Is your Basildon chair worth reupholstering?
Basildon was furnished in the 1950s and 60s, and a good deal of that furniture is still in its houses. Some of it is well worth rebuilding. Some of it is not, and we will say which.
What Basildon bought when it was new
Basildon was designated a new town in 1949, built to house families moving out of east London, drawing in the older settlements of Laindon, Pitsea and Vange. The households that moved in bought the furniture of their day: Ercol in elm and beech, G-Plan in teak, Parker Knoll with its tension-sprung seats. Much of it is still here, in the same rooms or passed on to children.
That furniture is now called mid-century, and it was built well. The frames were sound hardwood, the joints were cut to hold, and the design has aged better than most things made since. We appreciate the quality of mid-century manufacture, quality largely unrivalled in today's market, which is why so many of these pieces come back to life rather than go to the tip. You can see some we have restored among our vintage pieces.
Simon Houlding Upholstery reupholsters sofas, armchairs and dining chairs for Basildon homes, though the workshop is not in Basildon. It sits at Stock Chase, Heybridge, near Maldon, about 23 miles and about 33 minutes from the town centre by car, usually along the A130 and A127. Established in 1997, every piece is stripped to the frame and rebuilt by hand on site, with hand-tied springs, fibre and horsehair. The work holds 162 five-star reviews across Google, Facebook, Yell and Houzz.
Which Basildon pieces are worth the work, maker by maker
The honest answer changes with how the piece was built.
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1
An Ercol studio couch or armchair
nearly always worth it
How it is builtErcol is built from solid elm and beech, with a frame that holds its shape for decades and show-wood arms that were meant to be seen. What gives out is the webbing under the seat, the foam, the loose cushions and the cover, none of which touches the frame itself.
Our adviceKeep it. The webbing, the foam and the cover can all be renewed, and the show-wood wants cleaning and reviving, not stripping bare. The frame is worth more than most new furniture.
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2
A G-Plan chair or suite
usually worth it
How it is builtG-Plan in teak and afrormosia carries show-wood arms and a solid frame. The teak is sound and the lines are good. What fails is the foam, which collapses with age, the webbing or straps, and the cover, which wears thin at the arms and the front edge.
Our adviceWorth rebuilding in nearly every case. The wood wants reviving, not sanding back. New foam and a chosen cloth, and it reads as a proper piece again.
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3
A Parker Knoll armchair
worth it
How it is builtParker Knoll used tension springs under the seat cushion, stretched across the frame. Over the years those springs lose their tension and the seat sinks, and the foam and cover tire at the same pace. The frame underneath is almost always sound hardwood.
Our adviceA good candidate. The tension springs are renewed, the seat rebuilt and the chair recovered, and the comfort comes back to where it was.
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4
A Chesterfield or traditionally sprung piece
worth it when the frame is sound
How it is builtA traditionally sprung Chesterfield sits on a hardwood frame with coil springs tied by hand. What perishes is the stuffing, the springs working loose, and the leather or cloth cracking and splitting. Deep buttoning hides a lot until you strip it back.
Our adviceNearly always worth keeping. We strip to the frame, re-tie the springs by hand and rebuild with fibre and horsehair, true to how it was made.
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5
A sofa from the 1980s to 2000s on a hardwood frame
often worth it
How it is builtA sofa of this age on a proper hardwood frame, screwed and dowelled rather than stapled, is usually sound where it counts. The cushions have flattened, the arms have worn and the cover has dated, but the carcass is still carrying its weight.
Our adviceSend a photo and we will judge the frame. If it is hardwood and the joints are tight, it is worth rebuilding. A good one has another twenty years in it.
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6
A recent flat-pack or budget sofa
often not, so ask first
How it is builtA cheap modern sofa is built on a softwood or chipboard frame, stapled together rather than jointed, with foam that breaks down fast. Once the frame is stapled chipboard there is little to rebuild onto, and the work costs more than the sofa is worth.
Our adviceOften not, and we will say so. Send a photo first: if the frame turns out better than it looks, it can be done, and if the work would cost more than the sofa is worth we will tell you before you spend anything.
Mid-century pieces brought back in the workshop
A few of the pieces we have stripped down and rebuilt, of the kind that still turns up in Basildon homes.
G-Plan 'The Sixty Two'
An original G-Plan 'The Sixty Two', the one with the flared wing, fully restored and upholstered in burnt orange velvet, with its matching footstool. The pairing is becoming rare.
G-Plan Housemaster
An original G-Plan Housemaster, with its curved wood and metal frame, fully restored and upholstered in black leather.
