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Upholsterers

Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > House & Garden >

Looking for a good upholsterer or slipcoverer

Oct 2007

son-in-law favorite chair is getting shabby...we'd like to save it and keep him comfy. lse

Ramon Upholstery on San Pablo Ave @ Moeser does excellent work at very reasonable rates. The place looks dumpy and they can seem a little disorganized, but they replaced my 6 dining room chair cushions and covers in only 2 days. My one complaint is that they recommended I buy MUCH more fabric than I needed; I bought significantly less and still have quite a bit left over. They may assume you'll have a repeat pattern that requires centering, so check this out. Otherwise, I think they're a terrific find.

Want to recover dining room chairs

Oct 2007

I need to re-upholster several dining room chairs (just the seat--not the back--is upholstered). Any recommnedations? Thank you! Linda

I recently had my dining room chairs redone (cushions and covers) by Ramon Upholstery s on San Pablo at the t-intersection with Moeser in El Cerrito -- and was thrilled with the price, quality, and speed (2 days!). The only strange thing was that they told me I needed far more fabric than was necessary; I bought substantially less and it was still too much. Of course it depends on if you have a pattern that needs to be centered or not, so use your own judgment on that! I suggest you take one chair or chair seat with you to get an estimate; the number is 510.681.3650. The place looks like a disaster and seems pretty disorganized; the workers do not speak English and occasionally the English-speaking boss is not there, but I was very, very happy with the result. I bought my fabric at Calico Corners in Greenbrae, just over the Richmond bridge; Poppy is almost (maybe completely by now) out of business, but they had great stuff, too.

Reupholsterer Needed for armchairs

July 2007

Our cats have scratched up two matching living room chairs purchased at Room and Board a few years ago. Any recommendations for reupholsterers in the Berkeley/Albany area would be appreciated. Scappy Chair Owner

Albany has Knopps Upholstery on Solano Ave, near the BART tracks. They reupholstered a chair for me, they did a beautiful job, but I found the price too high. The exact price escapes me, around 50 with MY fabric. That was for a small side chair with carved wood frame, arms and legs. They only had to do the back and seat. Using their fabric, the price would have been almost double, so I bought fabric at Discount Fabrics on San Pablo in Berkeley to use. Knopps does very high quality work for a high price, if that suits your needs, I recommend them. +one nice chair+
To correct what appeared in the recommendations for a reupholsterer, I wrote to recommend the work of Knopp's on Solano in Albany. There was an error in the posting on the price charged to do a chair. The price was between 50-300 for back and seat cushions with my fabric supplied, not the 0 price that was printed. Again, good work, very high prices at Knopps. sat straight

Upholsterer for loveseat

April 2007

Does anyone know of a good, reasonable upholsterer who can do a neat job on a large Victorian-looking loveseat?

Gina at Sew Far Sew Good in Alameda does excellent work. She's been in business for years and she has lots of experience with Victorian-era furniture. 1731 Clement Ave, Alameda (510) 521-3581 yfb
I highly recommend Olde World Furniture in Concord. It is located at 1875 Adobe St. Concord, CA 94520 The phone number is (925) 685-7018. My sister-in-law had two antique pieces reupholstered there and we just had an antique couch redone. All of the pieces have turned out beautifully! The woman's name is Nancy and she has tons of fabric options to choose from or she'll use something you bring in yourself. Her prices are reasonable and you can trust that she'll do an excellent job. The couch we had done is now so beautiful, we almost think it's too nice for our house! Becky

Upholsterer/Seamstress for large floor pillow

Sept 2006

I want to recover a very large about 3 foot diameter floor pillow which has blown-in kapok filling. I have new fabric, and just need a good semstress/upholsterer who can reconfigure the shape and create first a lining and then a slip cover and insert the pillow. It is quite heavy and needs a strong person tto work with it. I do not want to spend a fortune. Anyone know someone good to do this project? Pillowless

Faina Gordeeva has done beautiful sewing at a reasonable cost for me over the years. She is in San Lorenzo and can be reached at 481-5239
asymetry

