Expert: Anderson's Restorations-Rob Anderson - 5/25/2011

Question
Hello. My husband and I own an upholstery shop in Texas. On several occasions I come across very beautiful and interesting pieces in barns, old sheds, and every once in awhile I get pieces just dumped on my doorstep.  One piece in particular, looked like barn critters had been living in it, the horse hair was half hanging out and most of the cotton was missing. I was wanting to know, how much does replacing the insides with foam and new cotton depreciate the value of the piece? I know it depends on the actual piece, but can you give me a percentage range?

Answer
This a very interesting question and could probably make a small book to answer but here goes.
First I will say I am refering to items from late 1800s and up, not the 1786 sofa that would be a rare find. The victorian era and up is what I will address. In MY opinion,if the item is restored using new foam and batten, the price difference from one in origional condition is very small. The items we are talking about are usually purchased by people to use, not look at. Once an item has been redone, reguardless of the stuffing used, it has been changed. It's not origional anymore. This is the difference between upholstered items and the rest of the anitque furniture.I think an item restored with the old stuffing and the wrong material choice is worth much less then new stuffing with the correct style of  material.
The way I approach this subject is, if the stuffing is good or just needs a little extra, I then cover it with muslin and let the buyer choose the material. If the stuffing is missing, smells or is just not usuable, I do the repairs and figure the costs to replace the stuffing using replacement horsehair and batten and also a cost using newer materials and the customer can make the choice.
 I also don't think you will find a lot of items that haven't been reupholstered at least once already with new stuffing used or just added to the origional.
 Hope this helps you out,
  Rob