Monthly Archives: May 2013

The Internet And Choosing Fabrics!

The Internet And Choosing Fabrics!

The internet has made it very easy to choose fabrics. Gone are the days where you would need to book for an upholsterer to come to your house and spend hours sorting through sample books. The internet has revolutionised how customers can browse through fabrics and request for cuttings to be sent by post. This works well for our time poor society.Websites like Warwick have a very easy navigation panel where all you need to input is the colour you are after, the style you want and the rest is done for you! If you need inspirational ideas you can browse there large range of collections online as well. You can then contact Sydney Upholstery and we will request the samples to be sent out to you. Whilst the wholesalers like Warwick, Zepel, Mokum and Kvadrat do not sell to the public they have gorgeous showrooms and very helpful staff that will assist you to choose the right fabric if you do decide to visit a showroom. Sydney Upholstery is also more than happy to visit you at home with sample books as well as we have a large range of books in stock in our showroom. Also if you see a fabric you like online and cannot contact the supplier please email through a photo so we can source the fabric or find something similar to what you want. Our list of fabric supplies is on our website under the tab “Choose your fabric”.

What Is Reconstituted/Bonded Leather?

What Is Reconstituted/Bonded Leather?

Have you bought leather furniture in the last few years and this is how they look now?

The reason is because unbeknown to you what was actually purchased is reconstitued leather. Reconstitued leather or bonded leather is a term used for partially synthetic leather. It is a synthetic material made of varying types of plastic such as vinyl that may be spread over ground-up leather and other substances, mechanically processed to give the appearance of leather, but at reduced cost and with less wastage compared to natural leather. Technically the retailers and wholesalers can sell the product and advertise it as 100% leather. It’s the same as McDonalds advertising there juice as 100% orange juice when in reality it’s reconstituted orange juice. Majority of the major retailers selling this type of leather are fast earning a bad reputation within the furniture market as the leather they sell is peeling and customers have had enough of paying money for bad quality products. What is disappointing is even Australian branded manufacturers are contracting work out to South East Asia where competition is high with great demand to keep manufacturing costs low. This results in substandard products. Reconstituted leather is sold less than what actual leather costs however it doesn’t last anywhere near as long as leather and the finish product is very disappointing.

Sydney Upholstery only uses genuine cow hide analine or semi analine leather imported from leading tanneries in Europe mainly Italy and Spain, USA and South America which adhere to Australian Manufacturing Standards. We have established a respectful relationship with all the leading leather suppliers and only stock the best quality hides.

 

Buying New Furniture Vs. Upholstering Existing Furniture

Buying New Furniture Vs. Upholstering Existing Furniture

This is a question asked quite often by customers. Is it cheaper to buy new furniture rather than upholstery the existing furniture we have? There are several variances to look at in response to this. Many manufacturers are producing bulk produced products overseas and importing them to Australia. Bulk produced products are done quickly and rushed as they have a large quantity to get through therefore quality and craftsmanship is lacking in the final product. The products used inside the furniture are also of substandard quality and do not last long resulting in a worn out look generally once the two year warranty has expired. When we upholster goods or custom make products we use Australian made products such as 10 year warranty commercial grade foam, commercial grade elastic webbing and only use upholstery grade fabrics. Our leather is either imported from Italy or the USA. Our work is completed by qualified tradesmen who are highly skilled and have 60 years combined experience in upholstery. Sydney Upholstery strives and delivers high quality furniture. Sydney Upholstery has an excellent relationship will all the leading upholstery fabric wholesalers and we can source just about any fabric you are after. Upholstering your old furniture means you are not limited to the small range of fabrics large retailers stock. We have such a large range to choose from or you can visit any leading fabric wholesaler listed on our website. Although they don’t sell to the public they have beautiful showrooms open to the public who can help you choose the fabric you want. Sydney Upholstery can order the fabric for you.

So is it cheaper to buy new or reupholster? In the short term it may be cheaper to purchase brand new but when you need to upgrade your tired worn out lounge every few years it doesn’t end up being cheaper. Email through a picture of your furniture or call our office to organise a quote. It’s as simple as that!