I bought a Rowe sofa and love seat, covered in Chenille, thinking it would last for many years. My family consists of just myself and my husband, no children, no pets. We are not hard on furniture. After having the sofa & loveseat for just over two years, the seams started to come apart. I found myself having to sew up seam openings on a regular basis.

Eight way hand-tied is a good thing, but if the seams are not sewn well or the frame is made out of cheap wood, what difference does it make?

After that unhappy experience, I decided to spend the extra money on a top-of-the-line Hancock & Moore. I've had it for four years and it still looks brand new. It is handmade in America by real craftsmen and will last a lifetime. I got leather, but they make sofas upholstered in cloth, too.

I found Hancock & Moore at a discount fine furniture store for 50% off the retail price, which made it about twice as much than a Rowe.

You get what you pay for -- I learned that the hard way.

DO NOT BUY FLEXSTEEL!!! Thay warranty everything for life EXCEPT the covering i.e. THE LEATHER!!!! It's only warrantied for one year! I know why!!! The black leather on my Flexsteel couch & chair (from THE LATITUDES COLLECTION) is rubbing/wearing off badly on the cushions!!!! I had a leather expert come to look at the pieces. He said the problem is due to a flaw in the tanning process! This would be a manufacturing problem then!!!!! Flexsteel boasts, "If you love the furniture now, wait a few years!" WAIT A FEW YEARS, AND YOU'LL BE IN TEARS!!!! I am horrified that I spent $3300 on these pieces!!!! Where is the honor & integrity? The retailer (Donna's Interiors in Arroyo Grande, CA) won't budge on the one year leather warranty either!!!! I am SO distraught!!!! I thought I was going to have some nice furniture for the first time in my life!!! How discouraging to know that I might as well have flushed my money down the toilet!!!!!

So I know this is a really old thread, but I am buying a Craftmaster sofa and wanted to ask Kathryn2008 if you have been happy with your sofa since it's been a little over 7 years.

bathroomrenee - I'm not Kathryn, but we have had a Craftmaster sofa, chair and a half and ottoman for about 7 years now. We have 3 kids (9, 8 and 2) and have had 2 large dogs. We still love our furniture. We have had no problems with the frames, springs, etc. Our only problem with it is that the fabric no longer goes with our living room and our dogs claws caused a few small rips in the fabric. I've been trying to decide whether to replace our couches or reupholster (which is how I ended up on this thread). I would buy Craftmaster again in a heartbeat if I replace.

Thank you Jennifer for responding. Your comment is reassuring to me, especially because like your couch, ours will get a lot of use. I ordered a 3 piece sectional that I hope to have for a long time! Also, maybe slipcovers would work for you; I think you can get them pretty inexpensively these days, it's definitely cheaper than reupholstering. Thanks again & good luck!

Looking at a craftmaster estate collection set. Does anyone have any experience or input on that series of craftmaster? Thanks, Sarah

My wife and I have a Craftmaster F-9 Sectional and it's awesome! The cushions have been very durable and comfortable. I was impressed with the quality... I dont know much about rowe.

Hi Chris51coates - not sure if you will see this, but I noticed it was a recent comment so I will give it a go. I am looking into the F9 Craftmaster and wanted to know if they offer down wrapped cushions? I haven't gone into the store (RC Willey) that supposedly carries this brand, but thought while I noticed this I would ask.

Thanks so much!

Hello @tbchic yes the f-9 cushions are wrapped and at least 2.0 core

I have a question. I am looking at the F9 series sectionals. At the furniture store, they said it was Hickorycraft brand. However, when I got home, I am looking at the quote and she listed it as Craftmaster. I looked and there are two different websites for Craftmaster and Hickorycraft so I am really confused. Is Hickorycraft and Craftmaster one in the same? Also, the sectional I am looking at has the Revolution Performance Fabric. You can clean it with just about anything and if it is a really tough stain you can use a bleach and water combination. Do any of you have experience with this fabric? Thanks so much.

Hi livinglaffy, why don't you call Craftmaster directly and ask them? I called them a couple of times when I had questions. I found the phone number on-line.

Craftmaster and Hickorycraft is made pretty much built at the same plants, I think Hickorycraft may have been bought out by Craftmaster at some point in time.

I would suggest sitting on a sofa that has this type of fabric first to be sure its as comfortable as its durability.

livinglaffy- I have that fabric on a chair and recovered my Dining Room chairs in it. I did at test at my home with spaghetti sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce and all washed completely clean. Make sure that you sit on the F9 series it sits deep. I like Paula Deen for Craftmaster too, they also have a sectional in her linecalled the P9 that has down in the upper cushions.

