How to refurbish old sofas

HOMES & CONSTRUCTION

By Christine Nyakwezi

A sofa set in the living room that has seen better days may look quite untidy and unwelcoming, spoiling what may be a beautiful living room, particularly during this season of hosting guests.

However, you can give those old sofas a splendid new look by altering the inner framing, foam and outer fabric.

S.K. Rahman of Biplous (U) Ltd says the first step involves assessing the damage to the sofa, after which a quotation of the cost of the repairs is drawn.

"We need enough time for redoing the chair. It is double work opening up the chair and redoing it. It could take as long as two weeks. During that time, one should
get a standby provision for the living room such as plastic chairs," he advises.

General cost Rahman says the cost depends on the make and model of the sofa set. If it is a simple model, then one will charge according to its simplicity, if it's a
complicated or sophisticated model, then the charges will be higher.

The effort and material used also matter when determining costs.

There are various sofa fabrics on the market, including leather, cotton, chiffon and velvet, with prices ranging from sh15,000 to sh30,000 per metre.

Bakali Mberi, a sofa maker on Ggaba Road, Kampala, says sofa set repair requires
expertise.

He adds that the colour of the fabric matters a lot because it should blend with the rest of the décor and walls.

For cost cutting purposes, one can get a variety of textures and colours of fabric from Kiyembe market in Kampala at sh9,000 to sh30,000 per metre, Mberi says.

Mberi says with a smaller budget, repair of a sofa bed may cost about sh150,000.

The labour is paid for separately and the materials used are bought, he adds.