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Should I replace or buy new?
We have 10 year old Bradington Young sofas. I will attach photos but we were trying to decide if we should get new cushions for the sofas or new sections altogether (the leather as well). I would assume that that would just entail new furniture but as you can see from the photos, some sections are worn and other sections are fine. Any advice is appreciated!!Attachment 11523Attachment 11524Attachment 11525Attachment 11526Attachment 11527
Re: Should I replace or buy new?
I would replace the sofa, that one is used hard and would have to be fully re-painted, with new interior cores all around. Even then, a re-paint may not hold up well over time. But that would be the path to take should you decide to restore it. Replacing section almost never works well, the dye lot variance will be too severe and it will have a patched-up effect.
Re: Should I replace or buy new?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
I would replace the sofa, that one is used hard and would have to be fully re-painted, with new interior cores all around. Even then, a re-paint may not hold up well over time. But that would be the path to take should you decide to restore it. Replacing section almost never works well, the dye lot variance will be too severe and it will have a patched-up effect.
Thank you so much for your recommendation. I think my husband was hoping to at least replace the cushions and buy new when the kids are out of the house but I personally think they look beat. Can I ask if this is typical of 10 years use of Bradington Young? Our new purchase will be leather again but should we try a different brand, perhaps Hancock and Moore? Also, your thoughts on getting a sofa with recliners at the end? Are they just as comfortable to sit on? Thanks you so much for your help! I will break the news to him, lol!
Re: Should I replace or buy new?
That is really not typical at all, I have Bradington Young pieces in my own home that are 20 years old and look far better than yours do. The two primary causes of damage such as you are seeing are failure to clean/condition every 4 to 6 months, and exposure to UV rays (sunlight). They also appear to have heavy use on the unit which is fine, if so I think you probably got your money's worth out of it. Replacing the seat cores before they fully sack out also helps keep the leather from being damaged. Where you have wear through issues is where the leather has puckered from the seat cores being used up.
I would not put any money in that sofa as it's pretty far gone, but that's up to you. It's like trying to restore a Ford Taurus with 300,000 miles on it and the paint is gone. You can do it, but the cost is not worth the value of the piece when you are done.
Switching to a different company won't solve the issue, as a top grain leather is a top grain leather. When you buy finished leathers, they will all result in eventually looking like that no matter who makes them. How soon they get there depends on the factors discussed above and lifestyle in the house. Aniline hides won't lose their topcoat like that, but they are even more sun sensitive and require the treatment protocol more religiously.
Dual Recliner sofas are not going to be the best in a hard-use household. I'd suggest you take a pass on them.