Sofa and Couch Reupholstery in New York City
Trying to decide whether to reupholster your sofa or go new, when the quote comes in near the cost of a good full-size sofa? Here is the honest test. If the frame is hardwood, the couch is comfortable and it already fits your apartment, it is worth keeping, because new sofas are not built like they used to be. If the frame is stapled softwood, we will tell you to buy new. NYC Reupholstery has rebuilt sofas, loveseats and sectionals in New York for more than 25 years: springs, foam and the fabric you choose, with pickup and delivery in all five boroughs. Most are back in two to four weeks. Text a photo to (914) 449-4334 for a written price.
Last updated
Get Your Free Quote Today!
914-449-4334Or Send Your Details
*We will only use your information to contact you about your request. Please view our privacy policy if you have any questions.
If this sounds familiar
"It's been three months and they still have my couch"
This is the story New Yorkers tell most about upholstery shops. The sofa gets picked up, the shop goes quiet, and you text every few weeks to hear it needs more time. Here you get a timeframe before pickup, two to four weeks for most sofas depending on fabric lead time, and you deal with Marcos and the workshop by name. One customer wrote that she was given consistent updates about the progress of the job and photos along the way.
"We went for the new couch, and we still regret it"
The old sofa was sturdy but worn, so it went to the curb. The new one sagged, pilled or cracked a rail inside five years. If yours has a hardwood frame and you like how it sits, new springs, new foam and new fabric give you that sofa back, and you get exactly the fabric you want. It also already fits through your door.
"I just got it back and I see all sorts of problems"
Uneven tufting, exposed staples, puckered cushions, show wood scratched where the old staples were pried out. Those come from recovering over old work instead of rebuilding it. We strip the sofa to the frame, fix what is underneath, and cut and fit the new cover with the pattern matched. We guarantee the job will be done right, or we will make it right. The photos on this page are our own jobs.
What people worry about, answered straight
Is it worth it, or should I just buy new?
It is not the cheap option, and any shop that says it is, is not being straight with you. Reupholstering a good sofa costs about what a well made new one costs. What you get for it is a frame that has already lasted, rebuilt inside, in a fabric you chose. It is worth it when the frame is hardwood, the sofa is comfortable and it fits your room. It is not worth it on a stapled frame with thin wire springs, and we will say so when we see the photos.
What moves the price: size, tufting, skirts, loose or attached back cushions, and the fabric. Your written quote lists labor and fabric yardage separately, before any pickup. If we find hidden damage once the old cover is off, you hear about it and approve the price before any extra work is done.
How long will I be without a couch?
Two to four weeks from pickup to delivery for most sofas. The variable is fabric lead time, so a fabric that is in stock means a shorter wait. Pickup and delivery are scheduled around your building rules and doorman hours.
From a customer review: "I was given consistent updates about the progress of the job and photos along the way." Shelly Highland, couch and loveseat.
Will the fabric look right, and survive the cat?
Colors look different in pictures than they do in your living room, and a loose weave will not survive claws. See and handle the fabric in real life before any yardage is ordered. We bring sample books to your apartment when you want to see color in your own light, and we will point you to tight weaves and performance fabrics if you have pets or kids. You can also supply your own.
If this is your sofa, it is worth a quote
- Cushions have gone flat or the seat sags toward the middle even after flipping them
- Fabric is worn through on the arms, seat front or the corner where the cat sits
- Springs squeak, creak or you can feel the frame through the seat
- The frame is solid hardwood and the sofa fits the room, so a replacement would need to match it
- You inherited the piece or bought it vintage and the style is right, the fabric is not
- A new sofa would not fit through your door, stairwell or elevator
Sofa Reupholstery in New York City, done properly
Most of the sofas we reupholster in Manhattan and Brooklyn are pieces the owner could not replace at the same quality for anything close to the price. A hardwood frame with eight-way hand-tied springs, the kind found in older Upper East Side apartments and in mid-century pieces from Sunnyside and Park Slope, is worth keeping. New sofas at big box prices are built on plywood and sinuous wire and rarely last a decade in a New York living room that doubles as a dining room, office and guest bed.
