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Upholstery services in Dubai, stripped back to the frame
Sofa and majlis reupholstery, bespoke headboards, dining and office chairs, upholstered wall panels, curtains and blinds — rebuilt from the frame outwards in our own workshop, not recovered over tired foam.
What upholstery services covers and what it costs
Upholstery services in Dubai covers reupholstering existing furniture, manufacturing new upholstered pieces, and making soft furnishings: sofas, majlis seating, headboards, dining and office chairs, ottomans, upholstered wall panels, curtains and blinds. Expect AED 1,800 to 6,500 to reupholster a three-seat sofa, AED 280 to 750 per dining chair, and AED 1,600 to 6,000 for a bespoke headboard. Abdulla Carpentry EST strips furniture to the frame, repairs and re-webs it, and replaces the foam rather than covering over it.
There is an easy version of upholstery and a proper one. The easy version staples new fabric over the existing cover, leaves the old foam and webbing in place, and looks good for about six months. The proper version strips the piece to its bare frame, repairs the joints, replaces the webbing and springs, builds new foam, and then covers it.
The difference is visible immediately in how the piece sits. Old foam has already compressed where people sat; new fabric over it reproduces exactly the same sags and hollows, just in a new colour. It is also the reason a cheap reupholstery job costs a third as much and lasts a fifth as long.
Dubai adds its own factor. Heat and humidity age foam faster than a temperate climate does, sunlight through a villa window will fade an unsuitable fabric within a season, and a majlis takes far more use than a Western living room sofa. We specify density and fabric accordingly rather than out of a catalogue.
To the frameRebuilt, not recovered
The upholstery work we take on
Some of this is restoration and some is new manufacture, and the two often happen together — a reupholstered majlis with new bolsters and matching curtains, for instance.
Sofa and armchair reupholstery. Stripped, frame repaired and reglued, webbing and springs replaced, new foam built to the right density for the seat depth, then covered. An old frame is usually far better made than a new sofa at the same total cost.
Majlis seating. Fixed bench seating, floor cushions, bolsters and back cushions, made to the room dimensions. This is seating that gets used daily by many people, so foam density, cover durability and removable, washable covers matter more than they do elsewhere.
Headboards and bed surrounds. Panelled, buttoned, channelled or plain; wall-mounted or bed-fixed; in fabric, velvet or leather. Full-width and full-height headboards that span a wall are one of the most effective things you can do to a Dubai bedroom.
Dining, office and occasional chairs. Seat pads, full drop-in seats and fully upholstered frames. Dining chairs in a family home are the single hardest-worked upholstery in the house and benefit most from a performance fabric.
Upholstered wall panels and acoustic panels. Fabric-wrapped panels that soften a room visually and absorb sound. Common behind beds, in home cinemas and in meeting rooms. See wall panelling.
Curtains, blinds and soft furnishings. Made-to-measure curtains with motorised or corded tracks, roman and roller blinds, blackout linings for bedrooms, cushions and throws. Measured and installed rather than bought to a nearest size.
Foam, fabric and what survives a Dubai summer
Foam is specified by density and firmness, and the two are different things. Density determines how long it lasts; firmness determines how it feels. A low-density foam can feel firm on day one and be fully collapsed within eighteen months. For seat cushions we use high-resilience foam of at least 35 kg per cubic metre, wrapped in polyester or feather for the softness at the surface.
Fabric choice is where Dubai diverges from everywhere else. Direct sunlight through a villa window will fade many cottons and linens noticeably in a single summer. Solution-dyed acrylics and performance polyesters hold colour far better and clean far more easily, which matters with children, oils and coffee. Leather ages well but hardens near strong sun. Velvet is durable and hides use, but shows direction, so a large piece has to be cut consistently.
Durability is measured in rub cycles. Anything under 20,000 belongs on a decorative chair nobody sits in. A family sofa wants 40,000 or more, and commercial seating wants 50,000 plus. We tell clients the number rather than letting a fabric be chosen on colour alone.
40,000+ rubsFor a family sofa
How an upholstery job runs
Assessment and collection
We look at the piece — often from photographs first — and judge whether the frame is worth rebuilding. A solid hardwood frame almost always is. A stapled particleboard frame usually is not, and we will say so rather than take the work.
Fabric and foam selection
Samples brought to you, with the rub count, the cleaning code and the light-fastness stated for each. Foam density chosen for how the piece will be used. Trim, piping, buttoning and leg finish agreed at the same time.
Strip and frame repair
The piece is stripped to bare frame in our workshop. Loose joints are reglued and dowelled, broken rails replaced, and the frame squared. Everything that failed the first time is corrected now, while it is accessible.