This is all very reassuring to me. I purchased a P9 series (that's the Paula Deene line) from Good's, and it is currently being made. I expect to have it in 6-10 weeks. I've never bought furniture before, so I don't know how that compares to anywhere else.

My furniture shopping trip at Good's Furniture in Kewanee Il was 6 hour adventure with lunch (they have a restaurant, but go eat somewhere nearby). I highly recommend that if you have the ability to go, do it. They have many brands, and the stuff is nicer. The cheapest stuff they have is Craftmaster, Rowe, a tiny bit of Flexsteel, etc.

If I had infinite money, I would have gone with a Hancock and Moore piece, but alas I don't have $7,000 to drop on a sofa. But here are my observations about the three main ones discussed here.

Flexsteel. Everyone I know who was 50+ was telling me to get Flexsteel. Everything online told me that Flexsteel quality really went to pot in the 90's, especially for the lines made in China. This ended up not even mattering because I hating how the couches sat. Very stiff and bouncy, and not very deep.

(I'm still mad at my parents for throwing out their 1970's Flexsteel rather than reupholster it--I loved that couch)

For me, I was down to between a Rowe Kemper and a Craftmaster P9 series. I had been surprised by the Rowe because they have pieces that hearken back to mid century pieces, but they do not sit like them. I typically dislike mid century couches/chairs because the backs are very straight and uncomfortable. The Kemper comes in and gives lumbar support, but you can't tell this by simply looking at the couch.

Where the Kemper lost, however, was in the lounge test. That would not have been a comfortable sofa on which to take a nap.

Flexsteel is still fantastic! They got into a bit of trouble when they introduced lattitudes line if you got the bonded leather but their cushions and frames are heavy duty!!!!!

Jennifer- I have a Paula Deen for Craftmaster Sofa and I love it! It is very comfortable.

Many lines have a good, better, best story to them and have product that fits one of these categories. Why some may ask? When the economy goes rotten they need product that hits a price point with out compromising all of its integrity or quality. The F-9 is a best seller for us and the feedback has been positive! Paula deen (also made by craftmaster) has the p-9 and that is almost the same but it has blend down wrapped cushions. The p-9 is a great choice!

I noticed comments about Craftmaster here, so I thought I'd chime in. I purchased a leather set (Model L311250) back in the summer of 2015. We bought this power reclining sofa, love seat and chair. We love how comfortable they are and the recliners function well, but... the dye on one cushion on the sofa has started to come off. There are splotchy sections on that cushion. We're thinking of having a repair company try and fix it, but I'm wondering if it's worth it if the dye comes off that easy. It might just be a temporary fix.

Contact the store you purchased it from to get a replacement cushion. Or call Craftmaster directly at (828) 635-8620.

I did contact the store already and they contacted Craftmaster. It's out of warranty already, but they are trying to help find a way to repair it. With this sofa, the cushions are not separate from the sofa. I attached a couple pictures just for reference.

The red base that shows tells me that this is not genuine top grain leather hide. Looks like bicast leather. Either way its still a manufactures defect, as I see it. Its not just a dye thats coming of its the polyurethane coating thats peeling off and all your left with is the base split hide. A split hide is very thin and never strong enough to use for upholstery so the polyurethane coating is used to give its leather like appearance and body plus some strength. Obviously this portion of the polyurethane coating did not fully adhere. Unless someone who sits in the chair often keeps something in their pocket that rubs on the seat or??

Your best bet to repair is try and get this same bycast leather and replace the top of the seat. You will need to replace all 4 panels that sewed together. Almost any upholstery shop can do this, if they had the same or similar bycast leather.

I'm certainly no expert, so I appreciate your feedback. Thank you so much.

If I can get it resolved, I'll provide a follow-up. BTW, this was just normal use - nothing in pockets, etc

The company's response is that this is definitely genuine leather. They said it's impossible to tell that it's not from a picture. When my wife and I saw the red underneath, we thought the same as you. We were thinking that if it were genuine leather it would be more of a tan color underneath if dye had worn away.

At any rate, they are trying to recommend a company to come and take a look at the issue.

Oh - one other thing. They asked if I had used heat on the area causing the dye to come off. One of my pictures, taken quite some time after the issue appeared, had a heating pad off to the side. So they are assuming that someone had a heating pad between their body and the sofa. That's not the case. Even if someone did, I wouldn't expect the dye to come off.

