So the wife and I are looking at getting a new sofa and yesterday we were at the furniture store and I sat on one of the leather ones and fell in love. I told her to sit down and she walked away saying we cant afford it I said we cant afford no to. She sat she fell in love but fought it for a while first. Anyway long story short with two dogs that shed like crazy her bad allergies and a potential for a kid in the near future we decided the leather sofa is the way to go, but what about it being in the same room as the wood stove four feet away to be exact? Im worried that the extreme heat of the stove might have a negative effect on the leather, if any of yall have any input on this it would be greatly appreciated.
My leather sits right at 4 feet away. No issues but I wouldn't want it any closer. I use leather conditioner on it to keep it from drying out. I do it 2 times a year. Before burning season and the after. You'll love not having hair all over the couch too btw.
I think my mom sold her leather set which was probably 20 years old last year. I can remember it surviving multiple cats, 2 dogs, 2 boys and it all sat in the room with the woodstove.
We have a leather set 17 years old and it has held up well. I remember picking up the vacuum to run in our old fabric couch for dog hair lol, yep no problem with pet hair on leather unless humidity gets too low, then static cling. I regret buying one that was a special leather, don't remember the name, I think it was analin or something but it wasnt treated and every drop of moisture stained it, including snowy dogs shaking off, baby bottles, and now juice boxes. It was much further than 4' from the stove but took a severe beating from the sun quite well and temps in the 90's all those summers. Sunbleached and stained they are still as comfortable as when we bought them. I now have a cover on them, but they are awesome too, faux leather, washable, and 2 pieces to they stay in place. All that aside, if you and her are really comfy in it, it was one of the best purchases we made (besides the untreated leather part). This is the sunbleached leather to avoid below: disregard the blob of drywall mud on the right lol.
Don't worry about your leather couch and the wood stove heat. If it gets too warm, the couch will roll over, stretch out it's arms and legs, and warm up the other side!
Leather should be fine with a little extra heat, just remember to use conditioner on it occasionally. We're hoping to replace our couches with leather in the next couple years, with 2 dogs (one that sheds like crazy), and kids I kind of think leather is the way to go. It'll be a huge cost upfront, but should last a long time as long as it's taken care of.
Leather couches rule!..they hold up FAR better than any other material the extra you pay will more than make up for itself in longevity..
We have had a set for years. The dogs don't bother it. Then we bought two recliners from sears. Seems they are bonded leather. The layer of leather started bubbling up the first year. Also, cats will leave craw marks on bonded leather.
This is something to watch out for, saying that something is leather doesn't mean it's the leather you want. A bonded leather couch might still be advertised as "100% leather", but it won't hold up as well as true cow hide. I was looking around online at different sofa retailers last fall, and it's hard to find out exactly what type of leather they are made of sometimes.
Thats my biggest concern and Im not sure how to tell the difference. It looks like leather feels like leather and smells like leather but is it really?
Can you google the manufacturer and the line? My father and his wife bought a "leather" set in the 1990's, they paid good money for it but it felt like plastic coated, or vinyl to me.... No idea if this helps, but our old set had swatches of the leather under the cushions so you could tell.
My only thought, is that if it's really full grain leather, it'll probably be advertised as such (and the price will probably be much higher than the other stuff. Unfortunately, I don't know that salesmen can be trusted to tell you the truth. They're probably about the level of used car salesmen as far as honesty.
You can tell. Take a look inside the cushions. The edge of the leather will look like leather not covered cloth. Also the real leather is much stiffer. Go to a high end furniture store and look. The sales person will show you the difference.
I can't stand leather.....we have two couches with leather. You slip off them when reclined. If you try to nap on them you wake up stuck to them from sweating. The wife wanted them and they look nice, probably will look good for a long time because I don't ever sit on them. I got old people fabric couches for the basement and they are the best!
Our leather loveseat is only a couple of feet from the IS and the same distance when the fireplace was an old pre epa Lopi. The Lopi got hotter near the sides the IS with the soapstone doesn't throw the severe heat out the sides as much. No problems yet after a couple of years. We ended up buying a couple of sheepskin rugs for the couches to sit/nap on. It might be useful to use a blanket or something if one wears shorts on the couch.
LOL you sound like me!! I've lived with a roommate that had a leather couch years ago, and I rarely sat on it for the reasons you stated. But the wife REALLY REALLY REALLY wants leather couches, and I know when it's better to not put up a fight!
