How do I find a good upholsterer?
Having a referral from a family member or friend is the best way to search for an upholsterer. Also check with your neighborhood e-mail discussion group and consumer sites, then visit the workrooms of the names you’ve gathered.
Good questions to ask upholsterers include: How long has the company been in business? Can you see examples of their work? Is your piece worth upholstering? How much are pickup and delivery charges? What is the turnaround time? Do they remove existing fabric?
Even if an upholsterer answers yes to the last question, Goncalves recommends taking it a step further: Request that they save the old fabric for you. “You can throw it away as soon as you get home, but it’s always a good thing to ask so you can be assured that the job has been done.”
Goncalves speaks from experience. He recently reupholstered a sofa for a client that had four layers of fabric underneath the top layer. “I saved it all to show my customer,” he said. “She had no idea.”