East Bay Upholsterer

August 2006

I'm looking for reviews and recommendations for an upholsterer, preferably in the East Bay, for a good quality love seat and chair. Recommendations in the archives are all a little old jody

Try Kay Chesterfield in Oakland. anom
I highly recommend Ismael's Custom Upholstery! He jsut re- upholstered a couple of chairs for me and built new seat cushions, made new back cushions and made a matching throw pillow. He came to our house to give me an estimate. He made recommendations about which type of materials to use. He came and picked up the old cushions. We used a patterned fabric and he matched the pattern at the seams. FInally, he got them done in less than a week. His work is just beautiful! He's in San Leandro, but like I mentioned, he will come to you. Please call Ismael Benuellos at 925-216-7415 and tell him Shari Washburn recommended him shariw

Upholsterer for several couches and chairs

June 2006

I am looking for a good upholsterer for several couches and chairs, some of which are antiques. Would love someone reliable, skilled, easy to work with. I am in North Berkeley. Thanks for any recommendations -- posted or sent to me directly sophieh

Mike Welsh Upholstery in San Francisco. 3612 17th St. 415.621.3639
Michele

Need to get a couch recovered

Nov 2005

I am interested in recovering a couch wondered if anyone had a recommendation for a local re-upholsterer? I have searched the archives, but all the listings are over a year old. Any leads would be helpful. Thanks stephanie

I highly recommend Kay Chesterfield Upholsterers (533-5565). They are located near the Oakland Coliseum. They have both discounted fabrics as well as a regular upholstering service. Tthey are highly competent, will help with design services and pick up and deliver your furniture, if needed. All my living room furniture and my dining room chairs have at one time been re-covered by them and I am alway completely satisfied. Carol

Want to get old rocker reupholstered

Nov 2005

I'm looking to get a great old rocker refinished and reupholstered. I live in Albany and don't want to spend a fortune but really want this to look great. Does anyone have any recommendations? THANK YOU!!! Ready to rock :) slsanna

I love this guy's work. Affordable, pleasant to deal with, if a little on the slow side. 
James Luker
Freitas Upholstering Service
807 West Grand Ave.
Oakland CA 94607
510.893.8268
jamesluker AT comcast.net
-Alison

Ramon Upholstery on San Pablo?

Nov 2005

Has anyone used Ramon Upholstery on San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito? I am looking to get a chair recovered. I have talkied with him and his price seems resonable, but I would like feedback on his work plc

To the person inquiring about Ramon's Upholstery: I have used him many times, mostly because he is comparatively low cost, but also because he's easy to deal with (almost always there, quick turnaround, etc.). I think he can do fine work if you're familiar with upholstery terminology and mechanics and know what you want in terms of detailing. However, I do recommend bringing in your own fabric (and other materials), clearly specifying detail and finishing materials and even looking over his shoulder through the process to make sure the finishing work is acceptable. If all this seems like too much trouble, it's probably worth paying the full-service premium prices to Knopps on Solano or the upholstery shop on San Pablo. KMS

Seeking Good Reupholsterer

Sept 2005

Any recommendations for shops or individuals that people have used to reupholster a couch? Ideally one that could recommend kid friendly, yet still relatively attractive fabric to use? Thank you!
Family with Battered Couch

I think I posted this a long time ago...but my friend, Teri Jourgensen does a great job upholstering and her prices are reasonable. She has done three jobs for me, and it's always a pleasure to go to her house because she has the most beautiful upholstered furniture! Her phone number is 925-376-0709 and her email is terijour[at]yahoo.com. She has done three jobs for me and they were all beautiful and reasonable priced! rosalind

Reupholstering 6 Danish Modern dining room chairs

April 2005

Do you have any advice about reupholstering dining room chairs? I have 6 Danish Modern dining room chairs that need new fabric on the backs and the seats. It would cost about $100 per chair to have it done professionally (excluding cost of fabric - which is about $200 if I'm lucky) - which is more than I'm willing to spend. I'm a craftsy person - but I've never reupholstered. How do I cut the fabric? What happens if I can't remove the seats and backs? Can I just staple the new fabric over the old? Any advice, lessons learned, good books and good classes would be so greatly appreciated. Much thanks in advance. Nancy