Rebuild
New webbing and springs tensioned, base cloth fitted, foam cut and shaped, then wadding wrapped over it to soften the edges. This stage is what determines how the finished piece feels to sit on.
Covering and delivery
Fabric cut with the pattern matched across panels, sewn, fitted and finished with piping or studding as specified. Then delivered, placed and checked. Cushions are filled and plumped before they leave.
Upholstery rates in Dubai
Labour and materials, collected and delivered within Dubai. Fabric is the largest variable — the same sofa in a mid-range performance fabric and in a designer velvet can differ by half the total.
| Item | Unit | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Three-seat sofa, full reupholstery | each | AED 1,800 – 6,500 |
| Two-seat sofa, full reupholstery | each | AED 1,400 – 4,500 |
| Armchair, full reupholstery | each | AED 850 – 2,800 |
| Dining chair, drop-in seat | each | AED 180 – 400 |
| Dining chair, fully upholstered | each | AED 280 – 750 |
| Office chair recover | each | AED 250 – 600 |
| Majlis seating, per running metre | per linear m | AED 900 – 2,400 |
| Floor cushions and bolsters | each | AED 180 – 550 |
| Bespoke headboard, wall mounted | each | AED 1,600 – 6,000 |
| Upholstered wall panel | per sq m | AED 350 – 900 |
| Ottoman or bench, new build | each | AED 900 – 3,200 |
| Curtains, made and installed | per linear m | AED 180 – 650 |
| Roller or roman blind, made to measure | per sq m | AED 160 – 480 |
| Foam replacement only, per seat cushion | each | AED 180 – 450 |
Fabric is charged by the metre on top of the labour where you supply your own. A three-seat sofa takes roughly 14 to 20 metres of plain fabric, and considerably more where a pattern has to be matched across the panels.
Upholstery for hotels, restaurants and offices
Contract upholstery is a different specification from domestic. Fabrics need 50,000 rub cycles or more, fire retardancy to the relevant standard, and in food and beverage settings a wipeable or bleach-cleanable finish. A domestic fabric in a restaurant banquette will look worn out in under a year.
Repeatability matters too. A restaurant with forty chairs needs the fortieth to match the first, which means dye-lot control, consistent foam batches and a template rather than freehand cutting. We make a prototype, get it approved, and then produce against it.
And there is the refurbishment cycle. Hotels and restaurants in Dubai refresh their seating every few years, and recovering existing frames in rotation is far cheaper and faster than replacement — typically done overnight or in sections so the venue keeps trading.
Upholstery services: common questions
How much does it cost to reupholster a sofa in Dubai?
AED 1,800 to 6,500 for a three-seat sofa fully stripped, rebuilt and recovered, with the fabric included. The range reflects the fabric more than the labour — a performance polyester and a designer velvet are very different figures.
Is it worth reupholstering or should I just buy new?
If the frame is solid hardwood with jointed rails, reupholstery gives you a better-built piece than a new sofa at the same price, in exactly the fabric you want. If the frame is stapled particleboard, replacement is the honest answer and we will tell you so.
How long does reupholstery take?
Two to three weeks for a sofa or a pair of chairs, from collection to delivery. Headboards and new builds run three to four weeks. Fabric with a long lead time from an imported supplier can extend it.
Do you replace the foam or just the cover?
We replace it. Covering over compressed foam reproduces every existing sag in a new fabric, and it is the reason cheap reupholstery looks tired so quickly. New high-resilience foam is part of the job as standard.
Can you match my existing fabric?
Sometimes exactly, if it is a current line, and otherwise very closely. Bring or photograph a sample. Where an exact match is impossible we usually suggest recovering the matching pieces too, so the room reads as intentional.
Which fabric lasts best in Dubai?
Solution-dyed acrylics and performance polyesters — they hold colour in strong sunlight and clean easily. Look for 40,000 rub cycles or more on anything used daily. Natural linens and cottons are beautiful but will fade near a sunlit window.
Do you make curtains and blinds as well?
Yes. Made-to-measure curtains with corded or motorised tracks, roman and roller blinds, and blackout linings for bedrooms. We measure on site, because window openings in Dubai apartments are rarely the size the drawing says.
Do you collect and deliver?
Yes, within Dubai as part of the price. The work happens in our workshop on 32b Street — stripping upholstery is dusty, and it is not something that should be done in your living room.
Send photographs of your furniture
Photos of the piece from a couple of angles, plus a note on how it is used, are enough for a working price. We will tell you honestly whether the frame justifies the work.
