With the price of quality furniture always on the rise, it's no wonder more and more people are looking for ways to rework their existing pieces to their liking. Unfortunately, there's a limit to what can be accomplished without spending a small fortune. Upholstery offers one option, but the expense of quality upholstery can be prohibitive and in some cases, more expensive than simply buying new furniture. Another common option for covering worn, stained or otherwise unsightly furniture is through the use of slipcovers. Long considered appropriate only for college dorm room or rental furniture, slipcovers have recently been afforded a new level of popularity.

Slipcovers offer an easy method for getting more use from your existing furnishings as there's little work involved when fitting them. They can be used to bring new life to worn out chairs, sofas, loveseats and even futons, but are just as often used to bring new life and color to furniture that is still in good shape but simply unappealing.

The secret to making old furniture look new again with slipcovers is to shop for the most form fitting fabric or material available. One size fits all options rarely look good, and most offer saggy coverage that makes furniture look as though it's in storage. The closer the slipcover comes to your furniture's existing dimensions, the better it will look. There are a few select slipcover manufacturers who produce stretchable slipcovers that are form-fitted to various furniture types. These offer a distinct advantage in that the materials are designed to stretch where it's needed and retain their elasticity where it's not. The end result is a slipcover that looks as though it's part of the furniture.

For some sofas, loveseats and chairs with removable cushions, slipcovers are available for both the main bulk of the piece as well as the cushions. The separation between cushions and the bulk of the piece afford a custom upholstered look without a custom upholstered price. The more definition a slipcover provides, the more it looks as though it belongs on the furniture.

Colors are an option that should be reserved for individual tastes, but there are some hard and fast rules that usually result in a more palatable look. For antique style furnishings, patterns seem to be the best option, while modern furniture does well with solid colors.

One way to make a slipcover look less conspicuous is through the liberal use of decorative throw pillows and afghans. Decorative throw pillows can rest on the areas that are hardest to form fit while draped afghans take the focus off the underlying material.

Slipcovers can be found online from several retailers and offer an affordable alternative to replacing what you already own.