H&M Leather Sofa an Chair Not Wearing as Well as Expected

Hi Duane,

I bought my H&M set (sofa and chair) from you in 09 (early 09, I think) . If I recall it is one of the Document leathers, definitely not top of the line. I have read another topic with an issue similar to mine that was started in 2014, yet not exactly the same. We are an adult only household with no pets, our set is not exposed to sun and is not our only seating area. In fact, the chair might get use twice per month for only an hour or two. The sofa gets more frequent use. I use Leather Magic cleaner and conditioner once or twice a year and wipe down the set with a damp rag every couple of months. Over the last couple of weeks we've noticed some leather degradation/peeling/cracking starting to occur, even in areas (on the chair specifically) where nothing comes into contact with the leather. I get that H&M doesn't warranty these hides. Can you take a look at the photos and tell me if I can preserve the set and stop it from further degradation? The 1st photo, labeled comp1, is from the recessed front of the chair arm, which is neither touched by humans nor is affected by friction. Should this happen in such an obscure area? We were really hoping for this set to last longer than 7 years so any help you can provide would be wonderful. Thanks.

Stephanie

Document is a finished, or a painted leather - and this is fairly typical of areas on a finished leather over time, it's a loss of the paint topcoat. Just like the paint on your house or you car eventually comes off, so does that paint on leather.

The fix is pretty easy, just email me at keepingroom@gmail.com with the color of the Document and your address, and I will order you a bottle of touch-up at no charge. Dab the touch up on the wear areas (its water-based paint, usually two coats) and then blend it out with your leather conditioner. If the pieces show wear all over, you can have a leather restoration person re-paint the entire piece at some date.

This is also why I prefer anilines myself, they have no finish to lose as they are dyed all the way through the hide (however, they cannot tolerate sunlight UV as well as can fade).

Hope that helps

Duane

Thanks, Duane. I will send the info you've requested over today. I appreciate your help!