Expert: Mark H. Miller - 9/22/2009

Question
QUESTION: hello. i recently started upholstery work and got a call for a repair and i really don't know how to price it. i have an attached cushion sofa that needs fixing. basically the back cushion became detached from the top of the frame on 3 out of 5 pieces of a sectional.

the customer wants me to restuff the pillows, hand stitch them back together, and rip another one apart to restuff, then sew it back together.

i've done whole pieces of furniture..i just want an idea of what to charge for such a repair..

ANSWER: To determine the price you should establish your hourly rate, by that I don't mean what your salary is but your costs added to that,  the rule of thumb is that your cost is 2X your hourly wage, so if you want to make $ 15 per hour in salary you charge $ 45 per hour.  That covers your costs such as taxes, insurance and supplies.   Determine how long the job will take and multiply that by your hourly fee.  

Additionally be certain to provide a written estimate for the client - and have the client sign that they accept your estimate.  In most states you are allowed to exceed the estimate by 10% if there is a problem that you could not have known.  

Then, on the bottom of your estimate type a disclaimer that states the following:
IN AS MUCH AS WE DID NOT PROVIDE/SELL THE UPHOLSTERY FABRIC WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR REPLACING OR THE COST OF THE UPHOLSTERY FABRIC.  IN THE EVENT OF A DISPUTE IT IS SPECIFICALLY UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED TO THAT REGARDLESS OF FAULT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS (your name or name of company) RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AMOUNT THAT IS LARGER THAN THE AMOUNT INVOICED.  

That clause will protect you if anything goes wrong,  experience has taught me that when making repairs it is very wise to point out in writing that this is a repair at the clients request and the results may not be what the client anticipated or had in mind.  The greatest risk in repairing old furniture is that very often there are damages, soil, tears, rips, etc. that the clients legitimately was not aware of, but will notice when the job is returned and state that you caused the damage.  For that reason most upholsterers will not do repairs - they have been burned too many times - leather can rip, seams come apart. The burden to give a written estimate, and provide a written proposal of what you can and will do is on you, in a dispute the Courts have little sympathy for vendors who violate the rules of business.  I hope this extra information is helpful and that the first paragraph answered your question regarding pricing.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.

Good luck.

Mark Miller.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you for your answer. to go about fixing this..i was just going to restuff the "pillowcases" inside the cushion back and sew it back up.

is it really that simple or am i missing something? inside each pillow back is a pillow that needs restuffed.. should i put any batting in there? like..wrap the pillowcase in batting? or just restuff the pillows to reshape?

one of the pillow backs is not ripped at all..just needs restuffed. since i have to open that one up..so was going to open it from the bottom whereas not to weaken the upper seam.will i have to open up the others from the bottom to push the stuffing up properly?

thanks for your time..sorry for all the questions...

Answer
Hi,

You certainly are on the right track,  the job is not difficult mechanically but often difficult physically in that it is hard to get into cushions that are attached.  Going in from the bottom is a good way if you can get your arm in there.  Don't worry about adding the filling inside the inner cover, that is only there to make it easy when they first stuffed the cushion but no longer serves a purpose.  Ideally you would add plain Dacron since it has the least tendency to bunch up,  either from the bottom up and push the existing filling up toward the top, or add the filling to the back behind the existing filling and push the existing filling forward.  That way you will have the least chances of getting lumps.  It is often not possible to add filling to attached cushions unless you remove the existing outside back so that you can gain access into the cushions.  Removing the outside back is often quicker than opening seams and hand sewing them closed.

I hope this makes sense and is the information you were looking for,  don't hesitate to contact me if you need further pointers.

Good luck with the job.

Mark Miller.