What wears out first on a chair or sofa
Seats go before frames do. Foam packs flat under years of sitting, webbing and springs sag, and the cover wears through at the arm fronts and along the welt. A piece that feels tired is very often a sound frame in a worn-out coat, and that is the job Hunt's Upholstery & Interiors has taken on in DeLand since 1964.
The work covers residential and commercial furniture: chairs, sofas, dining chairs, headboards, bedspreads, custom pillows and a decorator service for the rooms that need a plan as well as a cover. Call 386-734-1809, or bring the piece to the showroom at 1120 E International Speedway Blvd and say what is bothering you about it.
If it is a window you are worried about rather than a seat, the same shop makes up its own treatments, covered on the window treatments page.
How the shop works a piece from frame to final tack
Professional upholstery installations and repairs start with taking the old cover off. The piece goes back to its frame, the joints get checked, and the foam and padding are rebuilt where they have given up. Then the new cloth is cut with the pattern repeat matched, welt and piping are sewn, and the cover is tacked or stapled tight.
The cloth is chosen before any of that. The showroom carries a large selection of fabrics and sample books, and customers say Jessica is the one who helps pick the material. Jerry does the craftsmanship and, as reviewers describe, will phone you directly if the build needs a decision. You can see the finished result in the barrel chairs above, re-covered in a black and white lattice print with their carved dark legs left alone.
Matching cloth is a specialty. One customer came in for a missing door panel in a 27-year-old pattern and walked out with a perfect match, then found a second piece in a different pattern but the right colour for the rest of the job.
Aftercare, and when a re-cover beats replacing
Turn and rotate loose cushions so one seat does not take all the wear, and keep Florida sun off light fabrics near the windows of a sunroom or lanai. Small habits stretch the life of a new cover, and all of our workmanship is guaranteed, so a problem with the work is a phone call to the showroom.
A re-cover beats a replacement when the frame is solid and the shape is right. A customer who goes by Test Pilot on Google had two bar chairs more than 30 years old, built solidly but with vinyl far past its prime. Jessica came out with a leather to complement the darker wood frame. Jerry phoned to say the double roll design would not hold the material, and recommended decorative nail tacks instead.
That kind of call is what you are paying a family shop for. Bring a chair you would hate to lose, ask for a FREE estimate, and let the shop tell you honestly whether it is worth re-covering. For a hull or a headliner instead, see auto and marine upholstery.
