A new feature for HANCOCK & MOORE customers - no charge option on cushion closures
One of the issues that comes up from time to time on sofas and chairs that have welt trim closures (some folks call it "piping" or "cording") on seat and back cushions, is that they can lose color or flake over time with friction wear. This is most noticeable on Finished or Protected leathers, where there is a light coat of paint and topcoat in leathers such as Document or Antelope. There's not much color material on the leather and its bent over into a tight roll and the can show wear from use - especially if use is with high-friction clothing such as denim. It's a fairly common complaint I do get from customers who are surprised to see this occur. It is not a warranty issue. Both H&M and the Tanneries are aware of this occuring and the solution would be to apply more pigmented material and topcoat to these hides, but then the main body leather becomes stiff and loses its 'hand' and softness. By necessity, the color and topcoats are kept light to make the leather attractive. If you want to see a hide that has lots of material on it that would be the GR 1 Challenger - which no one ever buys because it feels like cardboard.
Here's a photo of what I mean, a 3-year old sofa in Document showing welt trim flaking.
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Aniline hides are dyed, and won't show any chipping at the welt, but they can show friction wear which can usually be blended out by rubbing in leather conditioner to the friction areas.
I think some folks are very disappointed if these see this wear on their H&M pieces, (and to be clear it happens to all the brands) so I decided to speak with the executives at H&M to see if we can offer customers a 'no welt' option for seat and back cushions which will mean a plain sewn closure. Because its smooth, you're not going to see wear or if you do it will be very minor. And I'm happy to report, this will now be a no-cost option on any Hancock and Moore leather upholstery item. Simply specify "No Welt on Seat or Back Cushions" and you will get a simple sewn closure similar to a top stitch. And it will look similar to this:
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Now you have a choice - and choices are good! Even better when they don't come with an upcharge. Myself - I like them both. A welt trim dresses out a piece a little more but the stitch closure will give a cleaner look. The default will be the welt trim - so this is something you MUST request at time of order if you want it. Note that other dealers won't be aware of this option, and may tell you its not something they can do. But you can, just have them write up the order as per outlined above and submit it.
Note also that if you have a welt trim friction wear flaking issue, in most cases H&M will replace or touch up the trim if the casings are returned to them. They reserve the right to levy a charge to do so if the cushion casing shows signs of high use or abuse. Also note it will be likely to re-occur even if replaced. You can also apply a little color to the trim yourself by requesting a small bottle of touch-up for painted hides (Protected) only.
Last edited by drcollie; 12-03-2014 at 06:43 PM.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
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