Furniture restoration prices 2026: chair, table, wardrobe, sofa, doors

indekscen.pl editorial team · published 30 September 2026 · prices according to the 5 October 2026 index

Restoring an unupholstered wooden chair at a workshop costs most often PLN 335 (typically PLN 320 ‑ 445). You will pay around PLN 850 for a wooden armchair, around PLN 1,750 for a six-seater table and around PLN 1,500 for an antique wardrobe. Reupholstering a sofa has a median price of PLN 1,300, while restoring one wooden door leaf costs PLN 2,600.

Furniture restoration has one drawback when it comes to prices: every workshop quotes them differently. One charges per item, another per hour, while a third states ‘individual quotation’. We have collected public price lists from cabinetmakers’ and upholsterers’ workshops to show how much it costs to restore the most common types of furniture: chairs, armchairs, tables, wardrobes, beds and sofas, as well as wooden doors.

How much does wooden furniture restoration cost: prices per item

Restoring an unupholstered wooden chair costs most often PLN 335, according to 3 price lists collected by indekscen.pl, with half of the prices falling within the PLN 320 ‑ 445 range. The price includes removing old finishes, repairing damaged areas and painting or varnishing. Larger pieces are quoted separately because they require several times more work.

Here are the furniture restoration prices for individual pieces of furniture:

Median and typical range from public price lists, as at 5 October 2026. Each price includes a source and quotation on the service page.

Furniture	Restoration price	What affects the price
Wooden chair, unupholstered	PLN 320 ‑ 445	condition of the French polish, amount of damage
Wooden armchair, unupholstered	around PLN 850	carvings, joints requiring regluing
Upholstered bed	around PLN 700	replacement of fabric and foam
Antique wardrobe	around PLN 1,500	veneer, fittings, age of the furniture
Six-seater table	around PLN 1,750	size of the top, type of finish
Two-seater sofa, new upholstery	PLN 1,200 ‑ 1,400	fabric, springs, filling
Wooden door, one leaf	PLN 1,600 ‑ 3,050	condition of the wood, glazing

The variant prices come from individual price lists, so treat them as a guide rather than a market rate. For antiques, workshops almost always quote a price only after inspecting the furniture.

How much does it cost to restore a wooden chair?

Restoring an unupholstered wooden chair usually costs PLN 320 ‑ 445, with the lowest prices starting at PLN 250. The upper end, up to PLN 550, applies to chairs with badly damaged French polish, loose joints or carvings that must be cleaned by hand.

For a set of dining chairs, the price rises proportionally. Restoring six chairs costs around PLN 2,000 (typically PLN 1,900 ‑ 2,700). For an order of this size, it is worth asking for a discount, as the cabinetmaker sands and varnishes all the chairs in one batch. If the chairs have upholstered seats, replacing the foam and fabric is charged separately.

Is furniture restoration worthwhile?

Furniture restoration is most worthwhile for solid wood furniture, antiques and pieces with sentimental value, as an equivalent made from the same material will usually cost more today than restoration. It is not worthwhile for chipboard furniture: once the board swells from moisture, it cannot be repaired, and restoration costs as much as new mass-produced furniture.

How to assess whether a piece of furniture is worth restoring:

1. Check the material. Solid wood can be identified at the edges and underneath: the grain continues through to the other side. Veneered board has a thin layer of wood over the board.
2. Assess the construction. Loose joints are a common, inexpensive repair. Broken legs and rotten components increase the price.
3. Compare it with new furniture made from the same material, not with the cheapest chipboard equivalent.
4. Calculate the additional cost: transport to and from the workshop is charged separately, with a median price of PLN 180 each way.
5. For antiques, ask a conservator whether restoration could reduce the furniture’s value. Overly aggressive sanding destroys the original patina.

Leather and upholstered furniture restoration: prices

In practice, restoring upholstered furniture means reupholstering it. For a two-seater sofa, this costs most often PLN 1,300 (typically PLN 1,200 ‑ 1,400) at an upholsterer’s workshop, including the material. sofa reupholstery (upholsterer) is cheapest with synthetic fabric, more expensive with velvet and most expensive with genuine leather. Replacing the springs or filling is charged separately.

We do not yet have separate prices in the index for restoring leather furniture, meaning cleaning, dyeing and reconditioning the leather without replacing the upholstery. If the leather is merely scuffed and faded, ask the workshop about reconditioning instead of replacing the upholstery, as this usually requires less work. If the leather is cracked and peeling, new upholstery is the only option.

A sofa that merely needs freshening up, without replacing the fabric, does not require an upholsterer. upholstery cleaning is sufficient and costs a fraction of the price of new upholstery.

Is it better to paint or wrap furniture?

Solid wood furniture is better painted or varnished, while wrapping is better suited to board furniture with smooth fronts. Paint penetrates the wood and can be touched up, while film covers the grain of wooden furniture and peels away at the edges. The opposite applies to furniture board: wrapping is quick, inexpensive and requires no sanding.

