Bonded Leather Sofas vs. Genuine Leather - What s the Difference (102 Huntoon Memorial Hwy. Leicester Ma., )

Bonded Leather Sofas vs. Genuine Leather - What s the Difference

Bonded Leather Sofas vs. Genuine Leather - What s the Difference Buying your first real piece of furniture is a true accomplishment. Not that futon you used for both your bed and sofa but your first actual grown-up piece of furniture. The one that looks pricier and has that touch of adult seriousness that your old furniture lacked. Having a nice-looking sofa gives one a feeling of pride and accomplishment as they move away from the collegiate type of furniture towards an actual living room set. And nothing is a better example of a grown-up piece of furniture than a new spiffy leather couch or sectional. But consumers should know that not all leather couches are created equal and sofas made of bonded leather are a prime example of true furniture inequality. What s the difference between bonded leather and genuine leather you ask Bonded leather -- sometimes called reconstituted leather or just plain vinyl -- is not the whole skin of an animal but left-over pieces of hide blended together to form a seamless piece of leather material. Genuine leather is made from entire pieces of animal hide and costs much more than items made with the bonded material. It s hard to tell the difference between the two as once an item is made with bonded leather the appearance and smell are nearly identical. However genuine leather typically feels a bit harder to the touch and if used for sofas its cushions tend to have a little less give than a bonded leather cushion. Manufacturers will also use many types of coats and permanent polishes to make bonded leather appear to be the real deal. Bonded leather can be quite useful though. It gives books a fancier appearance it makes cheap belts look expensive and it adds a sophisticated touch to any piece of office furniture. The bad part is that bonded leather is horrible for home sofas. It s also inexpensive and is often made of recycled materials. Plenty of consumers are attracted to the lower cost of a bonded leather couch and they re not scared away because bonded leather is in fact real leather or at least it s made from small pieces of real leather. Durability difference Many are sadly surprised when they realize the true difference between bonded and genuine leather is its durability and plenty of retailers leave this important detail out just to close the sale. Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is not really a true leather but a man-made material said Tami of Brooklyn N.Y. in a ConsumerAffairs posting. It s composed of 90% to 100% leather fibers. Jennifer Convertibles should be made to use the words faux leather for all furniture made with bonded leather so that the consumer is fully aware that what they are getting is not a true leather she said. And couches that are made of bonded leather are harder and more expensive to repair. After its torn you can t fix it and have to reupholster it again. That s expensive said Donald. Pat Oliver of LP Oliver & Sons Inc. has been in the upholstery repair business for almost 50 years and he agrees with Donald and says it may not be worth fixing a bonded leather sofa. Whatever you can do is minor and temporary because you ll continue to sit on it and it ll always be a problem. After asking Oliver how one can repair a bonded leather sofa if they really want to he said You can try to match the color [with other bonded leather materials]. That will cost somewhere in the 350 to 450 range. Better to wait If you re able to be patient and save the necessary funds for a genuine leather couch do so especially if a leather sofa is what your heart truly desires.So what s the moral of this sofa story But if a bonded leather sofa is what falls into your budget you may not want to use it as your primary family couch or the sofa in your home that has the most sitting traffic as it will tear more quickly than the real thing. Furniture Now for Real Leather Furniture at Deep Discount Prices Furniturenow.mobi