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Typical work undertaken

Due to neglecting to use the protecting creams usually bought with your furniture, it will lead to hairline cracks in the surface paint (and I do mean paint). Further wiping of a damp or wet cloth over the leather will allow water to penetrate past the colour into the tanned leather. Tanning is a process of curing leather and water will undo this process causing the leather to perish and leading to the leather splitting. The leather protecting creams were to protect the colour, not the leather; don't you wish you had applied the cream more often now?

So what are these leather-protecting creams? Well they are not leather food, which is a greasy substance intended for leather exposed to water like saddles. Likewise saddle soap is unsuitable for protecting your leather furniture, in some cases it can lift the paint, and at all times gives it a greasy feel. Whereas the correct protecting cream leaves a thin plasticized film over the existing paint acting as a barrier to wear, water, and children's pens.

When you buy your new suite, the bulk of them have a sprayed lacquer as a protective film, it takes just a few months for this to wear off exposing the true colour which is now absorbing any dirt like newspaper print. The shop salesman in his ignorance tell you to use Lux flakes or some such rubbish, most of them haven't got a clue.

Leather Leather

colouring leather to match the colour of your suite today, this saves having a near miss on the pre coloured leather on offer, and saves buying a whole or half hide which can be expensive.

Typical work are seat pads (cushions), and then only the top panel needs replacing in 95% of cases. Seat panels on a fixed seat, that being the type that can't be removed can be replaced, as luck would have it these sections often unbolt from the main frame and would slip into the back seat of a car (don't worry, we can do that for you). Arm panel particularly on Chesterfields, usually just the first 6 inches at the front top of the arm, I have developed a way of just replacing that section rather than the whole arm saving a ton of money. Cosmetic colour cream to reduce the appearance of hairline cracks, a sample of colour is needed for this to be made, The trick is to bring an object like a seat cushion or poffee' and I will make this cream whilst you wait, and apply it to the object. This cream will half the look of age to your leather, and for those too scared of DIY I often say bring a 10 year old for me to show them. Cat scratches can be improved; see FAQ's on this subject. Lastly reports for both insurance Companies, or on poor manufacturing, there is a fee for this service and a very limited distance I will travel. 

Cleaning of Leather on 90% of suites requires little effort with the right cleaner, however this service is available to you if the suite has been neglected over the years. The added bonus of our cleaning is we know how far to go, and can apply colour where it is lost. For local customers around £20 for both the leather cleaner and protection cream plus advice on application.

A small tip on buying leather furniture, avoid white and cream leather. Don't kid yourselves, most people today have living rooms not lounges, cooking, smoking and general dirt soon finds your suite. Jeans often bleed blue dye into leather, they are also very rough and help to remove the top surface, the colour is microns thick so think twice before allowing someone to damage it.

A newspaper report by a customer from DFS complaining, of this very problem. Andrew Tweedale of DFS said "There is no true onus on the retailer to explain how the furniture may react to usage" He is right in one respect, however if their staff had proper training they would advise you to use leather protective cream, reducing the chance of colour bleeding.

Three quarters of the manufacturing complaints I report on are from DFS; these reports can cost you from £50 to £70. They are not worth the paper they are on if you limit your complaint to just the retailer, particularly DFS. You must be prepared to go the whole hog and take your case to court, seek legal help and fight. Typical complaints are creasing of leather seating , often due to soft padding. You can't have your cake and eat it; soft filling means the leather stretches when you sit in it. After a while the crushing of the filling causes the leather to stretch fuller, creasing follows as your backside irons down the excess leather. Topping up the cushion by means of one inch firm foam from the underside will swell the cushion jacket, but fixed seat pads require an upholsterer.

Leather Leather

A major fault with fixed seat cushions is slack leather. The cause of this is the underside of the cushion was not enclosed, causing the foam to drop through the rubber webbing. Likewise weak straps will give the feeling of bad padding. Both problems can be repaired and improved on, often the seat section will unbolt which allows us access to the problem.

A further note on retailer, another complaint that has crossed my path just a few times is the colour peeling off exposing another colour underneath. I will shortly be representing a customer in the small claims court who bought her suite in a Croydon store. What has happened is the manufacturer has not got the colour available in stock and has re sprayed the leather. When leather is first prepared, the colour has been protected by a lacquer sprayed over the surface. To re colour one would need to remove this film and abrade the surface before priming and re colouring. Badly done it will lift in a short time as this suite has. The shop will take no responsibility and her furniture looks rubbish, I hope to publish the results and the store but will check my legal position first. In short, how would you feel t o find your furniture has been re coloured, and badly at that. The end result of this case was they settled in full 24 hours before it reached court, without it going to court I am not able to name the store, what a shame.

On that note I also get phone calls asking me if I would re colour a cream suite to another colour. More companies have gone bust being sued for this service than have survived, don't do it, any impurities that have landed on your leather will prevent the colour sticking.

 
   

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