HELP: Leather couch issues...need suggestions

18 years ago

My husband and I purchased what we thought were good Italian leather couches about 4 years ago. I forget the manufacturer (I will have to post that later on tonight when I can look it up). They are made of a very good quality leather and the cushions are a combination of down feathers and what I think foam underneath the down. The couches are solid and weigh a ton, not to mention they are huge because they are an extra deep couch. We purchased both an extra long sofa and love seat and paid a little over $4,000 for the set.

Problem is the sofa cushions are wearing horribly. The worst wear is on the long sofa which we use the most. That sofa has 2 very large seat cushions, we often have someone sitting in the center of the couch (between the two cushions), thus the cushions are both totally flattened near the center of the couch and if you sit toward the arm you feel like you are going to roll down to the center.

Then the other day my husband went to sit down and we heard a crack (I think the frame might be starting to give way, but I can't be sure as it is all hidden). It is just my husband and I, so it isn't like we put hard wear on our furniture. I am completely surprised that this has happened. I expected this furniture to last us forever.

The store we purchased at was a local chain and they have since closed up shop. My husband loves these couches and doesn't want to part with them, plus we don't have the money to replace them and spend $4,000 again.

Do you think I can get these repaired? How much do you think it will cost? If we replace the foam in the cushions is there a particular type of foam you would recommend (as I am sure there are different qualities of foam)? Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments (3)

dcollie
18 years ago
The crack is bad news. That's the sound of wood splitting, typically when a joint is blown or a frame member split. I'd take the piece to a local upholstery shop and have them pull the covers to assess the frame. You really cannot do this at home, or peek under the dust covers with a flashlight.

Anything can be repaired, its a function of how much money you want to throw at it to get it fixed. Of course at some point its not cost effective to make repairs.

Your local upholstery shop will also assess the condition of the springs and advise you on cushion replacements as well. Try to find a GOOD shop that knows their craft, rather that the least expensive, it makes a difference. What you don't want for cushions is simply cut closed cell blown foam, ask them for a Poly-Dacron wrapped with a ticking or a Quaalux high-end upholstery cushion as replacements.

Not even going to try to make a guess as to cost, too many variables at play here.

Duane Collie
PRO
iCustomSofa
18 years ago
I cant be sure of the exact numbers but about 70% of all leather furniture is now coming from China. And these frames are heavy because they have throw so much wood into then so they will stay together. These frames are nailed together nothing is precision cut neither do they use any quality hardwood like you will find in the frames from better manufacturers like H&M, their hardwood frames have glued and doweled joinery and will last a lifetime. Basicly the frames from china are not repairable to any degree.
I hope the leather sofas you have didnt come from china. For replacing seats ask for a HR foam or pocketed coil springs.
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mogator88
18 years ago
if you sit toward the arm you feel like you are going to roll down to the center.

This is a fundamental design element of most Italian sofas. The seating deck (under the cushions) is supported by rubberized straps instead of springs. The only way to prevent this is to only run the straps front-to-back (unidirectional), however, most Italian sofas seem to have them interwoven in both directions (front-to-back and side-to-side). When the straps sag, the sideways straps will give the feeling of "pitch" or the feeling that you're leaning in.