A salon chair wears where the stylist works.
Salon chair reupholstery for NYC salons: seats, backs, arms and headrests recovered on your chairs’ own frames, half the floor at a time, so you never close.
Six places — none of them the middle of the seat
The client barely touches most of the chair. The stylist does: reaching over the back with colour, resting hot tools on the arms, turning and pumping the chair all day.
01HeadrestProduct and scalp oils from every wash-and-set darken the vinyl here first.
02Back topColour and bleach splash from the stylist working behind the chair.
03Arm padsHot tools, clips and folded capes rest on them all day.
04Seat front edgeEvery client slides on and off across the same few inches.
05Seat sidesRubbed by the station counter as the chair is turned and pumped.
06Back seamsThe seam where the back meets the side panel opens from leaning back.Every chair on the salon floor
Styling, shampoo, dryer and every stool in between. Barber chairs have their own page.
Hydraulic styling chairsThe station chair — seat, back, arms and headrest.
All-purpose chairsReclining chairs used for cuts, colour and shampoo.
Shampoo chairsThe seat and back in front of the bowl.
Dryer chairsLong sits under the hood, so the seat flattens first.
Stylist stoolsSaddle and round stools on gas lifts.
Kids’ chairsBooster and kids’ styling chairs, same vinyl as the floor.
Colour bar stoolsThe stools that take the most dye.
Makeup chairsTall vanity chairs for makeup and brows.Your frame and pump stay. The foam and cover are new.
Salon chair reupholstery costs less than a new chair because the expensive part — the hydraulic pump and base — is never touched.
KeptHydraulic pump and baseUntouched. It stays bolted to the floor at the station.
KeptSteel frame and arm bracketsReused as they are; the pads bolt back onto them.
Recovered without closing a day
A salon in Brooklyn with worn black styling chairs: the pads came off after the last client, and the stations were back in use the next morning.
01Unbolt the padsSeat, back and arms come off. The base stays bolted at its station.
02To the benchThe pads go on our bench; nothing else in the salon moves.
03StripOld vinyl off, staples out, the foam checked.
04FoamFlattened seat foam replaced; the rest re-wrapped.
05CoverNew vinyl pulled and stapled underneath, where no seam will show.
06Back onPads bolted back onto the same bases — stations ready by morning — see after-hours service.Recover it as it was, or change the look
The chair’s shape stays; the pattern can change. Matching the chairs you are not recovering yet is the most common ask — see colour matching.
Plain panelClean and the easiest to wipe down.
Channel stitchVertical channels — the classic salon back.
Diamond tuftA dressier back for the front of the floor.
Contrast pipingA coloured welt that outlines the shape.
Two-toneOne colour for the panels, another for the sides.
EmbossedA croc or grain texture pressed into the vinyl.Half the floor tonight, the other half tomorrow
Chairs are done in batches after closing, so every day starts with a full row of stations. Late jobs run as overnight service.
Night oneHalf the stations are pads-off; the other half are untouched and ready.
The morning afterEvery chair is back on its base before the first client.Same chair, same base, new cover
Each pair is one piece, shot the same way before and after. See more before and after work.
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After
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AfterSalon chair reupholstery questions
Salon owners have their own trade body, the Professional Beauty Association. We look after the chairs.
How long does salon chair reupholstery take?
Salon chair reupholstery is usually done overnight: the pads come off after closing and go back on before you open. A full floor is done in halves, so there is never a night the salon is short of every chair.
Do you take the whole chair away?
No. Only the upholstered pads — seat, back, arms and headrest — come off. The hydraulic base stays bolted at the station.
Can you match the chairs we are not recovering?
Yes. Colour, grain and stitch pattern are matched to the chairs that stay, so the floor still reads as one set. See custom colour matching.
What vinyl holds up to hair colour and bleach?
A commercial vinyl rated for salon chemicals. Darker colours hide dye best; we bring samples so you can see them under your own lights.
Do you do barber and shampoo chairs too?
Yes — barber chairs have their own page, and shampoo chair seats are done the same way as styling chairs. See barber chair reupholstery.
What does salon chair reupholstery cost?
Salon chair reupholstery is quoted per chair rather than off a price list, because the style, the stitching and the state of the foam all change the job. We quote from a visit or from photos.
Send us a photo of your worst chair.
One photo is enough to quote the whole floor, and to plan which nights we come in.
