Thrills, but not so Cheap or Quick (Plumbs Furniture Covers)

Member Name: clairemoo

Product:	Plumbs Furniture Covers
Date:	18/09/03 (2904 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Customised product, Good quality, Friendly agent/ customer service

Disadvantages: Long delivery time, Relatively expensive

The question is this: do you replace a perfectly good sofa just because the fixed upholstery is shabby (lets face it, you're not going to sell it for very much second hand), do you buy custom fitted covers, or do you have it fully re-upholstered? Following my experience with Plumbs Covers, I would say the answer is certainly, "It depends".

The dependant factor is the quality of the original sofa frame, forget the upholstery for now. If it was originally a <£300/£400 job from a cheaper high street retailer, drop it like a hot potato and just buy a new one (preferably with washable covers this time) as it will cost more to have the fitted covers made and it would simply not be worth the time and effort. If you can't afford a new quality sofa, buy a cheap throw and save-up hard or you'll be in the same position again in a couple of years. If on the other hand, you paid more for the sofa, or it is an older piece, the chances are it will have a good hardwood frame and decent springs. In this case it's well worth spending £400 on covers to bring it up to scratch rather than buying an inferior replacement sofa for less, even if you are being offered a century's interest free credit with nothing to pay for the first two decades. I would say the loose cover option is almost always preferable to full re-upholstery, as it leaves you with washable covers, and will cost less. Instances when full re-upholstery is necessary are when you want leather, or if the foam/ feathers have deteriorated (think hard about whether it's worth it - this is going to be very expensive and is probably only worth the money for an antique or a true designer piece).

I had a good quality sofa bed which over the years had accumulated one too many doggy-paw-print to be considered respectable, and after pondering for a while, decided to have loose covers made. I have to say that this was influenced by the fact that the sofa was a gift from the in-law
s and I was already in their bad books without chucking out an expensive three year old sofabed we'd always hated the colour of.

We optimistically sent off for a brochure from Plumbs as the website showed only a few options (mostly naff, mostly floral and/or gaudy). I should point out that my impression of the Plumbs service is that it is largely geared up for the chintz-loving consumer. Persevere! Don't bother with the brochure or video. Get the friendly consultant out, and ignore him whilst he tells you how great the tea-rose fabric looks as a contrast seat-pad cover (unless you're a Cath Kidston aficionado in which case all is forgiven) and tempt him to fetch the plain cottons and linens sample book from the depths of his car boot (where its been gathering dust since the last tasteful order was placed in 1992). A couple of chocolate biscuits should do it.

As luck would have it, a special offer was on at the time I placed my order (I get the feeling it would be difficult to find a time when there was no special offer on) and I 'saved' £170, paying £399 for a quality heavyweight cotton cover. At this price, you may be tempted to make one yourself, or ask Aunty Nora to help. But beware, this is a big and difficult project that requires talent, time and a lot of quite expensive upholstery fabric. I had first tried this myself, and the disaster that ensued does not bear repeating. By way of warning, the number of measurements required is quite extraordinary, and my intention to 'pop home from work for a late lunch' turned into an apologetic call to my boss after two hours, requesting a last-minute afternoon off. Perhaps the consultant just liked my chocolate biscuits a little too much.

Anyway, I was told I'd have to wait 6-8 weeks for delivery, which for me was the major downside. After 6 weeks, I'd heard nothing and as I was about to put my house on the market, I wanted the covers quickly so that the k
nackered sofa wouldn't repulse prospective buyers. It took a while to get through to the consultant, and I ended up calling the factory a few times to check up on the progress and plea for faster delivery given my circumstances. After a lot of pestering, the covers were eventually delivered and fitted on the last day of the eighth week. Plumbs didn't break their delivery promise, but I suspect this may have been different had I not made my presence felt by telephone on a regular basis during the last couple of weeks. Nevertheless, the covers are well made and the fabric is of a good quality. I haven't encountered any of the difficulties encountered by the other reviewer such as unsewn seams. Be warned that the fit of my covers were looser than those shown in the brochures, resulting in a more casual look. I like this look, but others may not. This may be to give some allowance for shrinking in the wash. I am yet to wash the covers as I only received them last week, so can't provide any comment in this regard.

To summarise, I would happily recommend Plumbs with the above caveats, but they're not a company for the impatient and would prove false economy for those wishing to change the look of a cheaply made sofa.

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