- Is my Lounge Suite worth
re-upholstering?
- How do I choose a good Upholsterer?
- Is the person a Sales Consultant
or the Upholsterer actually doing the work?
- Is the work contracted out
to other Upholsterers?
- Is the cheapest quote always
the best?
- Why do some upholsterers
quote more material required than others?
- Why is there such a price
difference between quotes?
- Will the quote be itemised
including: Amount of metres required - cost per Metre of
fabric the Labour Component – Total including GST?
- What type of Workmanship
Guarantee is there?
- What should be included
as part of the service?
1. Is my Lounge Suite worth re-upholstering?
As previously stated, a well known brand renowned for quality
then it is worth recovering especially if the replacement
value is higher than the re-upholstery cost. Another consideration
would be the quality of the frame. A hardwood frame or custom
made item would be at the higher end where as mass produced
lounge suites made from chipboard and pine are usually at
the lower end of the market. The lower end of the market use
inferior Seat Foam, Elastic Webbing and a cheaper quality
fabric. These things also need to be taken into consideration.
If you still feel you would like direction in that regard
you can simply email me with a couple of Photos in JPG format
attached to the email and outlining anything that may need
special repair.This could include ,Frame damage, Seat springs
etc… If you know the brand name and approximate year
when you purchased it, can also help. see
our Online Quotation page
2. How do I choose a good Upholsterer?
Recommendation is the best policy. Request to see some of
their work. Ask if they can give you phone numbers from previous
work they have done. One of the most enjoyable aspects of
upholstery is to receive letters of appreciation from clients
who have been delighted with the service. See if there is
a good communication level where the upholsterer fully understands
and is listening to your requirements. Ask them the type of
experience they have and for how long. This may seem a rather
strange question. However, a lot of upholsterers are limited
in their capacity to fully comprehend the importance of various
traditional methods. It is important that they have worked
at all levels of both manufacture and re-upholstery for you
to feel confident in their workmanship.
3. Is the person a Sales Consultant
or the Upholsterer actually doing the work?
This question may not seem very important. However,
a Salesman would not have the expertise to make informed decisions
to areas of the upholstery which may need restoring. In particular,
if your Sofa or Lounge suite is an antique or period piece
only a person who has worked in that area could make
a true assessment of what needs to be done. Often timber rails
may need replacing from termite damage. This is a fairly common
occurrance As well, the Salesman could very well be working
for a commission base. Over quoting with the amount
of fabric needed for the job is another area to watch out
for. Use our online calculator as a guide. Personalised
service is the best.
4. Is the work contracted out to
other Upholsterers?
The best method of quotation is personalised service.
The tradesman can identify any areas of difficulty that could
arise during the upholstery process and go into far more detail
with the client as to ways of making improvements.
One of the major difficulties with contract upholstery is
not having the “Quality Assurance” that you would
normally expect when you know the person who is upholstering
your lounge suite. Instructions to the contractor become third
hand information passed down the line. Unfortunately, if instructions
have not been fully clarified, this can allow room for mistakes
to happen due to poor communication.
5. Is the cheapest quote always the
best?
In most cases the answer would be “No”. You get
what you pay for and in service industries it can be even
less. Upholstery is truly “Buyer Beware”. When
I am wanting a quote for a service industry , I will normally
start of with recommendations as a priority. I will then ring
a couple of others and compare Prices. When comparing quotes
look at the Labour Cost – Cost of materials –
The service that you have been promised.
6.Why do some upholsterers quote
more material required than others?
There are three possible answers.
The upholsterer quoting more fabric than someone else may
not be confident in there own ability and is allowing for
more wastage
It could be that he is deliberately under quoting in the
Labour of the job and making up for it with the amount of
fabric required. This is a common practice. Use our Calculator
as a guide Fabric
Calculator or view the Lounge suites and chairs in the
Photo section. It shows the approximate
amount of metres needed. The calculator is a guide only.
It could be that the Upholsterer quoting more fabric could
be correct and the others could be wrong.
7. Why is there a price difference
between quotes?
Which of these three quotations would indicate a true and
correct valuation.?
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The most important thing when comparing quotes is to
look for inconsistencies. These three quotations show
a number of inconsistencies that can identify situations
to be aware of.
- Discrepancy with the amount
of metreage required to do the same job.
- A major difference between
the Labour Cost of two companies and non-disclosure
with the other.
- A major difference between
the Fabric Cost of two companies and non-disclosure
with the other.
- Lack of
professionalism with two of the quotes.
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The first point regarding
the large variation in the amount of fabric required. It stands
to reason that 21-23mtre would be correct. Perhaps the fact
that “P Plate Upholstery” appears to be fairly
new in the business and may still be learning to work out
the amount of fabric required, his 2mtr above Integrity Upholstery
can be forgiven. It is obvious that Cheapa Upholstery’s
bottom line of $1,800 is good. However, he is not telling
the truth about the amount of metreage needed. Over quoting
the amount of fabric needed whilst ordering far less than
what they tell the customer is fairly common.
The second point regarding the major Labour cost between
two companies is very significant. When a company says they
will fix everything at a low Labour rate, “Buyer Beware”.
“P Plate Upholstery” has added an extra $13 per/mtr
above “Integrity Upholstery” fabric price. In
other words he is Loading up the fabric price to make his
Labour price appear cheap. Again, this situation is a common
occurance. The third point, is on the same lines as the previous
one. The difference, is of course the Fabric cost and how
it can be manipulated to make the Labour appear low. The final
point is of course the lack of professionalism with the first
and third quote. Non-disclosure and the “Fix everything”
mentality without saying what you will fix gives good upholsterers
a bad name. The true valuation is Integrity Upholstery Company.
His price may be the highest, at least you know you are going
to receive honesty and more than likely a well finished Lounge
Suite to go with it.
8. Will the quote be itemised including:
Amount of metres required - cost per Metre of fabric –
the Labour Component – Total including GST?
In Question 7. It highlights the importance of having a quote
itemised. A quote should have at least the basics of the re-upholstery
that will be performed including the Materials such as Springs
– Webbing – Dacron – Foam. If you have your
quotation fully itemised then you can at least see where the
costs are going and determine if replacement cost may be an
option.
9. What type of Workmanship Guarantee
is there?
There is no hard and fast rule regarding guarantee. However,
an upholsterer should be more than willing to Guarantee the
work he has put into your Lounge suite. He cannot guarantee
the components of the Lounge suite Ex: Fabric – Springing
– Foam unless there is a manufacturers warranty. Always
ask for the “Care Labels “ that comes with the
fabric, vinyl or leather from all Suppliers.
10. What should be included as part
of the service?
The Quotation should be a “Free Measure & Quote.”
In most cases it should include a Free pick-up and delivery
service. It may be different in a remote area. Use your own
discretion. A quotation should be a fixed price unless there
is major un-foreseen structural damage. That would be very
rare if the person who is Quoting the job knows what they
are doing.
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