Sofa shopping can be a frustrating experience. There are so many different styles and colors available that it can be a bit overwhelming. But once you sort through the sea of sofas and find a style you like it’s time to choose a fabric. It is fairly uncommon to find a sofa on the sales floor that will match your current decorating scheme. Sofas come in a multitude of different colors and fabrics so they can match anyone’s style. The best way to begin picking out a color for your couch is to start with the fabric.
Many sofas are available in three different types of coverings: upholstery, microfiber, and leather. There are important differences between each one and knowing those differences can help you make the right choice. Upholstery is the oldest covering of the three and has fallen out of favor or the last few decades. Upholstery usually consists of a blend of different materials such as cotton, acrylic, nylon, and rayon among others. One problem with upholstery is that some of the materials used in the fabric may be prone to wrinkling, stretching, and fading over time. Upholstery is also a difficult fabric to remove stains and shows wear sooner than microfiber and leather. But upholstery can be made in almost any color and pattern and is relatively inexpensive.
Microfiber has emerged as the front-runner of the three coverings. It has come a long way since it was first utilized in furniture and has been growing in popularity ever since. Microfiber is essentially 100% polyester, which is very durable. Do you have children? Pets? If you answered “yes” to one or both of these questions microfiber could be the right choice for you. Microfiber is fairly stain-resistant, most minor spills can be dabbed away with a damp rag. So if your children accidentally spill some milk, food, or other substance onto your couch it’s an easy cleanup. Microfiber is excellent with pets because it does not show any marks left by their claws. And to clean up the hair when it’s shedding season? Simply run a lint roller over the surface to pick up the hair and you’re finished! Microfiber resists wear three times longer than upholstery so it will look like new years after you purchased it. It is very low maintenance and comes in many colors and finishes. Some microfiber can even look like leather, which can give it a more distinguished, expensive look if that is the look you’re going for.
And lastly there’s leather. Leather couches are fairly popular but their popularity tends to fluctuate. With the economy in a downward spiral, you may not want to or may not have extra money to spend on a leather sofa. Leather is the most expensive out of the three coverings but it also wears the longest amount of time. If a leather sofa is taken care of properly, it can last five times longer than and upholstered sofa. Leather comes in different colors and there are also different types of leather you can choose from. The two different types of leather are machine-made leather and semi-aniline leather. Machine made leather is made from leather that had imperfections on it, which were buffed out, and a protective coating is added to the leather. This leather is more resistant to showing marks and a bit more stain resistant. Semi-aniline leather is leather which has no imperfections, no protective coating, and is very soft. It’s fairly high-grade leather but can show marks easily because the leather is so soft. You may be wondering how you can tell the difference? You can tell the difference just by looking at it. Machine-made leather has a shiny look to it and is the same color throughout. Semi-aniline leather has a marbled look to it and feels softer than the other leather. Leather can also have a hot-cold factor. It can get very warm or very cold depending on the environment it is in. Leather also requires more maintenance. Leather kits and conditioners are available for purchase to extend the life of your leather sofa. All these factors put aside, leather is the ultimate in luxury and style.
These facts should be able to help you determine which covering to put on your new sofa. But it all boils down to personal preference and what you think looks best. Happy sofa shopping!
-Jamie, Lansing Furniture
