When should you call in the professional upholsterers?

Well it depends on what sort of finish you want, what the piece is and how sentimental you are about the piece.

You have probably read blog after blog on how to upholster a chair or a bench seat, and you're wondering if you should tackle it yourself. If you want to have a look at some resources have a look here.

Now if you are running a business, it's a no brainer, you can't afford to do anything that could compromise the quality of your business. There are so many cons against attempting upholstery for a business, from time, quality, durability. I recently wrote about a quick way to make upholstered furniture look cheap. In business you need your furniture to look good, for it to last a long time and be easy to care for. If you attempt to upholster anything for business, you really are taking a big risk.

The Repeat

What is a repeat and what does that have to do with my furniture?

A full repeat

The repeat is the size of the pattern of your fabric. This is measured both vertically and horizontally. In the above image you see the 9 flowers  - this is the whole 'repeat' since each line is different. These 9 flowers will be 'repeated' though out the fabric. Therefore, you need to measure 3 flowers across and 3 high to get the size of the repeat.

Service With a Smile, or Much, Much More?

You hear about 'service' all the time, in phrases such as "we provide excellent service" but that does sound fairly hollow. So what does 'excellent service' mean when you work with Upholstery Fit Outs?

To me, service is more than just returning phone calls and being there on time. First and foremost it's about finding out what YOU need. The customer. It comes down to your needs. To do my job to the best of my ability I need to know what YOU need, so then we can discuss all the following:

Imported Furniture - Ewww!

I have written about this topic and have it posted on the website but with a New Year I thought it was time to highlight this issue again, as it is not going away anytime soon.

Whenever we import furniture into New Zealand we are opening ourselves up to a couple of serious issues.  MAF Biosecurity New Zealand reported on furniture that was coming into New Zealand from some Asian countries and what they found was unsettling indeed.

Quality

The quality of the product was poor. The "construction materials used were of poor quality … undressed and dirty timber (even the occasional  tree branch"). I'm sure when you head out to buy new furniture, this is not what you hoping to find. Unfortunately this is nothing new to us in the trade, we have been seeing this happening for some time. If you are buying cheap furniture you are going to get sub par quality. Furniture is fast to produce when you have the resources, but like this image states, you can't get all 3 in one item - you have to pick 2!

How much is it going to cost?

The number one question I get asked is "how much will it cost?" My answer is usually some variation on: "Well that depends!"

Something that may seem straight forward such as repairing a tear in banquet seating, may turn into a much bigger job if the fabric/vinyl or leather is in a state where repair is not advisable (i.e. will create more issues in the long run). Admittedly this doesn't happen often, but until we know more about the item it's hard to know.

So when you call to ask for a 'general idea' on how much things will cost, we can only give you a rough guide. It is not until we are physically looking at the items(s) that we will be able to give you an estimate.

You can go to our website where you will find a place to input measurements and if possible attach a photo of what it is you would like worked on, this helps immensely in giving you a better ballpark figure.  

Cost is determined by:

• Fabric choice and quantity
• Labour  - is it a full re upholstery of a piece or a small repair
• Supplies - foam, thread etc

We will charge whatever amount it takes to do the job right! The last thing either of us want, is for the job to be repeated. We won't overcharge you, we charge a fair price for a fantastic job! 

If you feel the estimated price is too high we may have to ask you "What part of the job would you like us to leave out?" Then we can come to some arrangement where we might be able to lower the quality foam or fabric to adjust the price. Or we might be able find some other option that might work. 

We don't cut corners, because your upholstery has to withstand the rigours of your business. Rest assured, the price we charge is fair and not inflated. Call us on 0800 698 746 and we can discuss further. 

Do you have other questions you would like to ask? Leave a comment and I will be happy to answer them.

The Furniture Master Seal

Upholsterers come under  'Master Furniture Finisher'

No doubt you have heard of Master Builders, Master Plumbers and Master Electricians but have you heard of a Master Furniture Maker?

Well now you have. If a company has earned it, Furniture Makers can display the Furniture Master Seal, but there's not just one seal there are 4! 

• Master Cabinet Maker
• Master Furniture Finisher
• Master Furniture Maker
• Master bedding Maker