Nailheads or Not

Duane,

I've read the nailhead page, but it didn't say if the nailheads were mandatory or optional. Can we leave them off the Austin couch and 1021 Wing Chairs? We would prefer to not have the nailheads.

We're still considering the 3032 but we haven't sat in one. Does it sit the same as the Austin couch? The main issue is the upright position. Is it the same as the couch or does it lay back just a bit more. We would prefer it actually be more upright than the couch.

You mentioned the Q21 fill for the back cushions. Essentially that's just a larger volume of the fiber fill. Does H&M have a firm option for the back cushions or only the Q21 with more fill material?

We were discussing the down wrapped cushions we sat on in the Austin versus the total foam cushion in the 1021. The down wrapped compresses more when it's sat on. Over time how much does the down wrapped cushion shrink in thickness. In other words, how much more will someone sink it to it after a couple of years of daily use? I assume H&M uses a foam core wrapped in a down filled jack? Do those need fluffing up? Is there any other maintenance to those cushions.

You've mentioned not using springdown cushions with leather. H&M makes those cushions but it sounds like we're better off with either standard form or down wrapped.

Duane,

By coincidence, we ran into an H&M rep today who answered all of our questions, including the issues regarding the seating. His solutions solved my wife's problems, fortunately.

Basically, we're trying to get everything together before the price increase, but if we don't the price hike isn't large enough that it's going to kill the deal.

We have one question we didn't get to ask the rep. We found a chair in Doc Chestnut and the leather and color is fine for our setting. However, on the back of the seat cushion one of the strips above the zipper had a couple of spots where an orange under surface showed through.

We had a set of leather furniture 27 years ago that was finished leather, and it had spots that peeled leaving the orange under color very visible. We had a hard time getting the company to fix the problem, but they did. We assumed it was because the leather used was probably not a full grain or top grain leather and due to the processing, the dye didn't adhere to it well enough.

Do you know what that orange under surface is and what causes that problem? I guess H&M would take care of it if we had that kind of issue happen again. Let us know what you think.

What percentage fullness loss is normal settling for the down wrapped cushion and the Qualex fill for the backs of the chairs? How does that compare to the all foam cushion?

Thanks for all your help, Duane. You made the process a lot easier.

Hi Jack,

Nails are included on most pieces with H&M and you can delete them at no charge. I'd suggest you not remove the nails, the pieces can be quite plain looking without them on.

The # 3032 is not bad, but not my favorite, either. Its a wall hugger, and unless you need to place it right up against the wall, then a standard recliner generally works better. The Miller will work nicely with the Austin Sofas, and that's what i would prefer myself. From recollection, the 3032 sits OK in the upright position, but its been a couple of months since I sat in one.

Yes, the Q21 core is 'extra full'. You can also spec 'extra firm' if you like, but I would just stay with the extra full. Just by occupying all the volume in the cover, it will firm up nicely.

Correct on the Ultra Down units. They have a sleeve of feathers and down over the Quaalux core. They tend to look a little more 'broken in' over time than the standard cushions, and will cause more hairline cracks in the hide over time as they allow more flex. Other than that, no maintenance on them. I prefer standard cores for the Austin series, myself.

You really should not have any loss of fullness to speak of on any of the cushions. What you will see is some leather stretch over time, but if the cushion cores start collapsing, then they need to be replaced (free of charge to the original owner).

As to Document Chestnut and color variants. This is a Finished Leather, which means that at the end of the day, the color coat is pigmented, or PAINTED. Once they apply the finish to the leather, its toned by hand using a glazing coat, which gives them the special effects that are the blackish swirls in Document. My guess is you saw a piece that didn't get fully glazed, and in most cases I don't think H&M will replace something like that. It would be classified as the 'hand-made' finishing nature of the hide. Of course, i'm speculating as I've not seen a photo of what you saw on that piece. Peeling is the topcoat in almost all cases. When something is peeling, then it has to be evaluated. Most the time thats caused by the customer using unapproved leather cleaning / conditioning products on the hide.

Thanks Duane,

The orange color showing through the finish was only on one strip in the back of the cushion. (proably made in China) On that strip, there were two spots the width of a tooth pick that were bright orange just like the fruit color orange. It looked like the finish had chipped off. On the back of a cushion where it's not visible I wouldn't expect H&M to replace it. If it were visible, then that's a different issue entirely.

On the couch we had 27 years ago, the peeled spots were the size of dimes. The couch was a dark brown. The peeled areas were bright orange. There's no question the problem was one of the finish having failed. We don't clean protected leather with anything stronger than plain water.

Rather than fix the cushions, the vendor made us ship both the sofa and chair back to them. We paid. They told us they fixed them, shipped them back and when we got them only the couch had been repaired not the chair. They said they repaired both and would not have the chair even looked at because they knew they had done the repair. I had pictures. They hadn't touched the chair. Long story short, we sold them. I've always wondered what caused the problem.

I like aniline leathers the best. I bought four really nice leather chairs, two for my house and two for my office, a few years ago, both in aniline. The two at the office discolored just from some of the guys coming in from the factory and having sweat on their arms or clothes. I would rotate the chairs so they stained somewhat evenly. I always cautioned them about tools in their pockets before they sat down. Can't fix those nicks and cuts.

Even though we haven't had any problems at home because the chairs are in our bedroom and don't get heavy use, we don't think aniline would survive the family room. We are careful and don't eat or drink in the chairs but there are so many things that can happen we're going with a more finished leather that we can wipe down with a damp rag a few times a year.

I hope we don't experience the peeling problem again. That was annoying.