I want to buy a new sofa

[Jason14h]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I change my sofas when I can't remove the sex smell.

So I assume you've owned one Sofa your entire life

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Birchwood Furniture makes their sofas right here in Calgary. It's good stuff.

I'm of the mind that with sofas you want to buy quality, but since it's furniture that will get a lot of use (especially if you have kids/pets) you don't necessarily want to be throwing heirloom investment type of money at it either. Birchwood occupies that sweet spot well. You're paying around the same what you would pay for a larger chain like Crate and Barrel or West Elm etc, but I think you get a better built product... plus it being Calgary/Canadian makes you feel good about your purchase.

It's not high-Italian design or an heirloom piece, but good quality furniture, that will last you a decade of use without much fuss. We bought discounted floor models, but the ability to customize fabrics is also a nice touch for some.

[1_Flames_Fan]

As far as sales people go, make sure you get the name of the first guy/gal who approaches you if they seem decent enough and give you space to browse. Then if anyone else approaches just say "Frank" or whoever is taking care of me. There are generally some rules about poaching other sales people's customers depending on where you are shopping. Once you mention someone else's name most decent salespeople will let you be. Best of luck

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by 1_Flames_Fan

As far as sales people go, make sure you get the name of the first guy/gal who approaches you if they seem decent enough and give you space to browse. Then if anyone else approaches just say "Frank" or whoever is taking care of me. There are generally some rules about poaching other sales people's customers depending on where you are shopping. Once you mention someone else's name most decent salespeople will let you be. Best of luck

Nah, sales guys are sharks, routinely stealing each others customers. the high point of a slow day in the middle of summer was watching two middle aged overweight sales guys trying to scrap round by the loading bay because one got caught poaching another guys sales when he had a day off

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

So I assume you've owned one Sofa your entire life

Depends if you/they are counting their “manage-a-moi”?
Maybe they only buy Sextionals?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by RichieRich

Depends if you/they are counting their “manage-a-moi”?
Maybe they only buy Sextionals?

That's simply awesome

[Johnny Makarov]

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy a synthetic or faux leather couch.

I bought a $2,000 one from Lazy Boy so my dog could look out our living room window...

It was great for the first 2 years and then after it just crumbled into pillars of salt. I think it has to do with our dry climate.

[Shazam]

Pleather is basically oil on a mesh backing.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy a synthetic or faux leather couch.

Also referred to as “Bonded Leather”, and yes, it is absolute dogsh-it. I had a beautiful L-shaped espresso sectional in ‘bonded leather’ and within about three years of regular use, any of the areas most people sat on started to slowly crack and flake. By year four, large areas of the finish had come off and it looked like hell.

[Johnny Makarov]

How can they sell such a crappy product? Does it work different like in a humid environment?

My leather sectionals are over 12 years old and are still doing great. This piece of crap product didn't even last 2 years. As soon as my dog passed we junked it asap.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

How can they sell such a crappy product? Does it work different like in a humid environment?

My leather sectionals are over 12 years old and are still doing great. This piece of crap product didn't even last 2 years. As soon as my dog passed we junked it asap.

Well, I guess considering it was an $1,800 MSRP ‘bonded leather’ sectional from The Brick and the genuine leather couch I replaced it with had a $6,000 MSRP (I got it for $3,000 as a floor model from Sofa Land), you get what you pay for.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Also referred to as “Bonded Leather”, and yes, it is absolute dogsh-it. I had a beautiful L-shaped espresso sectional in ‘bonded leather’ and within about three years of regular use, any of the areas most people sat on started to slowly crack and flake. By year four, large areas of the finish had come off and it looked like hell.

I got a real leather/pleather hybrid couch and loveseat from Leons. It has real leather on the seats and arms, basically whatever you touch while sitting, and the back/sides is the fake stuff. Had them for a year now and no complaints, the only wear and tear is from 2 kids under 5 spilling all manners of food/drink on them and drawing on them with markers, which is why we went the economical route in the first place

[TorqueDog]

That’s probably the most economical way to get a couch that’ll last; leather seating surfaces, with matched synthetic everywhere else. As long as the really high traffic parts of the couch are in real leather, you should be fine. It’s when the seating surfaces are also bonded leather that things go south.