Reupholstering a dining chair in the UK typically costs between \u00a370 and \u00a3180 per chair when done professionally for a simple drop in seat, rising to \u00a3150 to \u00a3350 for a fully upholstered seat and back. Doing it yourself costs roughly \u00a320 to \u00a350 per chair in materials, covering fabric, foam and staples. Fabric choice is the biggest single variable: a basic cotton weave and a full hide leather can differ by a factor of five for the same chair.<\/p>\n
Whether reupholstery represents good value depends almost entirely on the frame. A solid timber chair with sound joints is worth recovering. A chair with a particle board seat base and bolted joints rarely is.<\/p>\n
Chair complexity comes first. A drop in seat pad that lifts out is the simplest job: strip, refoam, recover, refit. A fully upholstered chair with a padded back, piping or buttoning takes several times as long and the labour reflects that. Deep buttoning and stud detailing add more again.<\/p>\n
Fabric is the second factor and often the largest. Prices per metre range widely, from economical polyester weaves through mid range velvets and linen blends to performance fabrics and genuine hide. A dining chair seat needs around 0.5m, and a seat and back around 1.2m to 1.5m, so the metre price multiplies quickly across a set of six.<\/p>\n
Condition matters too. If the webbing has failed, the springs need retying or the frame needs regluing, that work is additional. An upholsterer will usually quote after inspecting rather than from a photograph, for exactly this reason.<\/p>\n
For a straightforward drop in pad in a standard fabric, expect a quote around the lower end of the range. That usually includes new foam, wadding and fabric fitted.<\/p>\n
A fully upholstered chair with a padded back sits considerably higher because the fabric has to be cut, fitted and tensioned over several surfaces, with the outside back finished separately.<\/p>\n
Carver chairs with upholstered arms cost more again. Buttoned backs, piped edges and decorative studwork each add labour. If the chair is antique or has traditional horsehair and spring construction, restoration to the same specification is skilled work and priced accordingly.<\/p>\n
Many upholsterers offer a reduced rate per chair for a full set, since the setup and pattern cutting are done once rather than six times. It is always worth asking.<\/p>\n
For a drop in pad, the materials are inexpensive: a piece of 5cm medium density foam, polyester wadding, fabric and staples. A staple gun is the only tool you need to buy if you do not own one, and it will pay for itself on the first chair.<\/p>\n
The work itself is manageable for a first time project. Remove the pad, strip the old fabric, cut new foam, wrap in wadding, then staple the fabric with even tension working from the centre of each edge outwards. Most people complete a chair in under an hour once they have done the first one.<\/p>\n
Fully upholstered chairs are a different proposition. Fitting fabric over a shaped back, dealing with the outside back panel, and getting piping to sit straight all take practice. It is achievable, but budget more time and expect the first chair to be a learning exercise.<\/p>\n
The honest calculation is straightforward. Add up the cost of reupholstery across your whole set and compare it against the cost of new chairs of similar quality.<\/p>\n
Reupholstery makes sense when the frames are solid timber with proper joinery, when the chairs have a shape you genuinely like, when they match a table you are keeping, or when they have sentimental value. Good frames can be recovered several times across decades, which spreads the cost.<\/p>\n
Replacement makes more sense when the frames are engineered board, when the joints have been repaired more than once, when the seat bases have cracked, or when reupholstery for the set would cost more than a comparable new set. Our dining chairs UK sale<\/a> range spans a wide price spread, which makes that comparison easy to run.<\/p>\n There is also a middle path. Recovering four chairs you like and buying two extra seats elsewhere, or replacing the chairs while keeping the table, both work well. Our modern velvet dining chairs UK sale<\/a> and leather dining chairs UK sale<\/a> ranges cover the materials people most often choose when reupholstering, so you can see the finished result before committing to a project.<\/p>\n Send photographs of the chair from the front, the side and the underside, plus a close up of any detailing. Include the seat dimensions and say whether the seat pad lifts out.<\/p>\n Ask specifically what the quote includes: new foam, new wadding, webbing replacement, fabric supply, and collection or delivery. Some quotes are labour only and assume you supply fabric, which changes the comparison significantly.<\/p>\n Supplying your own fabric can reduce the cost and gives you far more choice, though the upholsterer will need to tell you exactly how many metres to order, allowing for pattern repeats.<\/p>\n If you are paying for reupholstery, spend a little more on the fabric than feels necessary. Labour is the same regardless of what you cover the chair in, so a fabric with a higher rub count and better recovery extends the life of the work considerably.<\/p>\n Ask for new foam rather than reusing the old, even if it looks acceptable. Foam degrades from the inside and replacing it is a small part of the total cost. The same applies to webbing.<\/p>\n Consider a stain resistant finish on the fabric. On dining chairs specifically, it is the addition that most reliably keeps the work looking good three years on.<\/p>\n Reupholstering is a good moment to reconsider how the dining area works. If the room feels tight, replacing two chairs with a bench on one side frees up floor depth and often costs less than recovering them. Our modern dining benches UK sale<\/a> range pairs with most rectangular tables.<\/p>\nGetting an Accurate Quote<\/h3>\n
Getting Value From the Work<\/h3>\n
Planning the Wider Room<\/h3>\n