Take Care of your Cow....

[drcollie]

Yesterday was leather cleaning/conditioning day for me around my house. I used a new Leather Solutions kit and did (2) sofas, (1) recliner, (2) lounge chairs, (2) Swivel desk chairs, (1) Large Cocktail Ottoman, (1) Boot Stool, and (1) Occasional chair with the kit, and used appx. 60% of the product. By far, the reason most folks don't get the full lifespan out of their leather furniture is because they don't maintain it, and yes - its a chore - and YES you need to do it every 6 months or so. But if you do, you are rewarded with maximum usage of your investment over the useful life of the furniture. If you don't clean and condition your leather, you can expect 7 to 10 years of regular use out of the leather before it gets soiled and cracks out. If you take care of it, it can go 30 to 40 years in many cases. Here's photos of the pieces I did yesterday and their approximate time we have owned them to date. All are 'unprotected' aniline hides (I don't buy finished or protected leathers for my home).

Leathercraft Sofa # 1 : Appx 14 years old. There is some pigment color loss in the center seats and welt trim abrasion, but overall this is in excellent shape for its age and still on the original cushion cores. This piece is used daily.



Leathercraft Sofa # 2: Appx 4-5 years old. Bought as a match to # 1, they missed on the color match. Less sun fade than # 1, still quite handsome



Hancock & Moore Campaign Cocktail Ottoman in Tuscany Harness. This was used at the store as floor model for 4 years to place the H&M leather rings atop of. It got heavy use in the store, and had been in my home now about 1 year. A great pull up hide! I like the pressure marks (some folks call these scratches), they add character to the leather.



Hancock & Moore Tavern Chairs in Hand-Antiqued Sunset Burnished with Boot Stool in Weston Cane. A pair of these, appx 4 years old.



Hancock & Moore Bailey Office Chair in Quintessence leather. About a 1.5 years old