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Although leather sofas are rumored to wear well, without proper initial care with suitable treatments they will not last.

Some of the finest sofas these days is covered in top-quality leather, which is beautifully soft and warm to the touch, making it ideal for seating arrangements. The choice of colours available is a far cry from the traditional shades of brown; nowadays, leather comes in a vast array of rich sumptuous colours and shades to suit any room-setting and colour scheme.

People are growing to favour the stylish look of a leather sofa over fabric sofas. Not only do good quality leather sofas feel wonderful, but they look better and better with time. Even the most expensive set of sofas and chairs will, in time, start to show signs of wear, and may even suffer damage. Although leather sofas are rumored to wear well, without proper initial care with suitable treatments, they will not last. Leather cracks if not treated properly with saddle-soap or proprietary leather cleaner. Rather than have the expense of replacing a complete suite of furniture, an alternative I would definitely consider, would be to repair and re-upholster it. This may, in itself, be costly but, if it is an item you4r have an attachment to and have been happy with, it would be worth the expense and, of course, it would have many more years of good service. It certainly would cost less than buying new.

There are a number of companies throughout the UK which specialise in the repair and re-upholstery of leather furniture. The best of these will offer a bespoke service which even includes visiting your home to carry out cleaning and simple repairs, such as mending rips or tears. For complete re-upholstering, they will collect the furniture and carry out the work in their own workshops. They will check the frames and joints and re-spring if necessary. The best part of choosing this option, rather than purchasing brand-new furniture, is that you will have a choice of colours, so this would be an ideal opportunity to change the colour scheme of your sitting room.

The process of re-upholstering a leather sofa or chair is quite painstaking and cannot be rushed. First of all, the original covering needs to be removed without causing damage to the framework underneath. The framework then has to be inspected and any repairs, such as re-padding of seats or strengthening of joints, need to be carried out. The furniture is then measured so that the new leather can be cut to shape for a perfect fit, without having any obvious seams. Leather cannot be patched in to make it fit, so the upholsterer will ensure that he has large enough pieces to cover each individual part of the item. This is one of the reasons that it is more expensive than re-upholstering with fabric, but it is essential to get the best possible result.

Once the furniture has been re-covered, it needs to be maintained properly to keep it in peak condition and to ensure that it lasts. The leather specialist will suggest products such as leather upholstery cleaner, leather softener and saddle-soap, which are easily obtainable. It is not a good idea to use standard upholstery cleaner or products, though, because these could damage the leather or cause staining. Even with specialised products, it’s always a good idea to test on an inconspicuous area first.