A traditional Chesterfield
A traditionally upholstered Chesterfield that had seen better days, completely restored and re-covered in a striped cloth, its character kept.
Three checks to make before you send a photo
Lift it, feel the frame
Lift one end. A piece with a hardwood frame feels heavy and solid, and nothing creaks or shifts when you lift it. A light, flexing carcass that knocks at the joints usually means softwood or chipboard stapled together.
Look under the seat cushion
Take the cushion off and look underneath. Webbing straps, tension springs or coil springs point to a piece worth keeping. A solid platform of chipboard with a thin pad of foam on top rarely rewards the work.
Find the maker's label
Check under the seat, inside the arm or on the frame for a stamp or label. An Ercol, G-Plan or Parker Knoll mark tells us how it was built before we even see it, and helps us quote the work properly.
The wide front window of a Basildon house
The terraced and semi-detached houses built across Basildon from the 1950s to the 1970s share one feature: a wide front window that runs low across the main room. It is a generous run of glass, and it rarely suits a blind or a curtain pulled off a shop shelf.
A full-length pair of curtains on a track, lined and interlined, softens the room and holds the warmth in through the evening. Where the sill is low or a radiator sits below, fitted shutters give privacy and light without crowding the floor.
How far the workshop is from Basildon
Measured by car from Unit F, Stock Chase, Heybridge, Maldon on 12 October 2026, by the usual A130 and A127 route.
- Wickford: 15 miles, about 24 minutes
- Pitsea: 20 miles, about 29 minutes
- Noak Bridge: 21 miles, about 33 minutes
- Basildon town centre: 23 miles, about 33 minutes
- Laindon: 21 miles, about 35 minutes
- Langdon Hills: 25 miles, about 38 minutes
What reupholstery costs for a Basildon home
Rebuilding a piece properly costs about as much as buying a new one of the same quality, which is why the frame has to deserve it. An Ercol armchair and six dining chairs are different jobs, so nothing is priced from a list. A photo and a few words bring a personal quote, on a fabric of average price.
With the quote agreed, the cloth is chosen with you, at the Heybridge showroom or at home. For a leather club chair, the one piece with a set guide, a new one is around £5,000 including VAT.
Places near Basildon
Billericay
18 miles, about 30 minutes from the workshop
Family furniture rebuilt piece by piece, from the sofa to the dining chairs.
Rayleigh
17 miles, about 27 minutes from the workshop
Bungalows and chalets whose awkward windows are dressed one by one.
Thurrock
31 miles, about 42 minutes from the workshop
Homes and businesses on the Thames side, from Chafford Hundred to Orsett.
Send a photo of the piece
A picture and a few words about the room is enough for a personal reply, with an honest word on whether it is worth doing.
Questions, answered.
Simon Houlding Upholstery, established 1997, in Heybridge near Maldon, about 33 minutes from the town centre. We strip each piece to the frame and rebuild it by hand on site, with hand-tied springs, fibre and horsehair. The work holds 162 five-star reviews across Google, Facebook, Yell and Houzz.
The workshop and showroom are at Unit F, Stock Chase, Heybridge, Maldon CM9 4AA, about 23 miles and about 33 minutes from the town centre by car, usually along the A130 and A127. We are not based in Basildon and keep no premises there.
Nearly always yes. Both were built on sound hardwood frames that are worth keeping, with show-wood arms meant to be seen. What fails is the webbing, the foam and the cover, which we renew, while the wood is cleaned and revived rather than stripped bare.
Often not. A budget sofa on a softwood or chipboard frame, stapled and not jointed, gives little to rebuild onto, and the work can cost more than the piece is worth. Some are better made than they look, so send a photo and we will tell you straight before you spend anything.
Yes. Sagging usually means the webbing or springs have given out and the foam has broken down. We take the seat back, renew the webbing or re-tie the springs, and rebuild with new foam or natural fillings, so the comfort comes back to where it was.
Show-wood arms on an Ercol or G-Plan piece want cleaning and reviving, not stripping bare. Taking them back to raw wood loses the colour and character the piece earned over the years. Show us the arms in the photo and we will say what they need.
About what a new piece of the same quality would cost, which is why it only makes sense on a good frame. Every piece is different, so there is no list. Send a photo and a brief overview, and you get a personal reply based on a fabric of average price.
A wide front window takes a full-length pair on a track measured to the opening, lined and interlined for drape and warmth. Where the sill is low or a radiator sits below, shutters or a roman blind made to the reveal keep the floor clear.