I am not a terribly handy person, but this is as easy a job as you can find. Go to a fabric place and get some good heavy duty fabric, upholstery fabric is good but not required. I got mine at a discount place in SF. Get out a screw driver and unscrew the seats from the chairs. Cut your fabric into pieces large enough to wrap around the seat with a good 3-4 margin on all sides. Staple into the underside of the chair using a staple gun. Unless the old fabric is really bunchy you don't need to remove it first. Rescrew seats into place. Okay, you're done. Nelly
I've done this a lot of times, and it is super easy. You just need a staple gun and a screwdriver. You can get both at the hardware store for probably $10 total. Turn the chairs upside down and look for the screws that hold the seat to the chair. Take off the seat and then decide if you want to remove the old fabric or just cover as is (much easier). Now stretch the new fabric over and staple. Do two opposite corners first, gathering the fabric so it doesn't look all bunchy on the seat. GO

More Recommendations for Upholsterers

Sept 2004

We are looking to have dining room chairs reupholstered, and would appreciate recommendations for (or against) local providers -- the archives seem a little dated for our needs. In your experience is it better to have selected the fabric in advance, or look for ''full-service'' places? We are pretty ignorant about this process, so referrals to ''Martha Stewart''-type resources would also be appreciated. (To clarify, we aren't capable of ''do it yourself'' ... we just want to understand the process better!) Thanks! Not Martha

Aug 2004

I am looking for a skilled and reasonably priced upholsterer to re-do a chair and ottoman. I love the chair to sit in and it seems to be the preferred chair of vistors. Thanks for your help! hill

July 2004

I have a great old soft chair that belonged to my grandparents, Mom recovered it once, and it's in need of recovering. I've looked in the archives and the posts are all four years old. Phone numbers have changed, and some places are no longer even in the phone book. I could go to someplace like Poppy Fabric, but then would have to pay twice what the upholsterer would get. Has anyone had a chair or sofa recovered recently? Would love name and phone number. Nancy

July 2004

Has anyone used a good reasonably priced person to do upholstery in the El Cerrito area? I need a good cat damaged chair reupholstered. plc

A wonderful upholsterer in SF who, i believe, will do work in east bay too. Welsh Upholstery on 17th st and Dolores in the Mission in SF. Mike Welsh is a great upholsterer, does all kinds of work. He has done cushions, webbing, an overstuffed 50's chair and a couch for me. 415-621-3639 Liz
I had a sofa, loveseat & chair re-upholstered last year by Frank Gaitan, a really nice man who does excellent work at a very fair price (none is cheap!). He'll even pick-up & deliver. Tell him I sent you: 510-632-3437. Sandina
May 2004

We have an antique mahogany loveseat and chair that need to be reupholstered. We also live in San Francisco and would love to avoid driving across the Bay Bridge with the loveseat strapped to the roof of our car. The archives list reupholsterers in the East Bay but none in SF. Can anyone recommend a reupholsterer in SF? Larissa

March 2004

I'm looking for a quality, reasonably priced upholsterer to work on 8 dining room chairs. I welcome your suggestions. hgray

March 2004

We have two leather chairs that are in desperate need of reupholstery and in one case, some structural reconstrustion on an ottoman. We would love to keep as much of the original leather as we can. Any recommendations for someone who does quality upholstery with leather furniture? I would appreciate it so much. Contact Julia any recommendations; thank you! Julia

Oct 2003

I have a wonderful couch that is in need of new upholstery. I found one good recommendation in the archives, but would really like a choice. Anyone have a line on someone who does this for a reasonable price? I've had a quote of $2000 (yikes!) which is more than a very nice new couch. I was hoping to SAVE some money by doing this. Linda

