How Do I Repair My Sofa: Repair Services or DIY?

October 27, 2020

by Kristen Phang

Sending your sofa for repair rather than throwing it out is a smart move. It restores your sofa at a high-quality with affordable price, giving your sofa a few extra years of life.  But there are cases where repairing a sofa costs more than buying a new one; hence, repairing or reupholstering your sofa is not always the best option.

In this article, we will go through:

  • what contributes to the cost of sofa repair;
  • whether it’s worth it to send your sofa to a repair shop;
  • the ways you can save costs on repairs without compromising the quality of your sofa.
2 Peak

Lounge / Collection

How much does it cost to repair a sofa?

It depends on the sofa you have. Each sofa design is unique in shape, material and structure. Hence, furniture repair shops would usually give a quotation rather than a set price to accommodate the varying factors.

The price of the quotation would be based on the following criteria:

  • The length of the sofa,
  • The number of seats,
  • The type and quality of the materials,
  • The sofa’s framework,
  • Its foam material,
  • The quality of its handiwork.

Prices will also vary depending on the type of repair your sofa will need.

Repairs are priced based on how much damage has been made on the sofa. For example, you will probably be paying only a small amount to fix a small hole or tear on a sofa fabric.

But if you have a large tear in your sofa, you may have to reupholster the whole sofa. Reupholstery is the replacement of a sofa’s fabric, foam and stuffing to repair its seating, which will cost hundreds of dollars.

Usually, you don’t need to reupholster unless your sofa is seriously damaged or structural repairs require the carpenter to remove the whole upholstery. Carpenters would determine how serious the damage is by identifying whether the damage is cosmetic or structural.  

Cosmetic repairs are used to treat damages that sully the sofa’s appearance. This includes holes and tears on the sofa fabric; or minor dents and scratches on the sofa’s framework. Structural repairs are repairs that fix the functionality of the sofa. This includes large splits and cracks in the wooden framework; bent frames; and broken springs.

Cosmetic repairs are often cheaper than structural repairs because they do not disturb the integrity of the sofa. You should also consider the labour and transportation cost as part of the final quotation.

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Lounge / Collection

Where can I find a good furniture repair shop?

To find a good repair shop, you need to do comparative shopping.

This means that you will have to do a lot of research: Google for multiple furniture repair shops within your area and ask your friends, co-workers, family and online forums what repair shops they would recommend.

Once you have your range of options, learn more about their services on their website (if they have one) and call them for further details.

To get a more in-depth look into their business, try asking some of these questions:

  • How long has the shop been repairing furniture?
  • What are their delivery charges?
  • Is your sofa worth upholstering?
  • How long does it take to repair your sofa?

You can also ask for references of their previous work or visit their shop to check the quality of their work.

A good repair shop will give you specific, direct answers to your questions and give a clear outline of your final quotation after seeing the sofa you want to repair. Sometimes, they will give the quotation for free.  

Although quality service is important, try to find a shop that is closer to your home. It will help you transport the sofa much easier and reduce the delivery cost.

To give you a starting point, here are some places you can check out!

Malaysia

The Curtain Boutique

Beverly Curtain Sdn Bhd @ Kota Damansara

Beverly Curtains aims to give you an innovative lifestyle by designing your sofa that reflects your personality.

Hence, they also provide profession services in upholstery maintenance, interior design, fitting measurements, tailoring and installations for residential and commercial markets. 

Curtain Culture

Curtain Culture Sdn Bhd @ Petaling Jaya

Curtain Culture has an extensive array of unique interior decorating solutions: window coverings, motorised solutions, interior wall coverings, carpets, and upholstery. 

Because their reliable service and top brand materials, Curtain Culture has been a favoured choice for designer firms, corporate companies and even government institutions.

In Gallery Home Decor

In Gallery Home Decor @ Sungai Buloh

In Gallery highly values the client’s desire for customisation and self-expression. This is why they specialise in creating custom designs for your sofa that can be implemented during repairs.

They also provide design consultation services and home renovation services to give the full customisation service for your residential home and retail store.

Singapore

Jimmy Textile

Jimmy Textiles @ Tanjong Katong Complex

Although they specialise in curtains, Jimmy textiles has a well establish repair and reupholstery service.

In this upholstery shop, they take the time to understand your needs and respond with practical solutions, attractive prices, high-quality products and services, and fast deliveries.

Fabrik etc

Fabrik Etc @ Bukit Timah

As a home and soft furnishing company that has been around since 1984, Fabrik Etc has plenty of experience providing a vast array of designer brand home materials at affordable prices.

Hence, they will know what repairs and improvements your sofa will need. They are the go-to place for interior designers and for those who want to revamp with offices or homes.

