How Much to Reupholster a Dining Chair UK?

Reupholstering a dining chair in the UK typically costs between £60 and £150 per chair for a simple drop in seat pad, and between £150 and £350 for a fully upholstered chair with a padded back and arms. Fabric is usually charged separately at £20 to £80 per metre depending on quality. Labour varies considerably by region, with London and the South East at the higher end. Doing the work yourself reduces the cost to the price of fabric, foam and staples, which is often under £30 per chair for a simple seat pad.

What Drives the Cost

Three things determine the final figure: the complexity of the chair, the fabric you choose and where in the country the work is done.

Complexity is the largest variable. A drop in seat pad is a straightforward job that an experienced upholsterer completes in under an hour. A fully upholstered chair with a shaped back, piped edges, deep buttoning and arms can take most of a day. The difference in labour time is reflected directly in the price.

Fabric cost has an enormous range. A basic polyester weave might be £20 per metre. A quality wool blend or a designer performance fabric can be £80 or more. Since a fully upholstered chair uses around one and a half metres, the fabric alone can swing the total by £90 per chair.

Location matters more than people expect. An upholsterer in London or the South East will typically charge forty to sixty percent more than one in the North of England, Wales or Scotland, reflecting differences in overheads rather than quality.

Typical Costs by Chair Type

A drop in seat pad, where the seat lifts out of the frame, is the simplest job. Expect £60 to £120 in labour plus around half a metre of fabric. Total per chair usually lands between £75 and £160.

A fixed seat with an upholstered pad attached to the frame requires stripping and reworking around the frame edges. Labour typically runs £90 to £180, with around three quarters of a metre of fabric. Total per chair sits between £110 and £230.

A chair with an upholstered seat and back involves two separate surfaces and considerably more work at the join. Labour is generally £150 to £280 with around one metre of fabric. Total per chair falls between £180 and £350.

A carver chair with arms is the most involved. Arms need careful shaping and the fabric must be worked around curves without wrinkling. Labour typically runs £200 to £350 with one and a half metres of fabric. Total per chair often exceeds £300.

Deep buttoning, contrast piping and pattern matching each add to these figures. Pattern matching in particular can increase fabric usage by twenty percent and adds labour time on every chair.

Fabric Costs in Detail

Budget fabrics at £15 to £25 per metre are usually plain polyester weaves. They are serviceable for occasional use but often carry rub counts below 25,000, which is marginal for a dining seat that gets daily use.

Mid range fabrics at £30 to £50 per metre cover most quality upholstery weaves, cotton blends and standard performance fabrics. This is where most domestic reupholstery sits and where the value is best.

Premium fabrics from £60 upwards include wool blends, high end performance textiles, quality velvets and designer ranges. On a set of six chairs the difference between mid range and premium fabric is several hundred pounds, so it is worth considering whether the room justifies it.

Faux leather sits between £25 and £60 per metre and is often overlooked. For a family dining room it offers durability comparable to premium fabric at mid range prices, which is why so many of our modern leather dining chairs UK sale use it rather than a woven textile.

Always order more than the strict calculation. Dye lots vary between production runs, and having a spare half metre means you can repair a single damaged chair later without recovering the whole set.

Doing It Yourself

For a drop in seat pad, the DIY route is genuinely accessible and the savings are substantial.

Your material costs are fabric at half a metre per chair, replacement foam if the existing padding has flattened, and staples. A domestic staple gun costs around £20 to £40 as a one off, or you can hire one. Foam for a standard seat pad runs £10 to £20 depending on thickness and density.

Realistically you are looking at £20 to £40 per chair in materials for a mid range fabric, against £75 to £160 for professional work. Across six chairs that is a saving of several hundred pounds.

The process itself is straightforward. Unscrew the pad from the frame, prise out the old staples, use the old fabric as a template for cutting the new, replace the foam if needed, then stretch the new fabric over and staple it to the underside working from the centre of each side outwards. Fold the corners as you would wrap a parcel, trim the excess and screw the pad back in place.

What makes the difference between an amateur and a tidy result is tension. Pull evenly and firmly, check the fabric grain runs straight before you commit, and staple opposite sides alternately rather than working around in a circle.

