You two were very close. You shared your first kiss, your first heartbreak, your first ... Sigh.

But face it: Your sofa has seen better days. Its springs are sprung, the fabric's threadbare and the cushions are kaput. And as fond as you are of that bundle of fiber and fluff, it may be time to move on.

How can you tell if it's time to say goodbye to your sofa? Or, if it can be saved, how do you do it?

You have a wide range of choices, from throwing a fitted fabric over your sofa to reconstructing what you have to buying new. You must weigh price, convenience and your seating needs and style to determine the best solution.

The Quick, Ready-Made Fix

The cheapest and easiest way to disguise an ugly sofa is to use a ready-made cover. There are two styles from which to choose. Both are excellent quick fixes if your sofa is structurally sound but is scuffed, stained or worn.

Slipcovers, which are loose-fitting fabric sheaths, are constructed with bands of elastic that hold the fabric snug to a sofa at the arms, skirt and cushion. Throws, which are generally cheaper than ready-made slipcovers, have no elastic bands and are sized to cover the full front and partial back of standard furniture. You drape the throw over the sofa and tuck the fabric tightly around the cushions, molding it to fit.

One Step Up: Custom Covers

If you prefer gloves to mittens, you'll probably prefer the better fit of custom-made slipcovers. You choose the fabric, someone comes measures your sofa and sews covers. Usually you get to keep your sofa during the six-week to eight-week process.

Custom-made slipcovers are expensive. You're paying for materials and labor that can range from $400 to $1,000 or more. Custom-made slipcovers look polished and professional. Cleaning is the big drawback.

The High Road: Reupholstery

Be sure to check the general health of your sofa before you let someone "operate," however. Reupholstering can be as costly as buying new furniture.

The upside of reupholstering is that the quality of virtually any sofa purchased 15 or more years ago is better than what's currently on the showroom floors.

Reupholstering will cost well over $1,000 (excluding the cost of fabric), depending on the local cost of labor and what you have done. For example, cushions alone can cost $80 to $100 each to restuff, according to Sharon Hanby-Robie home décor guru and author.

And you'll have the inconvenience of doing without your favorite hangout for a few weeks. At this point you may decide it's more practical to just buy a new sofa.

A Whole New Sofa

"If you're putting a sofa in a museum [kind of] living room, find the prettiest sofa you can for the least amount of money," says Hanby-Robie, who believes that you should spend far more for a sofa that will be used every day. Expect to pay a minimum of $1,500 to $2,000 for a durable, well-made sofa, she says.

How can you identify a good sofa? Look for hardwood, kiln-dried frames - ones that have been stabilized with corner blocks and are "double-doweled," with two dowel rods for greater strength.

(c) CTW Features