The most common options at a glance:

• Varnishing or oiling: preserves the appearance of the wood, suitable for solid wood tables, chairs and chests of drawers.
• Painting with chalk or acrylic paint: changes the colour and covers discolouration, suitable for old, vintage-style furniture.
• Wrapping with film: quickly changes the colour of kitchen fronts and board wardrobes, but is not durable on edges exposed to water.
• New natural veneer: a job for a cabinetmaker, used on old veneered furniture where sheets have come loose.

Kitchen furniture restoration usually means painting or wrapping the fronts. If the carcasses are swollen, replacing them is cheaper. We discuss the prices of new fitted units in the article how much does a bespoke kitchen cost.

How much does it cost to restore old wooden doors?

Restoring one wooden door leaf costs most often PLN 2,600, according to 3 sources, but the range is enormous: from PLN 200 for a quick refresh to PLN 5,000 for full restoration. Double-leaf doors cost around PLN 3,300, while antique exterior doors cost around PLN 10,500.

wooden door restoration usually includes sanding, repairing minor damage and varnishing or painting. The frame, glass and fittings are priced separately. For interior doors made from board, or doors in very poor condition, compare the price with new doors including installation, which we discuss in the article door installation: price.

Before painting doors, they must at least be lightly sanded and degreased. Sanding all the way back to bare wood is only necessary when the old varnish is peeling or you want to change the colour of the stain.

What affects the price of furniture restoration?

The price of furniture restoration depends primarily on the type of furniture and the scope of work: a chair costs less than an armchair, table or wardrobe, while simply refreshing the French polish costs less than reconstructing damaged components. Other factors listed in workshop price lists include:

• Age and value of the furniture. Antiques are priced individually and cost more because they require manual work and original techniques.
• Type of finish. Hand-applied shellac French polish costs more than spray varnish.
• Upholstery. Replacing fabric, foam and springs is a separate item on the price list.
• City. Workshops in the centres of large cities can be more expensive than those in the suburbs and smaller localities. We do not yet publish restoration prices for individual cities because we have too few local price lists.
• Timescale. Express orders cost more.

Wooden floor restoration is priced in a similar way: sanding, repairing damaged areas and varnishing. We give an example of the costs for a flat in the article parquet sanding and varnishing.

How can you avoid overpaying for furniture restoration?

• Send photos to several workshops. Most cabinetmakers will provide an estimated price range based on close-up photos, including the underside and joints.
• Ask what is included in the price. Check whether the quotation covers repairing joints, replacing fittings, upholstery and transport.
• Do not pay for sanding when refreshing is enough. Furniture with dull but intact French polish often only needs cleaning and waxing.
• Combine several pieces into one order. A set of chairs and a table can go through one varnishing and drying cycle, making it easier to obtain a discount.
• For antiques, request a written description of the work. This allows you to check whether the conservator will retain the original components.

„Za renowację krzeseł bez tapicerki trzeba zapłacić od 250 zł do 350 zł”

machinasnu.pl, source

„Pojedyncze krzesło z litego drewna, wymagające jedynie odświeżenia politury i wymiany gąbki, to wydatek rzędu 253-420 zł netto.”

r-renowacja-mebli.pl, source

„Za renowacja mebli drewnianych zapłacimy około 550 zł/szt..”

zleca.pl, source

You can find more prices for cabinetmaking and upholstery services in the crafts and furniture category.

The prices in this article come from public workshop price lists and trade articles. Each price on the how much does furniture restoration cost page includes a source, date and verbatim quotation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the process of restoring old furniture called?

Odnawianie starych mebli to renowacja, a przy meblach zabytkowych konserwacja lub restauracja. Zajmuje się tym stolarz renowator, a antykami konserwator. Zwykła renowacja krzesła kosztuje około PLN 335, antyki wycenia się indywidualnie i drożej.

How much does it cost to restore an upholstered bed?

Renowacja łóżka tapicerowanego kosztuje około PLN 700. Cena zależy od tego, czy wymienia się tylko tkaninę, czy także piankę i stelaż.

Can furniture be painted without sanding?

Meble można malować bez pełnego szlifowania, jeśli użyjesz farby z dobrą przyczepnością albo podkładu do trudnych powierzchni, ale powierzchnię trzeba odtłuścić i zmatowić drobnym papierem. Bez tego farba łuszczy się na krawędziach po kilku miesiącach.

How much does it cost to varnish wooden doors?

Lakierowanie drzwi drewnianych wchodzi w cenę renowacji skrzydła, która kosztuje zwykle PLN 1,600 ‑ 3,050. Samo odświeżenie bez naprawy ubytków bywa kilka razy tańsze, najtańsze oferty zaczynają się od PLN 200.

Is furniture transport included in the restoration price?

Transport mebla do warsztatu zwykle nie jest wliczony w cenę renowacji. Przewóz mebli kosztuje osobno, mediana to PLN 180 za kurs.

Translation of the original Polish article dated 30 September 2026. Quotations from price lists are in Polish, as published by the companies. Read the original in Polish.

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