Ask anyone on the street and they would confidently tell you that they expect reupholstered furniture to be less expensive than new furniture.
But while they may have a point in some cases, not all restored furniture is cheap.
As a matter of fact, many furniture restoration projects are more expensive than buying new furniture and here are five reasons why.
#1. Restoration Needs: It all starts with the restoration requirements for furniture. Restoring antiques to their original state may often involve procuring rare, high quality materials and this usually means paying a high premium in return.
#2. Value Added Labour: The cost of labour can drive up the price of restored furniture. When a significant amount of expertise is put into reupholstery, this cost is often paid by the final consumer.
#3. Premium Furniture: The cost of furniture reupholstery will depend on the value of the furniture itself. For example, restoring a cheap sofa should be inexpensive, but restoring premium quality furniture would often be an expensive project. However, your restoration needs may positively or negatively influence the overhead restoration cost.
#4. Poor Basis for Comparison: Many people often believe that new furniture should be more expensive than reupholstered furniture. But these people fail to take into account their basis for comparison. For example, the price of a new, but cheap sofa cannot be compared with that of a vintage, but excellently restored sofa.
#5. Complexities of Restoration: The more complex a reupholstery project is, the more expensive the furniture would be once ready for sale.
In Conclusion,
Do not be alarmed next time you walk into a store to buy furniture and you notice that a restored furniture has a higher price tag than a new one. Just remember these five reasons and you would know why this is so.
