How to Choose the Best Leather Sofa?
Table of Contents
Top Best Leather Sofa Based on Reviews and Price
Why You Need a Good Leather Sofa?
Leather is generally created by curing animal skins. This technique is generally denoted as tanning. In most instances, for the production of upholstery for furniture, the skins of cattle called hides make up most parts.
When you get a real leather sofa, you will find that the fabric is not just warm, but it is also durable. Also, you will find that leather will always have the marks of its origin. It means that you will find hair pore structure, areas of varied fiber density, growth marks and scratches when you go for a leather sofa.
Similar to any other big investment in your life, you should give thoughtful consideration when shopping for a leather sofa. You will have to ask yourself many questions like what is the style of my home.
- Should the furniture be used as a showpiece in the living room?
- Should it withstand the hard use by your pets and kids?
- Who will be using it the most and what room in your home should it be placed?
Finding answers to these questions will help you shortlist a few leather sofas, in turn, you can somewhat make it easier to select the furniture.
Top 8 Factors to Consider When Buying a Leather Sofa
1. Know About the Different Types of Leather
When it comes to leather sofas and chairs, different types of leather are being used. Here are some details to know concerning this:
Pigmented Leather Sofa
This type of leather is the most durable of other types. The durability that this type gets is due to the polymer surface smearing with pigments. With the technological improvement, the coating now can either be embossed, printed or plain. The smearing used in this type of leather ensures better confrontation to evaporating, friction and dirtying.
Aniline Leather Sofa
If you want the leather sofa that looks more natural, you can consider this type. It will have exclusive surface features of the animal hide. Pure leather of this kind is generally colored using dye and no surface smothering of pigment or polymer is done in this type of leather. To provide some protection against soiling and spillages, some manufacturers of this type of leather would have a light non-pigment surface coating.
Semi-aniline Leather Sofa
As compared to aniline leather, semi-aniline leather is more durable and it can retain its natural appearance for long. Some manufacturers do a light surface coating to enhance durability. It will have a small quantity of pigment. It means that the leather has a consistent color, protecting the semi-aniline leather sofas.
Full-grain Leather Sofa
Full-grain leather is the highest quality leather. It is also the most durable variant. The only thing done to this type of leather is that the manufacturers just scrape the fur from the hide. Then, they do the tanning work. They generally do it using vegetable dye to bring its earthy and natural tones. Due to this, the rugged and thick texture is generally tougher and stiffer as compared to top grain. However, you need not have to worry as it gets soft with age. Also, it is a breathable variant and it is water-resistant as well.
Top-grain Leather Sofa
This variant is very much similar to the full-grain leather when it comes to quality. However, the difference is that it will be thinner in a slice of the top-most layer of leather. This happens because this type of leather gets through an extra polishing and buffing process. These processes make it smoother and softer. But, it will retain the longevity of the full-grain leather.
Above all, it is versatile because of its ability to be produced in different colors. Even though it is not breathable, manufacturers make it stain-resistant with treatment. However, it will cost more.
Split-grain Leather Sofa
This type of leather will be suppler as compared to the top and full-grain leather types. Manufacturers use it because it can tear somewhat with ease. However, you need not feel concerned about durability. This is why work gloves are made using this type of leather. It is not generally water-resistant and it is commonly called suede after color-treatment, brushing out and softening process.
Bonded Leather Sofa
This type of leather is generally made using leftover scraps. They are generally shredded and combined with other synthetic materials then pasted onto a backing sheet for forming, a thin and large piece of fabric that is used for upholstering furniture. It is the cheapest and less durable type of leather.
2. Do Not Forget to Check the Backside of the Furniture
Of course, you will be thinking that every part of the furniture should be checked thoroughly before buying and why the backside. The reason is that in general, stitches will be visible only on the backside of a leather sofa. You should check whether a single piece of leather is used or whether many of them are stitched together.
The thing to remember concerning this is that the average hide is 3’ by 6’. It means that if you get to see a huge sofa entirely covered using a single piece of leather, you can conclude that the manufacturer has not used real leather in its making. As you are particular about buying a leather sofa, you can keep away from such a sofa.
3. How About the Construction?
Of course, you will be interested in buying a durable and the highest quality leather sofa. Here, you should check whether the one that you plan to buy is constructed with the help of strong hardwood frames. It is better not to choose the one with plastic frames and even those made using softwood. The reason is that these materials in the frame do not last longer, thereby affecting the overall life of your sofa.
On the other hand, you can check whether the frames are made using processed wood. You are recommended to make sure that the sofa is kin dried. The reason is that this type of drying will safeguard the wood from wrapping. In general, wooden dowels are used by the manufacturers of strong leather sofas.
4. Consider the Finish
You will have to do before you buy a leather sofa is to check the finish of the leather. Can you judge the reason for this? You will think that only when the finish is good, the entire sofa will look good. Of course, you are right! However, there is one more reason for this recommendation. Some leather sofas are upholstered with cheap plastic material. On the other hand, reputed manufacturers use genuine leather to bring a stylish look to the sofa.
When you take the case of bonded leather, it will have synthetic polyurethane. It is squirted on the sofa to given an expensive look to the sofa. When you buy a leather sofa, it is better to make sure that you buy the one made out of natural leather. This type of leather sofa is generally finished using an aniline dye. The dye would have colored the leather to bring a natural texture.
5. Consider the Design
You have decided that you need a leather sofa. But, have you decided about the type of design you expect from the furniture. Some of the options you will come across are standard leather sofa, which will just stay as a sofa without any chance for modification.
The second design is a reclining sofa and as the name implies, you can recline this kind of sofa. The third design is a sofa bed design that you can convert into a bed at nights. The other designs are modular, convertible that you can convert into a bed when required and Chesterfield sofa.
6. Consider the Seating Capacity
Of course, most of us do not want the leather sofa to be used only by our family members. We think that they should provide room for guests as well. So, consider the different seating options available before you shop for a leather sofa.
7. Smell the Sofa
To make sure about the originality of the sofa, you can smell it and even with the texture of the sofa. If the furniture has a warm and soft texture and has a distinctive aroma, you can rely on its originality. But, when you go for faux leather, it will not smell good as it will produce a chemical smell.
8. Consider the Type of Cushion
In general, cushions used in leather sofas are filled with dense polyurethane foam. The reason is that it will provide support and it will be firm and durable as well. If you wish that the furniture should be luxurious and soft, you can consider cushions with synthetic and natural down foam. But, it is better to keep away from cushions with only down as they need regular fluffing to bring back the shape.
Wrapping Up
Leather sofa when selected considering the factors mentioned above, will improve the looks of your interiors for sure. Carefully consider these factors and of course, the cost should be an essential consideration as you will have a budget in place.
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