FAQs

reCover is the reupholstery service from ercol. We can supply replacement cushions and webbing for many of the different sofas and chairs that we have produced over the last 90 years as well as replacement seat and back pads for many of our dining chairs, giving your cherished pieces of ercol a fresh lease of life or simply a change of style.

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ercol furniture's solid wood frames will give many years of service and age gracefully - many of our pieces have become part of people's lives and bear the marks of growing families and changing times. Over time any fabrics will show signs of wear with use, and interiors will compress, giving a less supportive sit and changing the look of the furniture. Tastes and fashions also change. Replacement upholstery will give your furniture a new look and a new lease of life, whilst you have the knowledge that you helping the environment by continuing to use the frame.

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Using our archives of original design drawings and fabric patterns, ercol craftsmen will tailor new upholstery using high quality materials. We offer a choice from over a hundred different fabrics, and for some pieces a range of leathers. We can even make the furniture in a cover of your own choice.

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Yes, the ercol reCover service is available directly from ercol, simply call us on 01844 271800 and ask for Customer Services, who will be pleased to help you. Alternatively, you can order through one of network of stockists, whose staff will be delighted to help you.

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We have over a hundred fabrics available within our range, encompassing a broad selection of patterns, plains and colours. You can see our fabrics here on the reCover website, where you can also request five sample swatches. Our fabrics brochure is also available to view on this site. All our stockists have full fabric books with swatches of our complete range, making it easy for you to select the fabric of your choice and we also have large samples of all our fabrics available to view at our Princes Risborough showroom.

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Subject to certain technical requirements we are happy to make up your cushions in your own fabric - we call this Customer Own Cover (COC). We will need to provide you with an estimate of the fabric quantity required and you will need to provide us with certain information and a valid fire certificate - see our Customer Own Cover guide.

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If you look on this website or in our fabric guide you will see that certain fabrics are not recommended for some pieces of furniture. Generally these are patterns with straight stripes, which we do not recommend for upholstery with buttoned cushions - the buttoning pulls the stripes out of parallel and some customers don't like this look.

When selecting your fabrics or supplying your own fabric, please be aware that some fabrics with deep piles will show where they have been sat on unless smoothed over afterwards. Deep pile fabrics which are subject to fabric crush should be avoided for reversible cushions placed on webbing as the webs will leave an impression on the fabric.

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Yes, all our fabrics have passed the British government's flame retardant regulations and the test for abrasion BS2543. All filling materials meet the Furniture and Furnishing (fire) (safety) regulations 1988 to BS 5852 Part1 Source 0 & 1. For contract use we can provide specialist fabrics meeting the requirements for this market.

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All our fabrics have been selected for their durability as well as their attractive appearance. They have all passed the test for abrasion BS2543 and are appropriate for general domestic use. If your upholstery is for the contract market or you require a particularly abrasion resistant material please contact Customer Services who will be able to help you. We can also provide specialist fabrics - for example we are sometimes asked for water resistant materials.

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Have a look at the stockist locator, which will tell you your nearest retailer either by miles or drive time.

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Over the past 90 years ercol has designed and sold over two hundred different designs for chairs and upholstery, many of which we can provide replacement upholstery for. To check whether reCover is available on your ercol furniture you can check on this website, or look in the reCover guide which has a full listing of all models supported.

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Over the years of use interiors will naturally degrade, providing a less supportive sit. This also means that they will not fill out a new set of covers and accordingly the new covers will not look their best. Hence we always recommend taking complete cushion and cover sets.

For furniture with webbing straps we would recommend replacing the webbing straps when you replace your cushions in order to gain the full benefit from them.

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No they won't. Over the years your current set will have become compressed. New cushions will generally feel firmer than the old set you have, returning the performance of your upholstery to new. Foam compositions have also changed over the years in response to developments in foam technology and this can have an impact on the characteristics of the foam.

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Over the years that a model has been in production it has often undergone changes in the detailed design. Hence a given model may have different numbers of webs and different sized webs, depending on when it was made. It is thus important to identify the correct version when ordering your webs. You can find full details of this with the model information on this website and in the reCover guide. However, if you are in any doubt, do phone us on 01844 271800 and speak to Customer Services who will be pleased to help you identify the correct webs to order.

Read our guide to identifying your webs.

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Instructions and a webbing fitting tool are provided with each webbing kit and most individuals successfully replace the webbing themselves. Please be aware that since the webbing needs to be supportive, it has a highly resistive elasticity and fitting it requires some physical strength. You may therefore wish to arrange for assistance with this.

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It is not generally necessary to replace the sprung base on your upholstery. However, occasionally we will supply a replacement unit where this helps or is necessary for the reupholstery. Sprung bases can be replaced as a special request as a separate chargeable item. Please contact customer services on 01844 271800 if you'd like further information.

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On some models there is a choice of foam and fibre interiors - this is indicated on the relevant product details on this website or in the reCover guide. Foam and fibre will give a firmer support, whilst feather and fibre gives a softer feel and a more casual look to the upholstery. Feather and fibre interiors will need regular dressing (plumping) to maintain their shape.

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Certain models have feather or feather and fibre interiors. This is a traditional, high quality, interior used in upmarket upholstery to provide a soft and luxurious feel. Details of the interiors are given by the individual product listings on this website and in the reCover guide. Where interiors are feather and fibre or feather we can normally provide an alternative if you would prefer - speak to Customer Services (01844 271800) or your retailer.

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This is known as pilling and is a natural phenomenon with some fabrics when they are new. Pilling can be quickly and safely removed using a purpose made fabric "shaver" and will only occur during the period of initial use. All our fabrics are tested for pilling to ensure this is not excessive. Further information is contained in our pilling instructions.

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ercol reCover can provide you with replacement upholstery on a wide range of our sofas and chairs. However, we do not carry out repairs on the frames or on our other furniture. Customer Services do keep details of local repairers who other customers have recommended. Contact Customer Services on 01844 271800 for details.

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Mop up any spills as soon as possible to minimize staining.

On most models, covers are detachable and should only be professionally dry cleaned. Where covers are not detachable some firms offer an in-house dry cleaning service. If you need to remove and replace buttons ask the Customer Service Team for instructions.

Periodic vacuuming of your covers using an appropriate soft brush attachment will help remove dirt and grit that may otherwise cause accelerated wear.

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Call Customer Services on 01844 271800 for pricing information or visit your local retailer.

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Our fabrics are classified into price bands, C, E and G grades. Additionally, you may be able to use your own cover on certain products and the prices in those cases are shown as COC.

If you want additional fabric for home furnishings, you can buy Ercol fabrics by the metre, as shown in the table below. Please note that it is not always possible to obtain an exact colour match between dye batches, please ask for a stock cutting if a shade match is required. You should be aware that fabric colours can vary slightly between rolls and even within a roll.

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