H&M Leather wears off any fixes?

[yogi]

Does anyone have this type of wear on their leather seating? I purchased an H&M document tobacco Journey sofa, chair and recliner about 3 years ago. After about a year the recliner developed a white wear mark on some edges. I sit in the recliner every day. The wear marks are on the arm rest in some spots but only minor. The spots that look the worst are the foot rest. It looks like the leather color is not very deep into the leather it’s almost like it’s printed onto the leather. If you run your finger along the leather wear spots you cannot feel any damage to the leather the color has just worn away. Its wearing away where the leather rubs against leather when the footrest closes. I had a no name brand leather set that is 20 years old that does not show any of this type of wear. The leather is worn and cracked but the color is not worn off. Leather car seats also do not exhibit this wearing away of the color. Can I restain this for a repair? Does anyone have this problem with document tobacco or H&M colors and is this a problem with H&M leather?

[Sofadoo]

Jeez only 3 years old?! Sorry to hear about your problem. It sure looks like the topcoat is just wearing right off. With leathers that are not aniline dyed (like Document), all of the color is in the topcoat.
I would definitely contact your dealer about this and see what kind of resolutions they offer. Good luck!!

[Sofadoo]

Just wanted to add that Document is a heavy seller for H&M- so if this is a common problem with the leather, I think the info would get out about it. Perhaps your leather just came from a particularly bad or a defective batch??

[yogi]

I have contacted them, still waiting to hear back. The parts where the color is wearing off are the foot rest and the cross piece. I can remove them easily and send it back to dealer/H&M. I think this is a defect since it does not happen in the arm rest and cushions. You are saying the top coat has the color and the leather does not have the color absorbed into it? Because that is what it looks like. It looks like paint that is rubbed off and you can see the primer. I have never seen this on leather car seats or the viewpoint set that I have which is about 20 years old. The dye in that seems deep into the leather not just topcoated like I guess H&M leather is.

[yogi]

Maybe it was just a bad batch. I have searched and not found this issue on the web. At least it is on a part that I can remove and easily ship or bring somewhere for repair. The pieces are less than 3 years old the legget mechanisim has a date 1/9/09 I think I got it in summer fall of 09.

[yogi]

Just heard from dealer. I'm sending back to be restained. I would still like to know if this is a defect. I will ask that H&M let me know what happened and I will post. Probably in a few weeks.

[drcollie]

Document is a finished (painted) leather from China, that usually does not exhibit that kind of failure. Before H&M will consider it a defect, they will ask what was applied to the leather (if anything) and use of an unapproved product can have that reaction. Not every leather cleaner/conditioner is compatible. They will test the hide for chemicals applied prior to replacing any leather, so be fore-warned, it will be denied if tests show something was put on it or if you purchased a leather-armour type product from the dealer such as Guardian products, etc. If its not determined to be defective, then you will be responsible for 2-way shipping and cost of repairs (H&M has sole determination of what constitutes a warranty issue)

That is severe enough that it would most likely need new leather rather than a touch-up. Certainly well beyond the capabilities of a store to repair - it will have to go back to H&M for inspection and determination of defect no one can say from photos or casual examination. FYI no Document that I have ever sold has shown that kind of deterioration except when non-approved cleaning or protection products have been used on it. I have seen that happen on dealer-sold protection product applied for an additional charge at time of sale.

[yogi]

Thanks Duane. I have not used anything on the leather and did not have any treatments done from the dealer. It is 2 1/2 years old and whatever H&M did is what is on the leather. This start to happen some time ago. I'm going to remove the footrest and cross bar to send to the dealer. I guess I will need to document with good pictures before I send. I hope if they use new leather it matches. The leather is not damaged it just looks like the finish is worn. Other parts of the chair that get use like cusion and arm rest are fine except for the front of the armrest where the leather is wrapped into the tacks and bead have a something similar but no where near what the foot rest has. Hopefully it works out.

[drcollie]

If its just the footrest and small crossbar, ask your dealer to get an RMA from H&M and then ship it direct to H&M with that RMA number via UPS is my recommendation. Your turn around time will be much quicker that way. They will re-leather the two pieces rather than trying to restore them. Document is easy to match. Good luck.