CarpetBossPro Blog — Upholstery, Rugs & Tile

Sectionals and Dining Chairs: Quoting the Upholstery Jobs That Don't Fit One Price

A sofa is easy to quote. A sectional is not. One customer's sectional is two pieces and a corner. Another's is seven pieces with a chaise and a recliner built into each end. Dining chairs have the opposite problem: each one is small, but there are six or eight of them, and the seats might be fabric while the backs are wood. These are the jobs where a single flat price usually ends up wrong.

Building on Per-Piece Pricing

The basic approach to sofas, loveseats and chairs is in Pricing Upholstery Cleaning Per Piece So Every Tech and Office Person Quotes the Same Number. Sectionals and dining chairs use the same idea, broken into smaller units.

Instead of one “Sectional” price, price the parts. Instead of one “Dining set” price, price the chair. Then the quote scales with the furniture, and you don't lose money on the seven-piece monster or overcharge the customer with a small L-shape.

Quoting Sectionals by the Section or Seat

Most companies settle on one of two methods:

• Per section. Each separate piece of the sectional counts once. A three-piece sectional is three sections.
• Per seat. Count the seat cushions. A sectional with six seats is six seats, no matter how many pieces it comes apart into.

Either works. What matters is that everyone counts the same way. Write the rule into the service description on your list, such as “Sectional, per seat cushion,” so the office knows what to ask on the phone. Then the estimate is just a quantity: “Sectional, per seat × 6.”

If chaise ends or built-in recliners take more time, add them as their own services rather than bumping the per-seat price for every customer.

Asking the Right Questions on the Phone

Sectionals are where photos would help most, but you can get far with a few simple questions:

• How many seat cushions are there?
• Does it have a chaise or recliners?
• Are the cushions removable or attached?
• Any pets or heavy use on it?

Write the answers into the job's notes when you build the estimate. CarpetBossPro carries estimate details onto the job when the customer approves, so the tech walking in already knows it's a six-seat sectional with a chaise on the left and a dog who sleeps on the right end. If the answers suggest pet odor work, offer it on the quote as an add-on.

Dining Chairs: Small Pieces, Big Quantities

Dining chairs are usually priced per chair. The questions are about what part of the chair is fabric:

• Seat only. The most common, and the quickest.
• Seat and back. More fabric, more time, higher price.

Set up both as services if you see both often. An estimate for eight dining chairs, seat only, is one line with a quantity of eight. On the invoice, the customer sees exactly what they paid for.

Dining chairs also make a good add-on when you are already cleaning the dining room carpet or the rug under the table. The furniture is being moved anyway. A quick “Would you like the chair seats done while we're here?” on the quote is easy money.

Minimums and Bundles

A single dining chair or one section of a sectional is rarely worth a separate trip. If you get those calls, consider a minimum charge for upholstery-only jobs, set up as its own service so it shows clearly on the invoice. For upholstery added to a carpet job, the minimum usually doesn't apply, because the van is already there.

For combinations you quote often, such as a sectional plus an area rug, or a dining room carpet plus six chairs, save an estimate template. The office picks the template, adjusts the quantities and sends it. Templates keep bundle pricing consistent instead of letting each quote become a fresh negotiation. Ideas for bundles are in Estimate Templates for Upholstery Packages: Living Room Bundles, Move-In Sets and Rug-and-Sofa Combos.

On the Job and on the Invoice

On the tech's phone, the job card shows the details and notes, and the carpet checklist includes an upholstery step whenever Upholstery is on the job. The tech checks it off, records any stains that did not come out, takes before-and-after photos and adds a note for the customer if needed. When the tech taps Complete, the invoice is created with each item on its own line.

If the customer turns out to have eight seats instead of six, the tech notes it and the office adjusts the quantity before billing, so the invoice matches what was cleaned. For more on how sectionals and dining chairs fit with rugs, tile and add-ons, go back to the CarpetBossPro upholstery cleaning software page.