Fully upholstered chairs are a different proposition. Shaped backs, arms and piping require skills that take practice, and a poorly executed job on an expensive fabric wastes both. If you want to learn, start on a single chair you are not precious about.

Is Reupholstery Worth It?

The calculation is different for every chair, and it comes down to what you are actually preserving.

Reupholstery makes clear sense when the frame is solid hardwood with well made joints, when the chairs have genuine quality or sentimental value, or when they are part of a set that fits your space precisely and would be difficult to replace.

It makes less sense when the frame is particle board or softwood, when joints are loose or cracked, or when the chairs were inexpensive to begin with. Spending £150 per chair to reupholster seating that cost £60 new is rarely a good use of money, however sound the environmental argument for repair.

Run a simple structural check first. Sit on the chair and shift your weight sideways. Any creaking, wobble or visible joint movement means structural repair is needed before upholstery, adding to the cost. Turn the chair over and look at the frame: solid timber with mortise and tenon or dowelled joints is worth reviving, while stapled particle board is not.

Where the chairs do not justify the work, comparing the total reupholstery cost against new seating is sensible. At Furniture in Fashion we carry a broad selection of dining seating, and our modern dining chairs UK sale range often works out comparable to reupholstering a set of six once fabric and labour are added together.

Getting an Accurate Quote

Send photographs when you first make contact: one of the whole chair, one of the seat from above and one of the underside showing the frame. This lets an upholsterer assess complexity before visiting.

Ask specifically what the quote includes. Some prices cover labour only, with fabric, foam replacement and collection charged separately. Others are all inclusive. Comparing a labour only quote against an inclusive one gives a misleading picture.

Check whether new foam is included. Old foam that has yellowed and lost its spring should be replaced, and if it is not in the quote the chair will look renewed but feel exactly as tired as before.

Confirm whether the price includes stripping the old covering. Removing decades of accumulated layers, tacks and webbing takes time and some upholsterers charge for it separately.

Ask about set discounts. Most upholsterers reduce the per chair price for a set of four or six, because they set up once and repeat the same operation.

Hidden Costs to Anticipate

Webbing replacement is common on older chairs. The jute or elastic webbing that supports the seat perishes over time, and replacing it adds £15 to £30 per chair.

Frame repairs, if joints have loosened, typically add £20 to £60 per chair depending on severity.

Fire retardancy is a legal consideration. Upholstery fabric sold for domestic use in the UK must meet fire safety regulations, either through inherent properties or by using a fire retardant interliner. If your chosen fabric is not upholstery rated, an interliner adds around £8 to £15 per metre.

Collection and delivery can add £30 to £80 for a set, depending on distance.

Timing and Turnaround

Most upholsterers work to a three to six week turnaround for a set of dining chairs, longer during busy periods. Fabric ordering adds a week or two if the material is not in stock. If the wait is impractical, buying a complete modern dining table and chairs set UK sale avoids the gap entirely.

If the chairs are your only dining seating, plan for that gap. Some upholsterers will work through a set in batches so you always have some chairs available, though this extends the overall timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much fabric do I need per dining chair?

Allow half a metre for a drop in seat pad, three quarters of a metre for a fixed seat, one metre for a chair with an upholstered back and one and a half metres for a carver with arms. Add twenty percent for patterned fabric with a repeat.

Is it cheaper to reupholster or buy new dining chairs?

For simple drop in seats done yourself, reupholstery is considerably cheaper. For professionally reupholstered fully padded chairs, the cost frequently matches or exceeds new seating, so compare both before deciding.

Can I reupholster a dining chair without removing the old fabric?

You can staple new fabric over the old on a simple seat pad, and it saves time. The result is slightly bulkier and any lumps or unevenness underneath will show through, so stripping back gives a cleaner finish.

How long does professional reupholstery take?

Three to six weeks is typical for a set of dining chairs, with an additional week or two if the fabric needs ordering. Individual chairs may be turned around faster.

Does new upholstery fabric need to be fire retardant?

Fabric used for domestic upholstery in the UK must meet fire safety regulations. Fabrics sold specifically as upholstery grade generally comply, but if you use a non rated fabric the upholsterer will need to fit a fire retardant interliner, which adds to the cost.