HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hire a furniture restorer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to furniture restorers. Agree the plan, the insurance while away, and fire-safe fillings for re-covered parts.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a furniture restorer in five steps

  1. Worth restoring?Ask whether the piece is worth more restored.
  2. Photograph itBefore it leaves.
  3. Upholstered parts?Fire-safe fillings and covers.
  4. Collection in the price?For large pieces.
  5. Written planRepairs and finish listed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Furniture restorers need no licence and join no statutory register in the four nations; the work is judged on skill and the written plan.

Ask for a written furniture restoration plan for each piece.

Fire safety in re-covered upholstery

The 1988 Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations set fire-resistance requirements for fillings and covers in upholstered furniture supplied in the course of business. If a seat is re-covered or refilled, ask what the materials meet.

Ask the furniture restorer which fillings and covers they use and whether they meet the 1988 Regulations. legislation.gov.uk →

Solvents and COSHH

HSE's COSHH rules on hazardous substances apply to self-employed people who take hazardous products onto other people's premises. The solvents, lacquers and strippers used in furniture restoration are that kind of product.

Ask what products the furniture restoration uses, and how the room will be ventilated. hse.gov.uk →

Your rights and the piece in their care

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 furniture restoration must be done with reasonable care and skill; insurance covers the piece while in the workshop.

Ask what insurance covers items in the furniture restorer's care.

VAT

Furniture restoration is standard-rated at 20% when the restorer is registered, finish work and re-upholstery alike. A trader whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge it and show it as a separate line; one below that threshold adds none.

Ask the restorer for the VAT number on the estimate; with none, the price has no VAT in it. gov.uk →

“Is this piece worth restoring?”

A good answer: An honest view on cost against value.

“Will the furniture restoration revive or strip the finish?”

A good answer: A choice explained.

“Which structural repairs are needed?”

A good answer: Joints, legs, drawers — listed.

“Will re-covered seats use fire-safe materials?”

A good answer: Yes, meeting the 1988 Regulations.

“Is collection and delivery included?”

A good answer: A plain answer.

“How is the piece insured while with you?”

A good answer: Cover named.

Getting the quote right

  • Each piece and its repairs
  • Finish work
  • Upholstered parts and materials
  • Collection and delivery
  • Who actually attends to each piece — the restorer, or a subcontracted upholsterer or polisher
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on its own line

Walk away if

  • No written plan
  • Re-covers seats with unlabelled foam
  • No insurance for the piece
  • Strips a finish that could be revived
LOW
£70
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£650

What a furniture restorer costs: £70–£650 per item

Furniture restoration is priced per item by size, structural repairs and the finish. Furniture Restoration price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Furniture restorers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. AssessCondition and plan agreed.
  2. RepairJoints reglued, parts mended.
  3. RefinishFinish revived or renewed.
  4. UpholsterySeats re-covered in compliant materials.
  5. DeliverReturned and checked with you.

Drop-in seat
A removable upholstered seat pad.
Reglue
Taking apart and regluing loose joints.
Refinishing
Stripping and renewing the surface finish.
Veneer
A thin decorative wood layer.
Fire label
A label showing upholstery meets fire-safety rules.
Patina
The aged surface of old wood.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check against your photosBefore paying the balance.
Keep labelsFire-safety labels on re-covered parts.
Care adviceWaxing and cleaning.
Review it honestlyYour review of the furniture restoration is tied to a real booking. Under four stars, you can send the problem with the furniture restoration to the furniture restorer first and we follow it up; then the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the furniture restorerGive the furniture restorer a clear written account and a fair deadline. The law treats the furniture restoration as a service that had to be done with reasonable care and skill, and where it was not, the trader must redo it at their expense or refund part of what you paid.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepBelow four stars, Locufy offers to pass the problem with the furniture restoration to the furniture restorer before your review is published, and follows it up with both of you.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesFor advice about the furniture restoration, or to have the complaint passed to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the furniture restoration, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring a furniture restorer: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

The 1988 Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations set rules for fillings and covers in upholstered furniture supplied by businesses.

Ask for an honest view; some pieces are worth more as they stand.

£70–£650 per item, with about £300 typical. There is more in the furniture restoration price guide; enter a town above to see restorers who work there.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for it to be put right at the restorer's cost.

A day for a small repair; one to three weeks for a full restoration.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Antique RestorationHow to hire: French PolishingHow to hire: Upholstery RepairHow to hire: Painter & DecoratorHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Spray PaintingHow to hire: Odd JobsHow to hire: Shed RepairAll 701 hiring guides →

Furniture restorers near you

Furniture restorers in LondonFurniture restorers in ManchesterFurniture restorers in BirminghamFurniture restorers in GlasgowFurniture restorers in BelfastAll furniture restorers on Locufy →Do it yourself: restoring a piece of wooden furniture →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988
  2. HSE — does COSHH apply to the self-employed?
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  5. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  6. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register