 a customer can expect a chair that looks new. Although prices vary, he arbitrarily chose a fabric at $35 a yard and figured the chair would require 7 yards of fabric, bringing the fabric total to $245. Assuming the chair needs a new cushion, he added $25 for a replacement. Labor was figured at $220.

“The bottom line is that furniture is an investment,” he said. “When you prorate it over 10 to 20 years, quality makes sense.”

La Costa Upholstery

Rogery Gureczny, owner

1615 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road, A, San Marcos

Call: 744-1360

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon. UPHOLSTERY BOOKS:

“Upholstering Methods” by Fred W. Zimmerman, The Goodheart-Wilcox Co. Inc., South Holland, Ill.

“Upholstery Techniques Illustrated” by Lloyd Green, Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214

Sunset Books’ “Furniture Upholstery and Repair”