First Aniline Dye doesnt flake or peel off. It penetrates the leather all the way through to the back side. You might be able to rub it enough to lighten it some but not like in the photos you posted. So your first thoughts is based upon what you can see and feel.

Very seldom when you place a call to a manufacturer, the person answering the phone or in customer service doesnt have much knowledge of the materials their using. That information comes from the person actually doing the purchasing. Even then they most likely they dont have a degree in leather technology. I have seen this so many times before that the person answering the phones just knows leather is leather, and just assumes bycast is actually leather. In a way it is leather on the back side but the front side is just a urethane coating. You can reach their plant at (828) 635-8620. I guest thats the number you called. Well at least for me it worked about a year ago or so? But all thats kinda mute, because you want it to be fixed and the only fix I know is to replace all the pieces the top of the seat. As the 4 panels are saddle stitched and can not be used again once you break the seams. Now I have see some really good sewers who could walk a sewing machine and hit every hole each time, so its not entirely impossible just to replace the one panel.

Thanks again for your insight. I've been conversing with the manager from the furniture store who has been contacting the manufacturer.

What you're saying makes a ton more sense than what I'm hearing from them. I'll try calling the plant. Again, thanks for your help. If anything worthwhile reporting comes out of it, I'll report back.

Your welcome chillywind, I hope that your have a good outcome on this.

Just to add for all of GW readers, that when purchasing leather furniture, learn as much as you can, so your much more confident with you purchase. A case in point is what recently Standard Furniture when through with their Chinese leather furniture supplier. Li & Fung is probably the largest exporter of furniture from China into the US. See this story. Standard furniture sues Li & Fung over leather

Hi! Would you all still say that Craftmaster is good quality? We have five kids and my husband is tall and heavyset. I'm trying to decide between Craftmaster which is not as expensive as great quality sofas or spend a lot more for a sofa from Taylor King. The durability of the cushions and fabric options are priority . (The frames would only need to get is through ten years )

I don't think Craftmaster is of a quality that you will need in all honesty. Five kids and heavy set change the equation dramatically. You truly get what you pay for with furniture. Pick Revolution fabric it's completely stain resistant. Many brands carry it.

Serendipity, based on my experience (what you see in my earlier posts), I would say not. I received no help from the retailer or Craftmaster for the problems with our furniture. Lesson learned for me. So let my lesson serve to help you - if so, at least something good came out of it.

This is my f-9 craftmaster sectional and we have had it for over 2 years and I'm a heavier guy and we entertain a lot and have been very happy with it. Get the comfort soft dpt cushions.

The comfort soft dpt has a 2.0 density core wrapped with Dacron and fiber batting in down proof ticking. Solid hardwood frames and while it's not 8 way hand tied many quality brands are not anymore.

@chillywind craftmaster leather side is a whole different story as they import that product. Stick to there regular upholstery it's made domestically and I don't think you will have the same issues. I'm sorry your not receiving any type of help from your retailer

Thanks for the feedback. I will ask this in another forum as well,but I am wondering if you have additional advice. We are having a hard time finding a sofa that is both deep and wide enough without being too monstrous in our living room, and something durable but not super expensive. With limited options in town, we have to choose between King Hickory, Mayo, Taylor King, Ethan Allen(I'm not sure I feel right about them), and Craftmaster. I don't know much about any of them. King Hickory has only one sofa that would work,too. We currently have a Haverty's sofa, and we do not want to make that mistake again. We do have the option of Bassett custom sofas as well,but I have read negative feedback about them. Do you all have any opinions?

@Casual Yes, I found that out the hard way. It was not only no help from the retailer, but from Craftmaster as well. Craftmaster gave me a number for a local retailer they said would do a repair for me. When I got in touch with that company, they told me that they no longer deal with Craftmaster. They didn't even want to bother looking at my sofa. They said they knew it was bycast and they couldn't stand behind work that would just be a band aid. It's too bad because the furniture does look and feel pretty good except for the spots where the dye has worn away on this one cushion. So my wife and I are like "live and learn". I just plan to do a self repair with one of those dye kits (I know, sad - right), until such time that I can invest in a genuine product line. Thanks for the sympathy though :)

I would say to steer clear of craftmaster. I purchased the sectional and I am not happy with it. Here is the thing, I have one Drexel heritage sofa and one Sherrill, both excellent brands. I spent a lot of money for both of them but I needed a bigger sofa (thus the sectional) and I was trying to get a more casual look in my home. Well because the Drexel heritage sofa was going to storage, I thought, what is the point in spending a lot of money for a sofa that last forever when I won't love it forever. BIG MISTAKE. The difference in quality is drastic. The craftmaster sofa won't last more than a couple of years at best. I have only had it since November 2016 and it looks like I have had it for several years.

