Help with Cost to Upholster Seats.

[Ferf]

I already have new seat covers for the two front buckets and rear seat for my standard '65 interior. I also have new foam for the two front buckets. When I called the shop, I told them all this and they gave me a rough estimate of $500.

When I actually dropped the stuff off at the shop and they were able to look at everything they then told me it would be around $600 to sandblast and paint all the seat frames, make new foam for the rear seat, and re-upholster the two front buckets and rear seat.

The shop is owned and run by this old guy. As he gets a seat done, I stop by and pick it up and pay him for the work done up until that point. However, he still has one bucket left to do, I have already paid out $600 and now he is saying that I am going to be up near $700 for the entire job.

I don't mind paying a fair price for the work being done. However, I went from $500 to $700 to have this work done. I am just afraid that I am being charged whatever it takes to cover the guys bills at that point in time.

So for you guys that had your seats re-upholstered at a shop, what did it cost you?

Thanks,

Chrsi

 

[iskwezm]

i did my stock seats ,myself.I just took them apart and figured how to do hog rings and went for it.That price seems rediculously high to me, but like i said, I did my own.

 

[Blu-Steel]

If it weren't for the sandblasting part I would say $500.00 is too high. But, if he truly does that I can see the higher price. I've had several 66 Mustangs and I've always upholstered the seats myself. It's not really all that much labor and doesn't take long to do. Even so, after he looked at your seats, upped the price to $600.00, he should have stuck to the agreement he made with you. If he is a professional he knows how easy it is to reuholster seats like yours.

 

[12sec67]

We usually sell a pony interior kit for a coupe with new foam and upholstery for about 650-680 the n just trade in your frames and rear seat.

 

[68EFIvert]

I don't know about a full job but I paid a guy $250 to make me rear covers to match the front Procar Rally seats. He put on new foam. Again he made me custom covers. I think you are being taken for a ride. I purchased Procar seats and had a custom covers done for the same price you will pay to redo your existing seats (if you include the price of your materials). I still had to old seats I sold to help reduce the expense.

 

[Ferf]

I just called another popular interior shop and the quoted me at around $600 for the job (not including sand blasting the frames because the don't have the equipment to do it). So, at least that is comparable to what this guy is charging me.

As for doing them myself.....to me it just isn't worth the time and trouble. Between my regular full-time job and also trying to start my own business, I don't have much time these days. Plus, I could see myself spending a weekend trying to do these seat covers, only to get frustrated and eventually tear one of the covers. At that point, I would have to pay for a new cover and then pay someone to do it for me!

Later,

Chris

 

[Rusty67]

Always shop around. When I had my front seats covered, I called like 10 shops and I just wanted the fronts done. Everywhere I called wanted like 450 to 500 and when I told them I was going to supply the covers and foam some of them told me that doesn't change the price. I think I ended up paying less then 200 bux to have a shop do both front seats. They did a decent job too considering the covers were used (almost new but had already been put on another set of seat frames).

The main lesson, shop around before you commit.

 

[zookeeper]

I paid $450 to have my seats done last fall, they added foam to make everything fit well and put on covers I supplied. That's for a bench front, and they had to repair the inside of the arm-rest. I paid $377 for the covers so that raised my grand total to $827 for seats alone.

 

[RedGTvert]

I had mine done last year for a little over $600, and I supplied the covers. It did include them custom cutting new foam for the rear seats.

 

[Goin Broke]

A friend of a friend who does upholstery out of his garage is doing mine and he is bringing them today. I supplied the covers and front foam. He bought foam for the rear, repainted the hardware and assembled for $375 which I thought was reasonable. Working 12's 5 days a week and Saturdays too it was too much to tackle as spring is just around the corner. The floor pan prep, sound deadener and insulation has taken me three weekends as it is.

 

[Ferf]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. After hearing what some of you others have paid, it seems like I may be on the high-end of the range but not totally unreasonable.

Later,

Chris