Canberra · ACT
Before you pay thousands to reupholster, read this.
Reupholstery vs leather restoration — the honest cost comparison
Reupholstering a lounge in Canberra commonly runs well into the thousands and takes the furniture away for weeks. Restoration starts at $299, happens in your home in a single visit, and you keep the same leather on the same couch. Most Canberra lounges only need the second one.
From $299 · Typically 5–15% of replacement cost
Free photo quote
Send a photo.
Get the restoration price first.
Send two or three photos of the damage and the whole lounge. We reply with a firm written price within 2 business hours, and we tell you plainly if reupholstery is the better call.
5.0·17 five star Google reviews100% satisfaction guarantee
If you're not satisfied with the result, we return and fix it — no charge, no argument. 15+ years of combined leather experience backs every job we take on.
What happens next
After you send your photo —
here's exactly what to expect.
- Step 01
Within 2 business hours
You'll receive a detailed reply from your technician — not a call centre — with an honest assessment and written quote.
- Step 02
You confirm the booking
If the quote works for you, we lock in a time that suits. Mobile visit to your home or workplace.
- Step 03
Job done, same visit
Most repairs are completed in a single 3–5 hour visit. No second trips, no parts on order.
Side by side
Reupholstery or restoration: what you actually pay for
Reupholstery replaces the hide. Restoration rebuilds the surface of the hide you already have. For a lounge with a sound frame, that difference is most of the bill.
| Factor | Reupholstery | Restoration with us |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Commonly runs well into the thousands for a lounge | From $299 |
| Where the work happens | Furniture is collected and taken to a workshop | In your home, on drop sheets |
| How long you are without it | Weeks, sometimes longer when hide is on order | One visit, usually 3 to 5 hours |
| The leather | New hide that may not match the grain or feel of the original | Same leather, same grain, same couch |
| What you get back | A recovered frame, often with new foam and new stitching | Your couch with the colour, finish and protection rebuilt |
Restoration pricing is firmed in writing from your photos. Reupholstery figures vary by hide and trimmer, so we do not publish one.
What restoration fixes
The damage that does not need new leather
If it is on this list, the leather is still doing its job. The colour, the topcoat or the surface has failed, and those are rebuilt in place.
- Cracking across seat cushions and backs
- Fading from sunlight or ducted heating
- Tears, punctures and split seams
- Colour wear on arms, headrests and seat fronts
- Scuffs, scratches and pet damage
- Ink, dye transfer and stubborn stains
- Peeling topcoat on bonded or bi-cast leather
- Dull, dry leather that has lost its finish
When reupholstery is the right call
Some things we will not restore.
Not everything can be restored, and we say so from the photos rather than on the day. If your lounge is on this list, reupholstery or replacement is the right spend and we will tell you.
- Frames that are broken, loose at the joints or cracked through the rails.
- Hides torn through across a large area rather than along a seam or a single panel.
- Foam that has collapsed so the seat bottoms out, regardless of how the surface looks.
- Bonded leather delaminating across whole panels rather than at the edges.
In most Canberra homes the frame, foam and hide are sound. It is the surface that is worn, and the surface is what we restore.
Process
Quote. Restore. Protect.
- 01
Photo quote
Send photos of the damage. We identify the leather type and reply with a firm written price within 2 business hours.
- 02
Book the visit
One appointment at your home. We bring the mobile studio and lay drop sheets so the room stays clean.
- 03
Restore
Clean, repair, recolour and seal. Cracks are filled, colour is matched to an unworn reference and rebuilt in passes.
- 04
Protect
Geist sealer and conditioner lock the finish in. The couch is back in use the same evening, with a 12-month workmanship warranty.
Before and after
Same couch. Same leather. One visit.
Lounges that were quoted for reupholstery or replacement, restored in the customer's home instead.
We reply within 2 business hours.
Every time.
Leather damage doesn't wait and neither should you. Every photo quote request receives a detailed response within 2 business hours during our operating hours — Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. No call centres. No ticket systems. Direct from your technician.
Operating hours: Mon–Fri · 8:30 – 5:30 · Sat–Sun closed
Send a photo now →Questions we get
Reupholstery or restoration — questions answered
Don't see your question? Ask us directly →
For surface damage, yes, and in one respect it is better: you keep the original leather, grain and stitching, so the result matches the rest of the suite. Reupholstery replaces the hide, which is the right fix when the leather is torn through or the foam has failed, but for cracking, fading, colour wear and scuffs it is paying thousands to replace leather that is still sound.
A properly restored and sealed lounge should perform like new for 4 to 7 years or more under normal use. We seal every job with a Geist topcoat and conditioner, and a light condition once a year keeps it there. Every restoration carries a 12-month workmanship warranty.
Restoration starts at $299. Most two- or three-seat lounges are $299 to $650 and a full suite is typically $450 to $1,200, quoted in writing from your photos before anything is booked. Reupholstering a lounge in Canberra commonly runs well into the thousands and the furniture is away for weeks. We do not publish a reupholstery figure because it depends on the hide and the trimmer, but the gap is rarely small.
No. Restoration happens in your home in a single visit, usually 3 to 5 hours. The couch does not leave the room and you can sit on it the same evening once the topcoat has cured.
We tell you from the photos. Broken frames, collapsed foam, hides torn through across large areas and bonded leather delaminating across whole panels are reupholstery or replacement jobs, and we will say so rather than take the booking.
Related services
Free photo quote
Still weighing it up?
Get the number before you decide.
Send two or three photos of the damage and the whole lounge. We reply with a firm written price within 2 business hours, and we tell you plainly if reupholstery is the better call.
5.0·17 five star Google reviews100% satisfaction guarantee
If you're not satisfied with the result, we return and fix it — no charge, no argument. 15+ years of combined leather experience backs every job we take on.
What happens next
After you send your photo —
here's exactly what to expect.
- Step 01
Within 2 business hours
You'll receive a detailed reply from your technician — not a call centre — with an honest assessment and written quote.
- Step 02
You confirm the booking
If the quote works for you, we lock in a time that suits. Mobile visit to your home or workplace.
- Step 03
Job done, same visit
Most repairs are completed in a single 3–5 hour visit. No second trips, no parts on order.
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