Tips of the Trade

Upholstery Charts

Oh happy day! I’ve scheduled a pick up with my upholsterers to come and get my sofa and maybe a chair…or two…and maybe some x benches. {If anyone local is wondering, I use Jensen’s Work Room in Elkton, MD. They are inexpensive, really good and very fast. Tell them I sent you.} Bye bye, green…

Oh happy day! I’ve scheduled a pick up with my upholsterers to come and get my sofa and maybe a chair…or two…and maybe some x benches.

{If anyone local is wondering, I use Jensen’s Work Room in Elkton, MD. They are inexpensive, really good and very fast. Tell them I sent you.}

Bye bye, green linen. Hello, ivory velvet!

I do have plans for reupholstering a couple of chairs myself for the new apartment, but the pieces mentioned above would take me more than 20 hours of labor – more than I can give right now.

It’s been exciting to go fabric shopping for these upholstery projects (speaking of which, I have a fun new collaboration to announce soon!). Here are the pretty standard, but really handy, yardage charts that I like to reference when I’m planning to reupholster a piece of furniture.

Don’t forget that if you’re using a patterned fabric, the yardage will go up a lot, depending on the size of the pattern’s repeat. And of course these charts are just rough estimates. If your furniture is newer and you know the manufacturer, you should call them for guidance on yardage. Or talk with your upholsterer.


Join the Conversation

49 thoughts on “Upholstery Charts

  1. Great charts! I had gotten one from my mom but yours is so much more complete.
    I'm in NJ and I'm looking for a workroom for some upholstery projects that are a little to big for me to tackle myself. Can you offer any advice on I could find one? Are they just upholstery places?
    When you move to NYC you are going to be like a kid in a candy shop when you shop the garment district. The fabric and trim selections will make your head spin! And if you're looking to make an hour road trip there's a GREAT place in Englishtown, NJ that's a huge junk shop with all kinds of stuff, (furniture, lighting, old bedding and napkins, pottery, shelves and shelves of plates, paintings, etc) that you HAVE to visit! It's dirt cheap too.

  2. This is soooo helpful!
    When we where looking for someone to reupholster our living room furniture, we asked 2-3 reupholsters how much fabric they would need, and their answers were too different from each other!

  3. I think for a reputable and fairly priced/inexpensive upholsterer, you can expect to pay:

    dining/side chair (upholstered back): $150

    Arm chair: $200-$400

    Sofa: $550-$1000

    All this depends on lots of variables – tight-backed or cushions? Skirted? Nail head trim? Tufting? 1,2, or 3 cushions? Type of fabric, etc

  4. I've never had anything upholstered and always wonder how much that sort of thing costs. Of course, there is the cost of the fabric — but, how much can I expect to pay for labor? I'm always torn about buying that cheap and ugly chair from a flea market, thinking that once I get it home, upholstering will be just too much for my budget. I'd love to have a sense of upholstering costs — even just a ballpark range if possible.

  5. Ummm you are a SAINT for posting those charts…my upholsterers are always so cagey about giving me rough estimates…I guess maybe they are afraid I will freak if they tell me too much/too little…either way. Bless you, woman.

  6. I think for a reputable and fairly priced/inexpensive upholsterer, you can expect to pay:

    dining/side chair (upholstered back): $150

    Arm chair: $200-$400

    Sofa: $550-$1000

    All this depends on lots of variables – tight-backed or cushions? Skirted? Nail head trim? Tufting? 1,2, or 3 cushions? Type of fabric, etc

  7. Thanks for these charts…and thanks for posting the ranges for the upholstery labour. I really want to reupholster a couch (once I find the right one!), but I wasn't sure the amount for labour. Can't wait to see that couch in it's different fabric!

  8. this is very handy! And also, just wanted to tell you that I've been pondering black and white curtains. I couldn't decide between horizontal and vertical stripes. Anywho- yours look great!

  9. Hi Jenny, just curious what your upholsterer is charging you for the couch? I'm trying to get a feeling for what is a good price. Thanks!! Juile

  10. WOW! $525! That really is CHEAP! Especially if they do great work. Just curious if that is a designer discount? Good for you! Can't wait to see it reupholstered! Thanks for sharing! Julie

  11. Hi Jenny! Thanks SO much for these charts. They come at a perfect time since I'm starting my first slipcover project. I posted about your charts and linked to this post so everyone could take advantage of the information. Your blog is amazing and I get so much inspiration from all of the wonderful pictures.

  12. i have been looking for any information on recovering a chair from the 1920's… lo and behold, it's on your chart!!! thank you for restoring some confidence in my first reupholstering project!

© Jenny Komenda. All Rights Reserved.
Site by