Chair covers are an ideal way to bring life some life back into old furniture that may have seen better days. Re-covering an old chair can be a wise investment instead of paying for a brand new chair, as it will typically cost less. There are a range of options to consider before you take this decision such as the condition of the chair to begin with, and more importantly, what will you actually get out of it? Will it look like a new piece of furniture?

There are a whole host of companies who specialise in covering chairs, but as with most things in life, sometimes the cheapest is not always the best option. The most important factor is the quality of the finished product, and quality costs a bit of cash. You generally get what you pay for.

The first question you need to ask yourself is does the chair need re-covering? The reason is that many of today’s chairs are made in China, and are mass produced for the European and American markets. The emphasis is on design and style rather than quality. Almost all the major retail stores have their Furniture mass produced, and then they simply put their name to them.

The problem is that these chairs will be of inferior quality and they just do not last as long as a handcrafted chair will. The easiest way to tell if you are sitting on a quality product is to see how heavy it is. The best chairs are made from hardwood, and hardwood weighs quite a lot more than softwood, which is the most common type of wood used in the far eastern factories. If your chair is heavy then it will be of better quality.

The joints are also important. Good quality chairs are typically jointed with dowels, rather than simply stapled or glued together. If your chair is still supportive and feels comfortable after a good few years of use then it will be worth re-covering. There is little point is paying for a re-cover if the basic structure is flawed.

A simple test to see whether the supports and the joints are still in decent condition is to kneel on the seat of the chair and hold the back of the seat with your hands. Try twisting it from one side to the other. If there is a lot of movement then this a good sign that the joints are worn and loose. If this is the case then it may not be worth the expense of re-covering the chair.

So now you know if it is worth re-covering your chair, the next decision will be which types of chair covers to go for. You can choose loose chair covers, which are most commonly used as just a basic cover that can be taken on and off very quickly. They tend to hide the chair design underneath. Loose cover are also a favourite at weddings and other functions to simply create a colour scheme for the room.

Specially tailored covers add a bit more design to your chairs as they fit to the shape of the chair on which they sit. These tailored covers will cost a bit more than the loose covers, but they also add a little bit more of a classy feel. Stretch covers are another popular kind of chair cover, and as the name suggests, they are made to stretch over the chairs contours. They are usually made from polyester so they can be stretched by great amounts to fit virtually any chair. The drawback is that once you start stretching these types of covers you will see the seams begin to appear, which will effect the look. Over stretching the material will also place extrs stress on the seams which can start to come apart after a while.

A complete re-cover is when the original fabric of the chair is removed and replaced with a new one. It will be more expensive so it is best used on chairs that are in good condition to begin with. A general rule is not to re-cover a chair that is more than 6 or 7 yers old because it is likely that the joints and supports may be worn as well. This can cause any new fabric to sag over the top, making the money you have just spent on the re-cover worthless.

A final important point is that many people confuse the word re-upholster to mean re-cover. There is very big difference between the two. Re-upholstery is the complete stripping down and re-building of the chair. This means replacing all the joints and worn springs as well as the fabric and cushions. A full upholstery job will cost much more than a re-cover will, so please be careful and make sure you know the difference. Also be sure to state whether you would like any show wood to be polished as well. Many upholstery services do not do this as standard so be sure to ask beforehand.