The Curtain Boutique

The Curtain Boutique @ TradeHub21 or UB One

Curtain Boutique has strong connections to quality reupholstery services. With their focus on accuracy with measurement and their renown reliability supported by Singaporeans, they will return your sofa in a fresh, store-bought state.

Curtain Boutique also sells premium curtains and binds made from quality materials at an affordable price range.

Should I send my sofa to a repair shop?

It depends on the sofa’s monetary and sentimental value. Repairs are ideal if you want to preserve the memories attached to a family heirloom or antique. It preserves the sofa for a longer period and adds historical and monetary value to your sofa.

If your sofa holds no sentimental value, then it’s probably best to get a new one. Most sofas these days are mass-produced and cheaply manufactured. Hence, the cost of repairing a cheap sofa may nearly be the same price of a new sofa. However, if your sofa is of high quality, hard to replace or is made specifically to fit a certain space, sending it for repairs would be worth the price.

To find out whether or not your sofa can be saved, find out the source of the problem. Once you find the source, it will be easier for you to determine how you can go about fixing it.

If the damage on your sofa is small and does not affect your sitting experience, you may opt to leave it be until further damages arise or you can fix the problem yourself.

3 Lienz

Lienz / Collection

DIY Alternatives

DIY is a good alternative for small fixes that isn’t worth the trouble sending for repair. There’s plenty of DIY sofa repair videos online for you to follow.

Be warned: only attempt to fix your sofa if you have some experience in tailoring or carpentry; otherwise, you will be sending your sofa to a repair shop for an even bigger issue!

Here are some quick fixes that anyone can follow through:

Worn cloth

If only your sofa fabric is damaged, you can easily replace it by removing the old cloth and stretching a new piece of cloth over the sofa. Use a staple gun or PVC glue to hold down one side of the sofa first before covering the rest.

Take this opportunity to change up the appearance of your sofa. Rather than choosing the same fabric, try choosing a new colour palette, pattern or texture to change the vibe of your room.

You can resource new cloths from any upholstery shop or from FibreGuard’s wide range of high-quality fabrics.

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Magni / Collection

7 Rubiks

Rubiks / Collection

Not only does FibreGuard provide a vast array of colour, patterns and textures to design with, but they are also stainless and good for kids and pets.

Browse through FibreGuard’s collection:

However, if you want to repair the sofa cloth rather replace it, here are some quick fixes you can do:

  1. For frayed cloth: Fold the edges 15cm away from the original tear and sew a new hem with a slip stitch.
  2. For tear in your cloth: Turn the cloth around and pull the two ends of the tear together. Make sure the stitch is 15cm away from the tear before machine or hand sewing the tear with a straight stitch.
  3. To strengthen the cloth’s durability around the torn area, apply the stitch several times to hold it in place.
  4. For holes in your cloth: Cut a patch from your new fabric with a border that is 3cm wider than the original.
  5. Afterwards, cut off the loose threads around the hole and place the patch on the inner side of the cover.
  6. Use a zig-zag stitch to sew the new patch on.
  7. Patches are usually made to look like a natural part of the sofa. But you can also get more creative with your patches to add an artistic accent on your sofa.

Damaged Leather (Fake Leather)

If you have a peeling leather couch, it is easy to restore the couch’s original colour and shine by peeling off the loose bits and painting it over with acrylic leather paint.

It is also easy to repair small tears in your leather sofa with a sub-patch and some leather glue. But if the tears are large, it’s best to send it over to repair shop to reupholster as fixing the hole will be time-consuming and would likely tear apart again.

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Ronaldo / Collection

Sagging Sofa

These indents are usually caused by worn-out foam that has been flattened due to foam memory or uneven feathers and stuffing.

If your sofa is made up to foam, you can flip over the foam inside your seats so that the bottom half the foam is facing up. This restores your sofa’s shape because the bottom of the foam does not receive as much pressure as the top.

You can also ask a repair shop to cover the foam with an envelope and fluff up the seats to retain its shape.

If your sofa is made of feathers or stuffing, just add more stuffing at the bottom of your backrest or seat to push the stuffing back up again.

Final Thoughts

Repairing your sofa is a good way to make the most out of your purchase and save costs while maintaining its high quality.

Whether it would be sending it to a repair shop or making the repairs yourself, make sure know what is causing the problem and do you do your research. By doing so, you will be able to find the most effective and cost-saving way to fix your sofa.


Some of our Singapore Dealers:

  • Jimmy Textiles
  • Fabrik Etc
  • The Curtain Boutique
  • Light-Pro Furnishings Pte Ltd
  • Kah Huat Textile 2020 Pte Ltd
  • Haier Living Pte Ltd

Looking for quality sofas with creative fabrics and easy maintenance? Find the nearest showroom at acaciasofa.co
If you are searching for the perfect curtain to express your personality at home, find our nearest boutiques at acaciacurtain.co