There is a second reason New Yorkers reupholster instead of replace: the sofa is already inside. Anyone who has watched a delivery crew fail to get a new couch past a pre-war stairwell turn or into a five foot elevator understands. Reupholstering the sofa that already fits means no measuring the freight elevator, no building move-in fee, and no sofa cut in half on the sidewalk.
We handle every style: rolled arm and track arm sofas, tuxedo sofas, Chesterfields with deep button tufting, sleeper sofas, curved sectionals, mid-century pieces with exposed wood rails, and loveseats and settees. Bring your own fabric from the D and D Building or a designer showroom, or choose from the performance velvets, linens, boucles and leathers we carry by the yard. We will bring sample books to your apartment when you want to see color in your own light.
How it works
- 1Call or text (914) 449-4334 with a couple of photos. Most sofa quotes go out the same day from photos alone.
- 2We visit your apartment with fabric samples when you want to see them in your light, or you send us your own yardage.
- 3Pickup on a scheduled window. We work with your doorman or super, blanket wrap the piece, and handle stairs and elevators.
- 4In the workshop we strip the sofa to the frame, tighten and reglue joints, retie or replace springs, and replace webbing.
- 5New foam and dacron wrap on every cushion, cut to the original density or firmer if you ask.
- 6We cut, sew and fit the new cover with matched patterns, welting or contrast piping, and hand finished corners.
- 7Delivery back to your apartment, placed in the room, plastic removed, old fabric scraps gone.
What you can hold us to
- You deal with a person: Marcos and the workshop team, by name, at (914) 449-4334
- A timeframe before pickup: two to four weeks for most sofas
- A quote from your photos, usually the same day. Text any time
- Written quote before pickup, with labor and fabric yardage listed separately
- If we find hidden damage once the old cover is off, you hear about it and approve the price before any extra work is done
- We guarantee the job will be done right, or we will make it right
- Pickup and delivery in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island
- Help choosing fabric, or bring your own (COM)
- More than 25 years rebuilding sofas in New York, stripped to the frame, not recovered over old work
From a New York customer
More reviews“Marcos is as professional as it gets and truly a hard worker. I was given consistent updates about the progress of the job and photos along the way. I was so nervous to see the final product for no reason at all. My couch and loveseat turned out spectacular.”
Related services
Questions about sofa reupholstery
Sofa Reupholstery pickup areas
Sofa Reupholstery questions from New York customers
Couch: go new or get it reupholstered?
Reupholster when the frame is hardwood, the sofa is comfortable and it fits your room and your door. A rebuilt sofa with new springs and foam will outlast a new sofa at the same price, and you skip the delivery, elevator reservation and disposal that come with replacing a couch in a New York apartment. Buy new when the frame is stapled softwood or the springs are thin wire. Send photos of the sofa and the underside and we will tell you which one you have.
What is the best sofa material for cats and kids?
Tight weaves. Performance fabrics and microfiber give claws little to grab and clean up easily. Loose weaves like boucle and chenille snag and pill first on the seat and arms. Ask for samples and test them the way your household will: scratch them, spill on them, look at them in your own light.
How much does it cost to reupholster a couch in NYC?
It depends on the size of the sofa, the fabric you choose, and what we find under the old cover: tufting, skirts, spring or frame repair all change the price. Text a photo to (914) 449-4334 and you get a written quote the same day with labor and fabric yardage listed separately, before any pickup.
How long does sofa reupholstery take?
Two to four weeks from pickup to delivery for most sofas, depending on fabric lead time. Rush work is possible when the fabric is in stock. We schedule pickup and delivery around your building rules and doorman hours.
Can I use my own fabric?
Yes. Customer supplied fabric, called COM, is common on our jobs. Tell us the pattern repeat and width and we will tell you the exact yardage to order. We also carry velvets, linens, boucles, performance fabrics and leather by the yard.
Do you pick up sofas from walk-up apartments?
Yes. We carry sofas down walk-ups in Brooklyn brownstones and Manhattan tenements every week. Tell us the floor and any tight turns when you call and we will plan the pickup, including a certificate of insurance if your building requires one.
Find out if your sofa is worth it
Text photos for a same day quote. Pickup and delivery in all five boroughs, 25+ years of upholstery in New York.