Would you take this job?

[baileyuph]

Assuming that most readers can relate to the typical cloth used on home patio umbrellas - thin, lightweight, and shiny.

With that, a person purchased from JoAnn's a much heavier material to replace the typical cloth on an umbrella frame.  The material and frame was brought to me for fabrication assistance.  The purchaser of the material stated very pleasingly that the sales person said a lot were using the material, to decorate their patio cushions and are using this material also for umbrella cover replacements.

This is a case that COM creates, one where the sales person probably has never tailored an umbrella covering but encouraged this sale. 

My reaction, which I kept silent, was will this work out?  A heavy material on a light weight umbrella frame?  Well, the frame and materials were dropped off but I am not fully convinced that it will work.

Any experiece in such?  If I jump on the work without comment and let the chips fall where they may, the liability falls some other place.

The weight of the fabric, anyone found this approach to be an issue?


Doyle

[gene]

Does the customer think they can save money by using a custom crafts person to put new fabric from JoAnns on a cheap umbrella frame, instead of buying another cheap umbrella? If yes, then I would hope that I was the wrong person to come to.

If the customer was looking for custom work to put her fabric choice and colors on an existing umbrella frame, I would put a note on my Estimate and Invoice that I do not know how the weight of the new fabric will affect the umbrella frame, etc., etc., and make sure I discussed this with the customer.

I've never done an umbrella with this issue before. I have had this issue come up and the customer chose to buy a new umbrella.

gene

PS: What goes up a chimney down, but cannot go down a chimney up?

[sofadoc]

I flatly refuse that type of work (umbrellas, porch swing awnings, etc.).

I'll do the cushions. But I always warn them up front that if they bought the whole table/chairs/umbrella set at Wally World for $299, it's gonna cost a lot more than that just to do the cushions alone.

I advise them to just buy a new set, and either sit the old stuff out by the curb, or donate it to Goodwill (and let them sit it out by THEIR curb).

It might be tough to make a heavy fabric behave properly on a lightweight frame. I wouldn't want the aggravation. 

[MinUph]

What he said

[bobbin]

I've never tried to recover an umbrella, either.  They can be replaced for such short money that my hourly rate immediately renders me "too expensive".  (I may give our old one a whirl, would use Sunbrella as the old cover is Sunbrella, but aluminum in salt air may have rendered the "guts" fully seized).

And I absolutely hated making new awnings for those porch swings!!  I would inevitably be assigned the task and the estimate was always low-balled... it was "beat the clock" every single time.  The framing was chintzy, the aluminum screws corroded, and they just sucked from start to finish.  (I see I'm in good company, lol)

[sofadoc]

OK Gene, it's an umbrella.  :D

[baileyuph]

This question is an engineering or fabric selection judgment question, not one based on being asked to work cheaper than Walmart.

This customer knows about Walmart, but that isn't the quest.

If this fabric is too heavy for the frame and could be but I don't have experience in this type of engineering.  Doing the work is not the or an analytical challenge.

IMHO, the clerk does not have the analytical experience to answer any questions, my customer neither.

Anyone else done a "brella" -grin- out of heavier fabric than what is customarily seen on those domestic item?

Doyle

[byhammerandhand]

Without getting too far off-topic, I'd warn against customer relations starting off, "You are NOT going to save any money on this..."   Maybe you avoid spending time leading up to eventual sticker shock.   But you are pre-judging your customer.

I am reminded of when one of my daughters was doing her wedding planning.   She went to a shop down the street that does silk flower decor (among other things in interior design about which they have no business, like furniture, but that's a story for another time).    The first thing they told her was, "You know that a silk arrangement will be more expensive than live flowers."     Cut right to the chase, but was a real turn off.    If I had been with her we would have done an immediate 180 and walked out the door.  I would have not been there shopping for price but for something with permanence, which for this daughter was important.

[bobbin]

Asked and answered!

[sofadoc]

Continuing slightly off-topic:

Without getting too far off-topic, I'd warn against customer relations starting off, "You are NOT going to save any money on this..."   Maybe you avoid spending time leading up to eventual sticker shock.   But you are pre-judging your customer.

I am reminded of when one of my daughters was doing her wedding planning.   She went to a shop down the street that does silk flower decor (among other things in interior design about which they have no business, like furniture, but that's a story for another time).    The first thing they told her was, "You know that a silk arrangement will be more expensive than live flowers."     Cut right to the chase, but was a real turn off.    If I had been with her we would have done an immediate 180 and walked out the door.  I would have not been there shopping for price but for something with permanence, which for this daughter was important.

Your point is well taken. But personally, I would've appreciated the florist telling me up front that silk flowers cost a lot more than live ones. I wouldn't consider it a "turn off" at all.

I get customers all the time, who come in with a preconceived notion of what a re-upholstery job done in genuine leather should cost. And they got their notion from looking at all the cheap crap that furniture stores pass off as leather.
I warn them immediately that genuine leather is extremely expensive. Then we both know immediately whether or not we're wasting each other's time. If any of them were ever "turned off" by this approach, they didn't indicate as such.

Most come in thinking that a leather sofa might run them about a grand. I may lose a few jobs by not stringing them along, but I also don't waste any time figuring up a leather estimate only to have them keel over when I present it to them.

I'd rather a salesperson pre-judge me as "a little on the poor side" than to automatically treat me as if I have deep pockets.

Maybe I assumed too much in thinking that Doyle's customer had some Wal-mart junk. If she only wants quality, and isn't terribly concerned about price, why did she run to Jo Ann's?

[chrisberry12]

If the question is a cheap lightweight umbrella, then why not have the customer go out and buy a good heavy one and then you can re fabric the new one and they can have the store bought fabric as back up. Also if you contact the company that made the umbrella you may find they have them in her fabric especially if it's sunbrella. I have had really nice redwood umbrellas in the past, very well made. I would junk the cheap light weight one. You are just asking for trouble.
I am sorry but I think all us upholsterers stay away from this kind of work we can see trouble a mile away. Best of luck to you