Sept 2003

Any recommendations for a reupholsterer in the East Bay who will work on a couch without the flame-retardant foam, but the old-fashioned way? I know the seat cushions of my cute old couch are stuffed with down. I'm not sure what kind of batting is in the couch itself. Is there a law now that requires reupholsterers to use the flame-retardant foam? If so, is there any way around that? Also, any recommendations for an ''affordable'' person for this labor-intensive service? Thanks. Laura

July 2003

I need one chair reupholstered. It is a very simple design. Can anyone suggest someone decent who doesn't charge $600? thanks, JANE

May 2003

I have a simple but very well made scandinavian-type chair (re)upholstered (sp?). I have refinished the wooden legs myself. The fabric is one piece with three seams, so it shouldn't be too expensive. Anyone out there know of someone they LIKE but don't charge an arm and a leg? (no pun intended) I live in Richmond, but will travel for good service:) jane

May 2003

RE: Where to Have Drapes Made
Carrie Bishop does very nice roman shades, upholstering and slip covers from her studio in Oakland/Emeryville. She also has a great eye for color and design. You can reach her at 652-9224. Lisa N.

April 2003

Any recommendations for skilled and creative upholsterers of older furniture? Thanks much- Christina

I recently had my 20 year old office chair reupholstered by Kay Chesterfield. They did a great job at a great price. 
Kay Chesterfield
6365 Coliseum Way
Oakland, CA
(510) 533-5565
http:/www.reupholster.com
Michele
March 2003

Anyone looking for a good uphostery shop should consider J.C. Upholstery in Oakland's Dimond District. I just had a very positive experience getting my badly torn couch repaired by George (Jorge) Chavez. He was able to get directly to my home to sew up seams the very same day that I called him. Although it didn't need a complete reupolstery job he did a fine job fixing it. Good service and prices, I'd use him again. Tell him Rosemary sent you. Phone number: 510-536-3034 rosemary

Jan 2003

We have 3 large, old chairs that we want to get re- upholstered. Does anyone have a person or place in the Berkeley/Albany area to recommend? I would really like someone who will help with fabric choices as well as do the work. Thanks Caroline

May 2002

I was reviewing the parent site for an upholsterer and found a recommendation from Diana for Richmond Upholsterer in Richmond. Diana, if you are out there could you give me the location of the store or the telephone number? I can't seem to locate the store. Otherwise, if anyone could recommend an upholsterer in the east bay, I would appreciate it very much. mka

Jan 2002

I am looking for an upholsterer to replace fabric and padding on six dining room chairs. Mona

Sept 2001

I am trying to have some cushions recovered for a kitchen seating area, would love a recommendation for someone who can do this asap and affordably in the Oakland area. thank you, emk

April 2000

I would like to highly recommend the work of Teal Major, who posted her interest in doing upholstery work last fall. She covered a large sectional sofa for me and did an excellent job. I feel as if I have a brand new sofa, and Teal was very easy to work with! Her e-mail address is: tealmajor AT netscape.net Ann R.

From: Beth

I recommend Curt Bowles of Jennifer Ashley's (his daughter's name) for your upholstery work. He did a very nice job on our wing chair and foot stool, using fabric I had bought elsewhere, the price was reasonable (for upholstery work), and he gave us a very quick turnaround time. He also did some repairs on a few pieces of furniture, and did a very nice job on those. His shop and showroom are at the Jacuzzi street plaza in El Cerrito/Richmond and his office number is 254-5119 and shop number is 236-1934.

From: Kevin

if you aren't in a hurry to get it, College of Alameda use to have an upholstery classs that did it pretty cheaply but too awhile, might look into them.

My co-worker had some upholstry work done for her chair and sofa and was very pleased with the work that was done. She said the man who did the work is very good and his rates are reasonable. He was recommended to her by Fenton Maclaren furniture store. His name is Matt O'Reilly and his telephone number is (510) 419-0794. He is located in Oakland. Miyoko
Try Richmond Upolstery in Richmond...they're listed in the phone book. Very small funky place with really nice guys who know their business. We've used them three times over the past five years and they're always half of what everyone else charges. We had chairs covered a few years back and soon will be bringing others. We called at least 6 places for estimates and theirs was by far the cheapest and the quality of work is great. Diana
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