What is the most durable fabric for a sofa?

[Lanshark]

This was inspired by the thread about whether to recover or replace a sofa. We are in the same boat. We bought what we throught was a heavy duty fabric for our sofa but it has worn on the edges of the cushions. Of course it is about 10 years. The structure of the sofa is still great.

What blend, fabric is most durable? I don't care for the feel of leather and with 3 cats don't really want to chance leather but what are recommendations for something that will outlast the actual sofa. Things to take into consideration are 2 teens, 1 husband, 3 cats who are allowed on the couch and 1 golden retriever who is not.

I want it to wear like iron and have some chance of getting stains/spills out.

 

[stinkerbelle]

Don't buy chenille.

Dog with white fur + green chenille couch = stinkerbelle owning stock in lint brushes.

And she's not even allowed on the couch! I think she sleeps on it while we're at work

I really wish we had gone with leather.

 

[Lanshark]

Stinkerbelle,

Too funny!. Our old golden Max passed away a couple of years ago. In his old age he got a little hard of hearing. I would walk into the room and find him fast asleep, lying on his back, on the sofa. I never had to say a word to him. He'd wake up, look at me and step off the sofa. So far either Jake doesn't get on the couch or his hearing is good enough to jump down before I get into the den.

 

[Dan Murphy]

 

[Lanshark]

Dan

Seems itchy but at this point I might consider it

 

[wvrevy]

I was gonna go with Teflon, but Dan's idea above topped that

 

[treesinger]

Furniture salesperson here.

1. Leather---easiest to care for. Period.
2. Microfiber---wears great and is very resistent to staining, and easy to clean
3. Nylon---feels like microfiber. Wears well, easy to clean
4. Olefin---wears well. usually found on reclining sofa and such
5. Polyester---usually wears well. Microfiber is made from Polyester. Expect it to have microfiber characteristics, only less so.

 

[Lanshark]

Okay... to all you men out there let me rephrase this question. What sofa material would you like to be able lie on all weekend without worrying whether you've clipped your toenails, unfastened a belt buckle that will snag the material, or dumped your pizza and beer all over it.

To the Ladies... The original question is sufficient

 

[Lanshark]

Jason,

Won't the cat's claws nick leather. I'm not talking about them clawing the sofa just walking on it?

Olefin is what we have now. Its just plain worn out but that sofa is 10 years old and gets lots of use.

 

[CarolAnnC]

The expected life of any fabric sofa, one that is used daily, is approximately 7 to 10 years. Manmade blends hold up best, such as Olefin which was mentioned above.

Some fabrics come with a Monsanto Wear Dated Warranty. These are typically a 3 or 5 year wear warranty.

My experience with reupholstering is that it will cost you practically the price of a new sofa. Very labor intensive work.

BTW, another furniture sales consultant here, LOL!!

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I have a cat, and I have a leather couch, chair and ottoman. The humans have been more destructive than the cat.

 

[treesinger]

Originally posted by Lanshark
Okay... to all you men out there let me rephrase this question. What sofa material would you like to be able lie on all weekend without worrying whether you've clipped your toenails, unfastened a belt buckle that will snag the material, or dumped your pizza and beer all over it.

To the Ladies... The original question is sufficient

Leather.

I wish I had leather...

 

[treesinger]

Originally posted by Lanshark
Jason,

Won't the cat's claws nick leather. I'm not talking about them clawing the sofa just walking on it?

Olefin is what we have now. Its just plain worn out but that sofa is 10 years old and gets lots of use.

If the leather is pulled very tight, like Italian styles from Natuzzi, it is easier for a pet to damage. Otherwise, a pet just walking and not extending their claws shouldn't be a problem.

Of course, pets are unpredictable. Pets and keeping nice furniture don't usually mix well.

 

[Lanshark]

Jason or Carol Ann

Could you give me a quick lesson as to what to look for in leather? I know they're pretty pricy so I'm not sure if it's in the budget. Every leather sofa I've sat on makes me feel like I'm sliding.

 

[dianeschlicht]

In answer to both questions (both men and women), I am still going to say leather. It is comfortable and indestructable. We have 9 dogs, and three sofas. The two leather ones don't show any damage from them, but nothing else holds up to them.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I sat on a $4500 leather couch at Restoration Hardware one day...it was so dang comfortable! And I usually dislike leather too for the sliding factor...but $4500? Yeah...maybe later on in my life...

 

[Lanshark]

$4500 ain't exactly in the budget right now.

 

[WeirdEyes]

I'm glad you started this thread since I am now buying a new sofa instead of re-covering. I don't want leather though cause I'm having to match my other pieces. I just don't want a crappy fabric like my sofa is now. Poor sofa...I sure do like it. My stepson is moving into his own apartment this fall at college. Maybe he'll want a worn out sofa...it needs a good home.

For you furniture salespeople/consultants, can I get a good quality sofa for around $800? I'm not paying $1200 again any time soon.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I purchased a new leather set last Fall, a Bauhaus sleep sofa, chair and ottoman. It is a nice full grain leather, a natural looking chocolate brown color, and I also had the leather protection applied and warranteed. This retails at around just around $4k for the set.

I would advise looking at full grain leathers, semi corrected would be durable too. Nubuk leathers (uncorrected) would not provide the best stain protection for family use.

 

[CarolAnnC]

The price of the sofa can only be determined to be a good value if you shop for the right retailer, one who does underpricing or discounting, but uses good middle to high end vendors.

An $800 piece at one store could be a poor value, if it might be sold for only $600 at another establishment.

I would think one could pick up a very good middle range sofa in the $800 range. The questions to ask are, what is store policy regarding defective items, what is the general return policy, and does the store cover the warranty work itself, or does it make you track down the manufacturer on your own?