Sectional leather/coated fabric sofas Sectional faux leather sofas Leather & faux leather sofasThere’s something special about leather sofas. It comes from their natural look and texture and the way they age so beautifully. Our leather has been treated to make it extra durable and easy to care for, while still keeping its natural quality. Choose from either a durable coated fabric leather or thick grain leather which ages gracefully. Plus with a 10-year limited warranty you’ll be sitting pretty for years. View details aboutlimited warranties Leather & faux leather sofas IKEA FAMILY products & offers Pros & Cons: Faux Leather Furniture There are many reasons to buy faux leather furniture. It's cheaper and animal friendly. And, there are many reason not to buy faux leather furniture. Real leather ages well and looks more expensive (because it is). If you're thinking about buying new furniture and you're torn between faux and real leather, here are a list of some of the pros and cons.
Faux leather comes in many forms and some are better than others. There are two main types of faux leather, PVC and any material that starts with poly — most notably polyurethane and polyamide microfibre. Generally, the poly materials are easier to care for, more environmentally friendly and more breathable, while PVC is more difficult to clean and doesn't breathe as well. There are other forms of faux leather gaining popularity like the Swedish koskinn and more natural products like cork leather from oak trees and ocean leather from kelp. So if you can't buy leather for reasons of personal ethics or personal budgets, make sure you know what type of faux leather you're purchasing. PROS• polyurethane (not PVC) products are recognized as being environmentally friendly, synthetic materials• No animals are harmed in making the material• Can be produced in virtually any color, style or pattern• Poly material is durable• A high gloss finish can be achieved• Easily cleaned with a damp cloth• Requires little maintenance• Doesn't crack• UV fade resistant
CONS• Not breathable — especially PVC • Doesn't develop the same luster and patina as real leather • More environmentally wasteful because real leather is a by-product of cows processed for their meat • more easily torn or punctured• Doesn't have the same hypo-allergetic qualities of real leather Are there other PROS & CONS we missed? Image: Classically Modern NestBuying your first real piece of furniture is a true accomplishment.Not that futon you used for both your bed and sofa, but your first actual grown-up piece of furniture. The one that looks pricier and has that touch of adult seriousness that your old furniture lacked.Having a nice-looking sofa gives one a feeling of pride and accomplishment, as they move away from the collegiate type of furniture towards an actual living room set.And nothing is a better example of a grown-up piece of furniture than a new spiffy leather couch or sectional.But consumers should know that not all leather couches are created equal, and sofas made of bonded leather are a prime example of true furniture inequality.
What's the difference between bonded leather and genuine leather you ask?Bonded leather -- sometimes called "reconstituted" leather or just plain "vinyl" -- is not the whole skin of an animal, but left-over pieces of hide blended together to form a seamless piece of leather material.Genuine leather is made from entire pieces of animal hide and costs much more than items made with the bonded material. It's hard to tell the difference between the two, as once an item is made with bonded leather the appearance and smell are nearly identical.However, genuine leather typically feels a bit harder to the touch, and if used for sofas, its cushions tend to have a little less give than a bonded leather cushion.Manufacturers will also use many types of coats and permanent polishes to make bonded leather appear to be the real deal.Bonded leather can be quite useful though. It gives books a fancier appearance, it makes cheap belts look expensive, and it adds a sophisticated touch to any piece of office furniture.
The bad part is that bonded leather is horrible for home sofas. It's also inexpensive and is often made of recycled materials.Plenty of consumers are attracted to the lower cost of a bonded leather couch and they're not scared away because bonded leather is in fact "real" leather, or at least it's made from small pieces of real leather. Many are sadly surprised when they realize the true difference between bonded and genuine leather is its durability, and plenty of retailers leave this important detail out just to close the sale.On Value City Furniture's website, its "Grant Graphite Leather Sofa" looks great and goes for $999. In the listing for the $599 Mason Brown Leather Sofa, one bullet point gushes: "Bonded leather allows you to enjoy the look and feel of leather - at a phenomenal price!" But look carefully at the wording in the product description: "It's 100 percent leather everywhere the body touches." However, the bullet point below says "Perfectly coordinated bonded leather on the sides and back."
Although the entire couch isn't made of bonded material, one could easily mistake it for a sofa made completely of leather.ConsumerAffairs contacted a leather and vinyl repair company called the Leather Clinic in Rockville, Md. We wanted to ask if it’s even worth buying a bonded leather sofa even though it costs less."No, no, no," said Donald a repair person, quite emphatically. "You're better off buying good leather furniture. I wouldn't buy one. It's vinyl not leather, and vinyl is material that's crushed up and doesn't last too long. Jennifer Furniture, Ashley Furniture and no-name furniture stores sell these things."Many furniture companies fail to tell consumers their bonded leather sofas actually contain very small amounts of real leather, as the percentage of actual animal hide can differ depending on the retailer or manufacturer.Many ConsumerAffairs readers say they have been duped by purchasing bonded leather furniture. There are numerous complaints about companies such as Bassett Furniture Direct, Jennifer Convertibles and Kane's Furniture, and many of the complaints contain stories of poorly-made bonded leather sofas."
Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is not really a true leather but a man-made material," said Tami of Brooklyn, N.Y. in a ConsumerAffairs posting.It's "composed of 90% to 100% leather fibers. Jennifer Convertibles should be made to use the words 'faux leather' for all furniture made with bonded leather so that the consumer is fully aware that what they are getting is not a true leather,” she said.And couches that are made of bonded leather are harder and more expensive to repair. "After its torn you can't fix it and have to reupholster it again. That's expensive", said Donald.Pat Oliver, of LP Oliver & Sons Inc., has been in the upholstery repair business for almost 50 years, and he agrees with Donald and says it may not be worth fixing a bonded leather sofa."Whatever you can do is minor and temporary, because you'll continue to sit on it and it'll always be a problem."After asking Oliver how one can repair a bonded leather sofa if they really want to, he said "You can try to match the color [with other bonded leather materials].