OT: Any ideas on finding slipcovers for furniture?

[shoyski]

Hey All, we are expecting our first child in September and I have decided we can try and save our furniture (only a couple of years old) by finding some good slipcovers.

First I was surprised that stores very seldom sell slipcovers and if they do, it's by catalog only. Secondly, I was just shocked at the prices! It looks like we're going to have to spend at least half of what we paid for the couch, chair and loveseat on slipcovers.

So now that I've made my peace with the price, I'm wondering if any of you know a good place or website where I can find quality and a good variety of slipcovers. Pottery Barn has some plain ones that would work okay but they are just cotton and I think if someone spilled a juice box on the couch, it would just soak right through the cover (not that juice boxes will be allowed on the furniture. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

So any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[KristaMB]

Hi, shoyski! I can't vouch for the any of these, because I've never used slipcovers. However, I thought you might want to look at Linens N Things and Bed Bath and Beyond. Here are links to their sites. Also, I think I may have seen slipcovers at Target.
http://www.lnthings.com

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/searchSKU.asp?order_num=-1&WRN=-1&MC=-1&DOIT=Y ES&SSTR=slip+cover (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/searchSKU.asp?order_num=-1&WRN=-1&MC=-1&DOIT=YES&SSTR=slip+cover)

Good luck! Hope this helps...

~Krista

Gosh, I hate it when I test my links and they don't work. You'll have to run the product search on the Linens N Things site.

[This message has been edited by KristaMB (edited 06-24-2001).]

[This message has been edited by KristaMB (edited 06-24-2001).]

[laden]

I think Target and K-Mart (Martha Stewart Collection) carry these, but I'm not 100% sure.

[BetsyF]

There is a company that specializes in slipcovers that has been advertising lately in the shelter mags; Sure-Fit is the name I believe. I think the ads mention a website but I have never checked it out. I have never checked the price of ready-made slips, but if they're as expensive as you say, you might consider finding a bargain fabric and having them made to fit your pieces. Good luck, Betsy

[Laura B]

Shoyski, what material were you looking for? The only slipcovers I have seen have been cotton. Maybe you can find some cheap waterproof material (something that would not make funny noises when you sit on it) that you could lay over your couch cushions before putting the slipcover on.

I can vouch for the quality of the Pottery Barn slipcovers. I recently indulged in the damask one in sage and I love it. Pottery Barn also sells a tailoring kit which is a must if you don't want to be constantly tucking your slipcover back in between your cushions (along the back and edges, no in between the seat cushions themselves). The kit consists of these special plastic thingies that keep the cover tucked in and looking more tailored instead of blob-like. With the tailoring kit, we can plop down on our sofa and lay on it, etc. and the slipcover stays put. P.B. sells the kit for about $30 for a sofa.

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 06-24-2001).]

[BlueMoose]

I tried slipcovers from Walmart and gave up on them. They just wouldn't stay put with a child climbing on and off of them. I've never tried some of the more expensive ones, but I know how pricey they are. Maybe you would be better off buying some new less expensive furniture for the years when your kids are younger. You could offset the price by selling your current set. I just ordered a new sofa for $425. I know it's not the best quality, but I figure it will get us through the years when our kids are young, and I won't have to constantly be worrying about the kids doing damage to it like I would with a more expensive sofa. Plus, I ordered a fun pattern that I probably wouldn't have ordered if I was planning on having it last for 10-15 years.

Chrisi http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[ama47369]

I have seen some of the pottery barn slipcovers sold on ebay for cheaper prices. I'm not sure what kind of condition they would be in, but you could email the seller directly to find out.



[This message has been edited by ama47369 (edited 06-24-2001).]

[shoyski]

Thanks for the feedback. I went to a place that will make to order today and was told prices would start around $650, but an average price would more apt to be $800. No thanks. My husband keeps thinking we could just buy a big piece of material and drape, tucking here and there, but I did that in college and hated it....it wouldn't stay put.

So again, thanks for the feedback on the Walmart and Pottery Barn...looks like PB wins. And thanks for the tip on the tailoring kit, Laura. BlueMoose, your idea is great except it literally took us three years to find a couch that we both liked and agreed on that met all of our specifications so giving it up so soon is not an option in my mind. Thanks though, it does make sense the way you went about it. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Tina_B]

I know of a place that people always rave about for custom slipcovers - Potato Skins, www.potatoskins.com. (http://www.potatoskins.com.) It is located in Toronto, Canada. The exchange rate is very attractive for Americans at the moment, so it may be worth looking into.

[clairea]

Shoyski,

I also have the damask slipcovers from Pottery Barn, and have been very happy with them. I have 2 small kids, so getting juice spilled on them is not that uncommon, and I have not had any trouble. They are pretty thick, so I have just pulled the cover off quickly after a spill and have not had anything soak through to the couch. Also, you can throw them in the washing machine whenever they get dirty (mine say to line dry, but I have put them in the dryer several times and never had a problem). They were fairly expensive (a few hundred $$ for sofa and loveseat), but, IMO, worth it to save my furniture. Personally, I am not crazy about the slipcovered look (I like more tailored things), but I just take them off when we have company and my furniture still looks nice.

[SueK]

I have ones from Sure Fit, which Betsy mentioned above. Their web site is http://www.surefit.com

I've been very pleased with them. They are machine washable, and even though it says not to machine dry them, I do, and haven't had problems. They are very sturdy and don't slip around too much.

[BosunsWife]

I've been thinking about slip covers simply for a new look for our couch. I DO have a small child, but so far, so good, she doesn't seem to be a spiller. We haven't seen any wear and tear on our couch so far and we spent a lot of money on it prior to deciding to have children. Though, I will say that we picked out a darker patterned fabric so it probably wouldn't show dirt anyway.

Anyway, back to topic, I checked out some of the covers at Sure Fit and they are nice and seem to be very reasonably priced as compared to some I have seen in the over $500 range! I might be making an order myself.

[Grace]

You can get the Surefit slipcovers (among others, I believe) at Linen's N Things too. I bought mine there, then found a pattern I liked better in the catalog, so I gave the old ones to my Mom and bought the ones in the catalog. We have two yellow labs (which we allow up on the furniture), and we USE our living room so much, (including eating in front of the TV sometimes while sitting on the couch), it didn't make sense to spend a lot of money on new furniture; we abuse it. The slipcovers are nice, and when they get lots of dog hair, crumbs, (muddy paw prints?!), I pull them off, throw them in the washer and dryer, and put them back on. Like someone else mentioned, I like a more tailored look myself, and I like the original pattern of the couch better than any slipcover I've seen, so I generally pull off the slipcovers when company comes over. But having the choice is nice.

You can also get them on sale at Linen's N Things, and they have coupons in their flyer in the Sunday newspaper, so you can probably get them cheaper than at the Surefit website or from the catalog, but you'll be more limited in your pattern selection, as LNT doesn't carry every single pattern/style.

[Peggy]

Does anyone know...will the Pottery Barn or Sure Fit slip covers work on leather couches?? I have a leather couch and loveseat tht is starting to look shabby. I would rather cover them instead of replace them right now, but I thought I read somewhere that standard slipcovers don't fit them. Anyone with any experience with this problem?

Peggy

[Peggy]

Just noticed, this is a very old thread that I have resurrected. It comes up on the Great Food BB!!! Perhaps Cooking Light will move it to the "Other Stuff" board where it may get more responses!!:o

Peggy

[valchemist]

I have surefit covers and they are great. I think whether or not they would work on you leather couch would just depend on the size of the couch. Go to their website (posted above) and you will find the measurements you need.