The Transition from Furniture to Auto Upholstery

[TheHogRing]

According to Upholstery Journal, more furniture upholsterers are turning to auto trim to make up for loses caused by stores like IKEA - which make it cheaper to replace old furniture than have them restored.

The Hog Ring just published a blog posting about it: http://tinyurl.com/6hez4n5

Out of curiosity, how many furniture upholsterers have made a complete or partial transition to auto trim? Also what made it easy or difficult to do so?

[sofadoc]

I know a nearby stitcher who switched from cars to furniture.
He said that all of his auto customers would rather just trade their car off than get the seats redone.
I've never had a car interior that didn't outlast the engine. I would have a hard time justifying the cost for new seats on a car with a 100k mi. motor.
At least with a couch, you don't have to factor the age of the house that it's sittin' in.
2 sides to every coin, I guess.  ;)

[baileyuph]

We have been diversified for years and each has its business cycle up and downs.  Cheap furniture is actually beneficial for furniture people, it breaks very fast. 

We can't kid ourselves, in a tight economy anything can feel the change.  Upscale restaurants, even McDonalds numbers have been down. 

[Mike8560]

I'm  biased doing marone upholstery. I would asume as said here a  are interior wi outlast the motor. Then the car is junked unless it's a Collectable. And furniture I e bought the stuff at rooms to go. 
But people keep boats and replace the motor when needed cause a new boat is up there and make due with what you got to get out on the water.  So replacing g the upholstery like the motor is not as big a deal as if it was a car.  And hosts were down sooner usualy sitting uncovered in the rain and sun.

[TheHogRing]

I'm not so sure that upholstery outlasts the motor - certainly not the headliner, carpet or driver's seat. Then again, it really depends on much of a beating your car gets.

I will say, however, that people seem a lot more willing to invest in custom upholstery than they do their dining room chairs - at least from my experience.

Cars, in many cases, are a status symbol. In many ways, home furniture is too. It's just that people are more likely to see you in your car (or at least see it first) then in your dining room.

In the end, though, I can see the argument for both cases.

[nobel]

awesome,
very nice information sharing i have my old furniture and i want to change it with new one ,so now i m going to alternate this according to your method

[SHHR]

from the previous post it looks like we're about to be spammed again!

[kodydog]

Get em Fragged8

[gene]

Here's a car where the upholstery outlasted the engine.

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/black%20and%20white%20chair/random-46.jpg



gene

[kodydog]

I always thought it would be so cool to have an antique panel van for deliveries. Minus the trees.

[Mike8560]

Nice one Gene