Furniture, questions and recommendations

AsSiMiLaTeD

We've been looking to replace our current leather couch with a reclining sofa, and wanted to get some input on a couple questions:

1 - We've never had anything but leather, but are considering going with a good fabric this time around. No real reason why, just want to try something different. Any general experience you guys have with leather vs fabric? Is fabric going to be hotter in the summer?

2 - The bigger question is where to buy. I've read countless negative reviews on Rooms To Go. We did go there yesterday and found a sofa we really liked, but all the negative reviews are turning me off from that. What about places like Haverty's and Roomstore, are they any good? I know Thomasville sells good stuff, but am not at a point where I want to spend over $2k on a couch at the moment.

I'm just looking for any experience or general advice you guys may have.

Thanks

fishbones

Stain resitant suede fabric is great. Mine has been run through the mill with my son all through his baby/toddler years and all it needs is a steam cleaning every couple years and it comes out looking brand new all over again. It's not hot (u can see where I live), but it's not as cold as leather either.

RTG is personally the last place I would buy from. I know everything they sell or do isn't bad, on the other hand, I'm in the furniture (mattress) industry and hear the horror stories of customer service there, plus their quality is something to be desired, although if price is the ONLY objective - go there. I don't know where you're at, but City Furniture is similarly priced to RTG, but better quality products and better customer service from what I've heard.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Is Lane furniture decent stuff?

fishbones

I believe they are pretty decent. I don't have any around me, but I know Lane was known for quality years ago.

punk-roc

I have a stain resistant micro suede couch and love it.. never been a fan or sitting on leather furniture.. cool looking though

Jason

blueboxer

I have pets, so I prefer leather furniture that allows me to wipe up any hair left behind versus the pain of trying to get all of it off a fabric couch. However, I live in CA and never have to deal with the cold leather that turns a lot of people off. The one bit of advice I can add is that you usually get what you pay for when it comes to furniture. I use to shop at more budget friendly places during college and starting off, but have come to realize that quality furniture lasts longer in terms of style and durability. I have had good luck at Macy's furniture stores and some boutique stores that offer italian leather.

decal

Don't buy cheap furniture,it's a total waste of time and money.BTW,leather conforms to your body temperature in about a minute.

Tour2ma

Yup... Shop up... I think any big brand name makes multiple levels of quality... not unlike speakers.

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on some Maroni leather. The build quality is fantastic... four or five grades of leather... and the internet deals are insane, and include free shipping.

Microfiber makes my **** sweat...

dkg999

I've always found Lane and Flexsteel to have a pretty good balance between quality and price in their leather furniture lines. I'm not big on non-leather furniture, but I have noticed the micro-suede fabrics seem to keep improving. Those might be worth a look.

Gadabout

Leather kinda depends on your house and household.

Most folks with pets prefer leather as it it won't show the stains and is a bit easier to clean. Most folks with kids prefer cloth over leather. Just for the fact leather can be damaged a bit easier and repairs are harder. The cloth fabric is a bit more forgiving for the ones that have to sit on the arm constantly, don't take their shoes off when they put their feet up etc...

As far as furniture goes, better or higher $'s usually indicate longer life. So you can get away with cheaper if your use is light.

You'll find decent furniture at Haverty's and Lane. If your kinda hard on your furniture, stay away from Rooms to Go and Room Store. If you treat the furniture pretty decent, go anywhere and get what you like the most.

Ohh and I never get the warranties they try and sell. Never had any issues that I might need them at.

Scott

fatchowmein

Try Weirs Furniture. I have a leather recliner from the location on Knox but I haven't set foot in the one on Preston.

coolsax

I'll be honest I've had several RTG pieces and haven't had any complaints. The stuff we've had has been solid, and well built, nothing has ever broken on me at all. Haven't had to deal much with their CS so that may be pretty bad, I don't know. I know that I'll never buy from Room Store however, everytime I've gone into there its had awful quality stuff. I also give a big recommendation to Haverty's. We got our Bedroom suite there and it is gorgeous and very well made.

thsmith

We have been looking for new couches the last 18 months. We found the quality and price we were looking for at Havertys.

I am sure there are others but Havertys did it for us and stuff we had on our list that we went back to compare with looked cheap after Havertys.

Pricey but worth it.

We went from 12 year fabric Harvety furniture to Haverty couches.

The fabric held up great and is now in my son's house.

The only thing I have found with leather is that it is cold in the winter. Not sure if summer will mean hot yet.

mufsoman

Stay away from Ashley's. We bought our couch and love seat in the theater area from them. Its been replaced once and repaired several times under warranty. Warranty is now done so we're on our own. We'll never buy anything from Ashley's again.

mufsoman

BTW - my opinion is leather all the way. Very durable, easy to clean. The fabric couches we used to have collected dirt and dog hair like crazy. I'd rather sit on leather than micro-suede any day hot or cold.

greyford1979

Biggest thing with leather, depending on what kind of leather, is that you want to make sure that you clean it and use a conditioner/moisturizer properly throughout the years. This will allow it to stay softer like when you first bought and will help it from cracking. Will also help it keeps its color and shine much longer. Just be careful you don't rub too hard for very long in one area as you can remove any dyes in the leather. With fabric one thing to note, if it looks delicate, it usually is and is not the best idea for everyday use because I don't care what kind of protectant or stainguard is on it, you are pretty much stuck with what ever ends up on it. Even water can leave a water ring that is very difficult to remove and can stain. Also stay away from natural fibers as they tend to hold stains as well. The biggest with the microfibers is to make sure you get them cleaned regularly as well, about every 1-1.5 years, depending on use ofc, because once they start to wear they look very bad and matted especially on the arms and front of the cushions. For all of those on here whom have microfibers, get a good horse hair brush and brush it occasionally as this will help against the matting issue. Also be aware that they also have some problems with water ring issues. Some fabrics are very durable like herculon which I tend to find isn't as comfortable but it wears like iron, also you will have tons of lint balls lol. The newer style velvet materials can take a beating, are very stain resistant and clean very well. Just when you are shopping around, feel the different fabrics, the thinner it feels, the less durable it most likely will be. This is what I do for a living so any questions about upkeep feel free to ask. Also be careful as some do come with manufacturers warranties and you will be required to have them cleaned and protected to not void the warranty. Also certain things such as pet urine will void some warranties and other such things, so make sure you read that warranty very carefully if your new furniture comes with one...ok I'm done lol