Repair & restore

Why buy new when the good frame is already yours?

Sagging cushions, loose arms, broken springs and tired mechanisms — fixed for a fraction of what replacing the piece would cost.

Cross-section showing firm new high-density foam above a collapsed and yellowed old cushion

New foam, top. Twenty years of sitting, below.

Foam replacement

Foam has a lifespan. Yours has probably reached it.

Polyurethane foam breaks down from the inside. It compresses, yellows, loses its spring, and eventually crumbles into dust that works its way out through the seams.

There is no rescuing it at that point — but there is nothing wrong with the frame underneath. We cut new high-density foam to the exact profile of your cushion, wrap it in fresh dacron so it has a soft crown rather than a hard edge, and put your existing cover straight back on if it is still in good shape.

Foam cut to your cushion, not bought in a standard block
Density matched to how the piece is actually used
Fresh dacron wrap for a proper crowned edge
Pillow backs and fiber-filled cushions refilled
Existing fabric reused wherever it is still sound

Inside the job

What replacing a cushion actually involves.

Scroll through the stages — these are real cushions from real jobs, not stock photography.

Old degraded yellow foam cushion covered in feather debris on a workshop bench — 01 — The old core comes out. Feathers and foam dust everywhere.

Cushion cover opened to reveal contaminated orange and yellow foam layers inside — 02 — Opened up. This is what you have been sitting on.

New foam block marked with a three inch thickness measurement beside upholstery hand tools — 03 — New foam marked and cut to the piece.

Hand laying a white dacron batting wrap over a new yellow foam cushion core — 04 — Dacron wrap goes on for a soft, crowned edge.

Hands peeling foam back from a chair to expose the hardwood frame and black decking underneath — 05 — Frame checked underneath before anything goes back on.

Furniture repair

If you have broken it, we have probably fixed it.

Broken chairs, couches, tables, dressers and antique pieces — repaired or fully restored. Our skilled technicians can also handle basic repairs in your own home when moving a heavy piece is impractical.

Springs & webbing

Sagging seats, snapped webbing and coil springs that have come untied. Retied by hand the way they were originally built, not stapled back down.

Frames & joints

Loose arms, wobbling legs, split rails and failed glue joints. Taken apart, cleaned, re-doweled and clamped so the repair outlasts the original joint.

Mechanisms

Recliner and lift-chair mechanisms, sofa-bed frames and swivel bases replaced where the original has worn out or seized.

Wood repair

Nicks, scratches, dents, water rings and heat marks. Missing trim and turned parts fabricated to match where a piece has lost something.

Seams & tears

Split seams, popped buttons, torn welting and small leather tears — repaired in place where the rest of the cover is still sound.

Damage restoration

Pet damage, water damage, and fire and smoke restoration on pieces worth bringing back.

Repair vs. replace

The maths usually favours repairing.

Furniture built twenty, forty or eighty years ago used kiln-dried hardwood with doweled and corner-blocked joints. Most furniture sold today is stapled engineered board. If your old piece still feels solid when you lift it, that is a frame worth keeping.

Better bones. Hardwood frames outlast the particle board in most new furniture.
Exact fit. Keep proportions that already suit your room and your doorways.
Your choice of fabric. Thousands of options instead of the showroom floor.
Less waste. A rebuilt sofa is one less sofa in a landfill.

“Why buy new furniture when you can repair yours for a fraction of the cost?”

Hand holding a fresh white foam sample against the worn brown foam it will replace

Common questions

Foam & repair, answered.

Can you replace foam without redoing the fabric?

Yes, and it is one of the most common jobs we do. If the cover is still in good condition we take it off, replace the foam and dacron, and put the same cover back on. It costs a fraction of a full reupholstery.

How do I know if I need new foam or new springs?

If the cushion feels dead but the seat platform is firm when you press it, it is foam. If you can feel the frame or hear a twang when you sit down, the springs or webbing have gone. Often it is both, and we will tell you which after we open it up.

What foam density do you use?

It depends on the piece and how it is used. A seat cushion that gets daily use needs a firmer, higher-density foam than a decorative back cushion. We pick the grade for the application rather than using one foam for everything.

Why does my cushion have feathers coming out of it?

Older cushions were often built as a foam core wrapped in a feather or down envelope. When the ticking wears through, the feathers migrate into the foam and out through the seams. We replace both the core and the envelope.

Can you fix a broken recliner mechanism?

Usually. Recliner and lift mechanisms fail at predictable points, and replacement mechanisms are available for most makes. If a part is genuinely unobtainable we will tell you before you spend money on it.

My sofa arm is loose. Is that fixable?

Almost always. Loose arms are usually a failed glue joint or a snapped dowel rather than a broken frame. We take it apart, clean the old glue out, re-dowel and clamp it. Once it is set it is stronger than the original.

Free estimates

Tell us what feels wrong with it.

Sagging, wobbling, twanging, crumbling — describe it in a sentence and send a photo. We will tell you what it needs and what it costs.

Talk to Pierre (408) 915-7560 Request a Free Quote