Question

[Cincat]

I am sorry to ask in an open forum a question that may not impact many folks. I am looking to replace living room furniture in a central Florida beach front rental. Our approach is always buy quality - at least as much as we can afford. We are replacing a micro fiber Lazy boy set from 12+ years ago. Do you have suggestions on a good replacement? My understanding is lazy boy is not the same as what we purchased. I have been looking at Best, Flexsteel, and Brick City - because it is somewhat local. The micro fiber from years past has held up very well, but we want to "step it up" a bit, but am leary of having leather. I would be unhappy -very unhappy to come home to stained furniture when someone sat it it with the self tanning cream staining the furniture orange! Any suggestions?

[Kyracer57]

Well as far as the tanning cream goes, you'd be a lot better off with leather than fabric. The likely service life of a well maintained leather chair or sofa could easily be 20 years or more, fabric maybe half that. As far as brands go, Bradington-Young (good quality) and Hancock and Moore (very good) are good places to start for leather while Taylor King has a lot more fabric pieces. Those are some places to start.

[Asomer]

I am sorry to ask in an open forum a question that may not impact many folks. I am looking to replace living room furniture in a central Florida beach front rental. Our approach is always buy quality - at least as much as we can afford. We are replacing a micro fiber Lazy boy set from 12+ years ago. Do you have suggestions on a good replacement? My understanding is lazy boy is not the same as what we purchased. I have been looking at Best, Flexsteel, and Brick City - because it is somewhat local. The micro fiber from years past has held up very well, but we want to "step it up" a bit, but am leary of having leather. I would be unhappy -very unhappy to come home to stained furniture when someone sat it it with the self tanning cream staining the furniture orange! Any suggestions?

I don't think self tanning lotion would be an issue, but I could be wrong. I'd Google the main ingredient in self tanning lotions(forgot exact name of chemical, but it begins with a D,) & its effects on leather upholstery.

In past decade or so, I've noticed many, many colored items in my home(from 100% Egyptian cotton sheets & towels to t-shirts, etc-it's usually any cotton or cotton blend fabric,) has been stained by benzoyl peroxide from my skincare products. A more accurate description would be peachy colored splotches, like bleach came in contact with the item.

I actually have ZERO clue as to benzoyl peroxide's effect on leather, whether it be an aniline or finished hide...but, so many skincare products today contain it as an ingredient. Even the smallest, trace amounts have stained/bleached almost all of my non-white bath towels & what was once a lovely shade of baby blue Egyptian cotton sateen sheets.

I'd be more interested in researching that chemical's effect on leather than self tanning lotion.

For added piece of mind, couldn't you also insert a paragraph in your rental agreement regarding the quality of your leather sofa & what are & are not tolerated substances on the sofa with the caveat that "if such & such were to happen to X, Y & Z during the rental tenants' occupancy of the rental property, the tenant is responsible for all costs associated with cleaning, or replacing the item/s?"

Seems like that'd be best approach as it'd eliminate most of your excuses for NOT purchasing leather furniture & it actually adds to the value of your investment(quality, solid wood frame, 8 way hand tied, etc) that'll hold its shape for years to come.

I've never heard of any of the brands you listed, so unfortunately can't give you any recommendations or comment on them.

Google "benzoyl peroxide and leather upholstery" just to see. If nothing happens, great: you're in! If cottons & cotton blends have been reported experiencing drastic pigment loss, then I'd honestly look into what prevention & cleaning methods to use as opposed to going with fabric upholstery.
Duane's right: leather's many times over more durable than any upholstery fabric you'll find. If cared for & cleaned properly, you should expect to get a good 20yrs outta these pieces.

[Cincat]

Thanks for your help! I would not purchase cotton based fabric for a rental in Florida. It would not hold up on a variety of fronts, even if the unit was not rented! Other owners have had chairs stained orange from the self tanning lotion. What I liked about micro fiber is it seems somewhat impervious to chlorine, which is helpful when folks with wet suits come in and sit on the furniture. Good suggestion to google some of my concerns and the impact on leather furnishings!

We do have a damage deposit, but it does not stop someone from sitting on furniture slathered up with lotion or wet suits. It is very difficult to prove who did what and when. Damage is part of the challenges with rental property, especially when you are 1000 miles away from the property. It is important to me to provide an excellent experience for folks, especially the weekly vacation renters. Days off are precious, more than the money it cost to rent, so I want to make the best decision not for myself only, but for the the best experience for renters.

[Cincat]

Thanks for your help! I would not purchase cotton based fabric for a rental in Florida. It would not hold up on a variety of fronts, even if the unit was not rented! Other owners have had chairs stained orange from the self tanning lotion. What I liked about micro fiber is it seems somewhat impervious to chlorine, which is helpful when folks with wet suits come in and sit on the furniture. Good suggestion to google some of my concerns and the impact on leather furnishings!

We do have a damage deposit, but it does not stop someone from sitting on furniture slathered up with lotion or wet suits. It is very difficult to prove who did what and when. Damage is part of the challenges with rental property, especially when you are 1000 miles away from the property. It is important to me to provide an excellent experience for folks, especially the weekly vacation renters. Days off are precious, more than the money it cost to rent, so I want to make the best decision not for myself only, but for the the best experience for renters.

[drcollie]

What you really want is a high grade vinyl that looks like leather. It can resist most everything, especially water saturation (which leather cannot). The good vinyls will fool 95% of all people into thinking its real leather. Wipe n' go!

Microfibers are just 100% Polyester in a micro-yarn, micro-weave. They will pill with friction over time as do all polyesters.

[Asomer]

Thanks for your help! I would not purchase cotton based fabric for a rental in Florida. It would not hold up on a variety of fronts, even if the unit was not rented! Other owners have had chairs stained orange from the self tanning lotion. What I liked about micro fiber is it seems somewhat impervious to chlorine, which is helpful when folks with wet suits come in and sit on the furniture. Good suggestion to google some of my concerns and the impact on leather furnishings!

We do have a damage deposit, but it does not stop someone from sitting on furniture slathered up with lotion or wet suits. It is very difficult to prove who did what and when. Damage is part of the challenges with rental property, especially when you are 1000 miles away from the property. It is important to me to provide an excellent experience for folks, especially the weekly vacation renters. Days off are precious, more than the money it cost to rent, so I want to make the best decision not for myself only, but for the the best experience for renters.

Ooh yea, you're right. I kinda didn't think about that. My family's rented homes in Mexico before for extended vacations(private residential properties that rent weekly or monthly, not timeshares or similar,) & since my sister & I were in our early 20s(just barely legal drinking age, & we we're going to Mexico for 4 weeks!) Lol, my parents kept in mind that my sister & I would most likely be out late every night, coming home a little worse for wear & they'd be at lengthy wine fueled dinners out with friends. We were renting in San Miguel de Allende which is a VERY old quaint, Spanish Colonial town in the heart of Mexico & I mean OLD! They really wanted to make sure we weren't staying in what was essentially a "living museum," where everything's so precious & irreplaceable, you're scared to touch it.

Yea, if your property is at the beach, or has a pool, you're going to be renting mostly to families with children. And you're right, they'll want to rent a house they can actually use & relax in, not a "living museum."

Lol, we're not talking about a retiree aged couple renting a house for a week in Provence to go wine tasting: it's a beach house in Florida & that means lots & lots of kids in wet bathing suits coming through!