Sorry, I am writing this from my phone and it wouldn't let me go any further. Back to the sofa, none of the seams stay where they are supposed to. The back cushions don't even look like they are straight at the bottom. In other words, it may touch on the bottom on one spot but then it doesn't touch on the other. It is so poorly constructed. The sofa does not even connect evenly either. When you push it together, as close as possible, there is a tiny gap at the top of the sofa. It is really terrible. Also, the fabric that I inquired about, much further up in this thread, is piling and has loose threads/fuzzies. To sum it up, you really get what you pay for. If I were you, if you are in a big city, try to find a second hand sherrill, henredon, or Drexel.

Once again, sorry, it gets to the bottom of the screen and won't let me type anymore. Anyway, those brands are just a few of the names that I have and I'm familiar with. I'm sure there are many other quality furniture makers. I will also mention that we had a mayo sofa and love seat many years ago. We used it constantly. Kids, dogs, etc. it was microfiber and I didn't like the color so we replaced it. I have it to my sister and they used it for years and now my niece has it. Structurally, it is still perfect and you really can't destroy that fabric. I am not a huge fan of microfiber but it is kid proof! Good luck!

Thank you!!

I love my Craftmaster but it only gets sat on once a month so it still looks new. However, I believe that if I had five children and a heavy set adult sitting on it daily, it would not look new at all. I love Bernhardt and have a leather Bernhardt sofa in our family room that looks absolutely perfect after lot's of use 4 years later.

So the truth is your going to be able to find scary and negative reviews on just about any furniture line. Craftmaster is a great midline product. If you wanted to take a step up try flexsteel especially their series that start with 7 and 9. Built like a tank cushions are like 2.5 density! You can still find negative reviews but we've been selling it for around 55 years and the feedback and loyalty is amazing! The negative usually pertains to their latitudes brand. If you wanted to go even further look at Huntington house furniture

Casual, I agree. That holds true with just about anything you purchase. You'll find good and bad reviews - cars, water softeners, etc. So I think there are a few things to really think about. One is the definitely the quality of the product, but the others are: what kind of stock can you put into the dealer selling you the product? The other is what kind of stock can you put into the manufacturer? Both were failures in my case. When there was a problem with my purchase, neither the dealer or manufacturer came through to help.

@iCustomSofa I just thought I'd post an update. After no help from the retailer or Craftmaster, I finally tried a DIY product. I bought a leather dye kit from leathertouchupdye.com. I don't know if you guys have heard of or used the product, but it certainly worked well to restore my (what is apparently bicast) leather. After the repair shop Craftmaster recommended wouldn't touch it, this was my only choice. I don't know how long this will last, but it restored it to like new appearance for now - see attached pic.

I'm glad that worked out for you. I know you must feel a little relief.

Looks great!

Yes - total relief - at least for now

We have been trying for 3 years to get our Craftmaster furniture repaired.We purchased the warranty and the recommended cleaning products.

We had a claim where we needed to have a spot cleaned and the warranty company sent someone to look. She used scissors to cut pieces off of our sofa, which was coming apart naturally. Since then, there are now holes in the upholstery.

We have sent photos and repeatedly called asking for new fabric and have been refused. When we went to Levin to buy new, they said our couches were so new and should have been great quality from that manufacturer and offered to give us contact info before they would let us buy new furniture.

They were shocked and appalled that we were denied service after our experience.

We will never recommend this brand again!

(Photos to show damage and the whole piece.We obviously take good care of our furniture)

I’m in love with this Paula Deen. I live in a tiny condo and this would fit perfectly. Anyone have this? The reviews make me nervous. Any insight would be deeply appreciated. It’s just myself and my adult son.

It is now October 2024. I bought a Craftmaster sofa at least 15 years ago and have been very pleased with it. I had it made in a mid grade upholstery fabric and it has held up well. It is 8 way hand tied with a hardwood frame. Just recently I noticed one end had begun to sag so I knew it needed retied, so I called an upholsterer who came to my house and looked at it. He said it was a nice sofa, better than the ones you see floating around now. He said he’d retie it but he’d have to take it all apart to work on it and said it would be a good time to have it reupholstered. He said he could do it for $1,000-$12,000, which is cheaper than I could buy a cheap sofa today. I’ve don’t want to run around from here to there guessing on a new sofa’s quality. I’m pleased with my Craftmaster and I’m going to have him recover it. I have no complaint with Craftmaster.