Leather Furniture

[Bigboomer]

So we now are going to have leather furniture in our new coach.....any recommendations for both care of the leather and also does anyone use slip covers and if so what and who do you recommend?

[grampachet]

I personally don't use slip covers. My idea is ~ why keep the furniture covered and not enjoy it so the person who buys it later can enjoy band new looking furniture which I never saw and I am the one who paid for the new look.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[nosticks]

Ditto on the slip covers. For leather care I use Meguires Leather Cleaner in the house, truck, and rv. It does a great job of cleaning.

[BB_TX]

We do not have leather in the trailer. But have had leather recliners and sofa in the house for years. No special care and no covers. And no problems with them either. Still look great.
Just relax and enjoy them.

[1retired06]

We use a leather cleaner/protector once a month or so, can not remember the specific brand.

[richfaa]

We do not like leather and did not get it in our 13 Big Sky. We also found that the leather in RV's is not of the highest quality.

[napria]

Our leather sofas came covered in black, reuseable grocery bag like material. The dealer took the covers off but kept them and said some people like to cover the sofas while in storage. We haven't used these covers for storage yet, but I suspect we should use something. The sun has bleached and dried one side of a leather chair in our S&B. no amount of leather conditioning seems to help.

By the way, the leather quality of our sofas in the Monty is really nice! It seems to be very thick and durable, but at the same time as soft as lambskin. My kids sleep on the sofas with just a sheet to cover the leather, and during the day when we're not out the are lounging directly on the leather. We also have a cat who likes to sit on the backs and look out the window. Not one scratch and still looking brand new!

[mazboy]

I assume you have the "manmade" leather. just wipe it of with a damp rag..that's it. the "leather" will last longer than the furniture.

[richfaa]

Man made leather is not leather but Plastic and widely used in upholstery. I do not believe the RV industry would use real leather as it is cost prohibitive. Look up the brand of the furniture to see what you have.

[Bigboomer]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Man made leather is not leather but Plastic and widely used in upholstery. I do not believe the RV industry would use real leather as it is cost prohibitive. Look up the brand of the furniture to see what you have.

The leather furniture in our new coach is made by Franklin and we found it to be real leather. The only reason we would put slip coversnis because we have a cat who likes to sit on the top of the furniture otherwise we do not need them. We are figuring to use the Meguires leather cleaner conditioner since this looks like it is good for car leather which is what the rv furniture feels like.

[napria]

Our leather furniture is genuine leather.

[richfaa]

Franklin is one of the countries largest manufacturer of all kinds of furniture including Rv 's. They will make anything the manufacturer spec's out.
check out their website.

In our research which may be incorrect we found that "Bonded leather" is widely used in less costly furniture as well as man made leather. In fact bonded leather is softer to the touch and feel that real leather although Bonded leather may also be odd pieces of leather and other materials. We were told that if the leather feels firm to the touch it is real, high quality leather if not it probably bonded or man made leather.
It is very hard to tell the difference and there is nothing wrong with Bonded or man made product.

We opted out of the leather in the 2013.The "list" on the sofa and two recliners totaled 2640.00. That does not sound like "real leather "

[Exnavydiver]

When we ordered our 08 Big Sky we opted for cloth over leather because at the time we had two large dogs both of who had bear like claws. Our mistake!! We should have gotten the leather as the chocolate lab did more damage to the cloth with her rough paw pads than with her nails. It was like sand paper and just rubbed through our Lazy Boy recliners and the couch cushions. IF we ever order another rig it will have leather furniture......

[napria]

Bonded leather is a term used for a lower-cost upholstery material which consists of natural leather leftovers that are shredded and then bonded back into larger sheets. Advantages are:
Environmentally friendly – reuses leftover leather without extra farming
Product consistency – no natural defects and minimal batch to batch variation
High cutting yield – cost efficient and reduces landfill waste
High durability and excellent flame retardancy
Extensive design options – from leather effects to bold geometric designs

I don't mind if my sofas are bonded leather. I like the look, they're comfortable and I especially like that they have excellent flame retardancy. The price sheet on my unit says $1500 for leather furniture (2 sofas & storage ottoman). Do I really want to spend more when what I've got looks, feels and functions just as I want it to?

My genuine cowhide leather loveseat in my S&B is great, but It shows every scratch and constantly needs conditioning to keep it from drying out. The Monty sofas are definitely more durable. If they're not "genuine" but bonded, it didn't occur to me till this thread, but I'm certainly happy with them!

[mazboy]

real leather furniture...wow.....ours is just plain old genuine fake leather.

[mlh]

Like Rich pointed out there are many different grades is leather. From bonded to the best. The more work the manufacturer hast to do on it the less it cost. The best you do nothing to but tan and finish. Most leather has a protective coating. If it gets scratched there isn't much you can do. The natural leathers scratch easy but you can rub them out. King Ranch truck seats are a good example of natural leather. Most other car seats are coated leather.
Lynwood

[richfaa]

I just don't care for leather in furniture. It is a personal thing. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter .I keep a small blanket between me and the leather seat in the truck. We tried to not get leather in the truck but leather came with the package. We learned about the different grades of leather years ago. It even makes difference as to what part of the animal the hide comes from Top, sides with the highest grade from the underbelly.

In many cases the consumer is paying for high grade leather and getting the manmade or Bonded leather.I would rather the man made product as it has many advantages over the more expensive product in furniture.

I have a genuine leather coat that is over 40 years old and with proper care looks like new. It doesn't fit anymore but it looks good.

I did not mean to suggest that bonded or made leather was inferior just that it is good to know what we paid for.

[JandC]

I may be in the minority. I love the leather, fake or otherwise, in the Montana interior. Tried it in several vehicles over the years and didn't like it. My truck doesn't have a leather interior and my seats are probably the most comfortable I have ever had in a vehicle.

[jpkelpe]

I have been using those covers that the furniture came with when traveling. I just think it may help protect the leather when there are things on the furniture. Those covers are a real pain in **** to put on. When we are set up I do not put anything over the furniture--it just slides off the first time you sit down