City Stripper in Baltimore: Hand-Stripping for Period Furniture and Custom Reupholstery
City Stripper is a furniture refinishing and reupholstery workshop in Baltimore's Canton neighborhood that specializes in hand-stripping upholstered pieces to bare frame, then rebuilding them with new webbing, springs, padding, and fabric of the customer's choice. The operation focuses on mid-century and period furniture rather than quick recovers, making it a fit for owners of vintage or antique pieces who want structural restoration alongside aesthetic updates.
What City Stripper Actually Does
The shop performs two separate services that customers often combine. Hand-stripping removes all existing upholstery, tack strips, and padding down to the wooden frame. This reveals the underlying construction quality and any frame damage. Reupholstery then rebuilds the piece from the inside out: restretching webbing, replacing or repairing springs if needed, adding new burlap and padding layers, and upholstering with the customer's selected fabric. City Stripper does not do foam-only cushion replacements or vinyl patching; they restore, not patch.
The workshop accepts dining chairs, wingback chairs, sofas, benches, and ottomans. Larger sectionals and custom pieces are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. They do not work on chairs that have been glued together rather than nailed or doweled, as the frame cannot be safely disassembled.
Services and Pricing
City Stripper charges separately for stripping and reupholstery labor. Hand-stripping a dining chair runs $150 to $250 depending on the density of the existing upholstery and any frame repairs needed (verify this range, as labor costs shift). A wingback chair or small armchair typically costs $300 to $500 to strip. Stripping labor is quoted after inspection because hidden frame damage, old adhesives, or webbing deterioration can extend the time required.
Reupholstery labor is priced per piece: a dining chair with new webbing, padding, and fabric runs roughly $400 to $600; an armchair costs $600 to $900; a two-seat sofa typically ranges from $1,200 to $1,800. These figures assume standard spring systems and do not include the cost of fabric or filling materials, which the customer supplies or purchases through the shop.
Fabric costs vary dramatically. The shop sources material from Baltimore-area suppliers and can order from national mills. A yard of durable upholstery fabric from a mid-range supplier costs $20 to $50; a chair may require 2 to 4 yards. High-performance or designer fabrics can exceed $75 per yard. Customers may bring their own fabric if it meets durability standards for the intended use.
The shop charges a materials fee (typically $50 to $100 per piece) for webbing, springs, burlap, jute, and tack strips if these need replacement. A full inspection and quote takes 3 to 5 business days.
How City Stripper Compares to Other Baltimore Options
Baltimore has several reupholstery businesses, but they differ significantly in approach. Workman Upholstery on Pulaski Highway takes on high-volume work and focuses on quick turnarounds and affordable pricing for apartment-scale furniture. City Stripper's hand-stripping process is slower and costlier but surfaces issues that foam-and-fabric shops miss. Workman is suitable for functional updates to used furniture; City Stripper is better for pieces with sentimental or historical value.
Walsh Upholstery in Fells Point works on custom orders and high-end residential pieces, with pricing that starts higher than City Stripper and includes design consultation. Walsh is the choice if you want to source a rare fabric or need interior designer involvement. City Stripper is straightforward: you bring the piece and the fabric, and they rebuild it.
For fabric-only recovers without frame restoration, several mobile upholsterers serve Baltimore at rates of $300 to $600 per piece, but they do not address frame damage or loose joinery. City Stripper is unnecessary for a chair that needs only a new slipcover; it is the only option if the frame is loose or the springs are failing.
Who This Suits and Who It Does Not
City Stripper suits owners of solid-wood chairs and sofas built before 1990, particularly mid-century and vintage pieces where the structure is sound or repairable. If you inherited a set of dining chairs your grandparents bought in 1965 and one is wobbly, this is the right place. If you have a leather wingback from the 1980s that you want to reupholster in a bold contemporary fabric, City Stripper can handle it.
It does not suit customers with tight budgets for apartment-scale furniture, broken-down frames beyond repair, or pieces held together with glue rather than joinery. It also does not work for anyone expecting a two-week turnaround; typical projects take 6 to 10 weeks depending on the workshop backlog and the complexity of the frame repairs.
What the First Visit Involves
Call ahead to schedule a drop-off. Bring the piece (or arrange pickup for larger items) and have a specific fabric selected or approved. The shop staff will examine the frame, webbing, and spring system; test joints for looseness; and document any damage. They will provide a quote in writing that breaks out stripping labor, reupholstery labor, and estimated materials cost. You approve the quote before work begins. A progress update typically comes mid-project if frame repairs are needed or if the springs are being rebuilt.
Hours, Parking, and Logistics
City Stripper operates Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (verify Saturday hours, as seasonal changes occur). The workshop is located on a residential side street with street parking; there is no dedicated lot. Delivery of larger pieces can be arranged for an additional fee.
City Stripper fills a specific role in Baltimore's furniture repair landscape: it restores the internal structure of upholstered pieces rather than masking wear. For anyone with a solid frame and a commitment to keeping a piece long-term, the hand-stripping process uncovers what is actually there and builds from that foundation.
