Author Topic: Is my couch salvagable?  (Read 5422 times)

EconDiva

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Is my couch salvagable?
« on: April 03, 2016, 07:47:26 AM »
I have a leather couch I bought 3 years ago and I've never had this happen to a couch before but it's got huge dents in it! 

I've attached a pic...I'm so disappointed this started happening a year into owning the couch.  Especially because I got it from Overstock at a really good price and it had rave reviews; it also folds down into a sort of sofa bed. 

I'm by no means a handy type of woman...I'm not sure how to fix this or salvage it.  I'm moving in a few weeks and trying to determine if I'd even be able to sell it on Craigslist.  I had it listed once before for something like $50 and no one responded lol. 

BlueHouse

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2016, 08:02:43 AM »
I don't think so. I also don't think that's leather. It might be "bonded leather", which is just small bits of leather thrown into a giant vat of chemicals and is basically just vinyl with sprinkles of leather. It looks like foam cushion inserts have started to deteriorate and pull away from the facing material. I'll never buy from overstock again. Not only do they misrepresent furniture, when I've written poor reviews, they mysteriously disappear.

EconDiva

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2016, 08:06:56 AM »
I don't think so. I also don't think that's leather. It might be "bonded leather", which is just small bits of leather thrown into a giant vat of chemicals and is basically just vinyl with sprinkles of leather. It looks like foam cushion inserts have started to deteriorate and pull away from the facing material. I'll never buy from overstock again. Not only do they misrepresent furniture, when I've written poor reviews, they mysteriously disappear.

What?  Really?  :(

That is horrible.  This is the first and only piece I've ever bought from there. 

I didn't think it would be salvageable, but also did not want to buy another couch.  This is looking ridiculously pitiful. 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2016, 08:09:09 AM »

EconDiva

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2016, 08:12:18 AM »
You could always try giving up the furniture =D http://www.torontosun.com/2015/02/04/biochemist-gives-up-furniture-for-life-of-natural-movement

That's ok...I'm not that...uh....hardcore.

The "sit and slouch"..?  I won't knock it...but it's not for me :)

EconDiva

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2016, 08:13:28 AM »
Would people recommend Amazon for another couch?

I would usually try Craigslist but it's hard to find someone who will deliver and also, if I'm buying used from there I'd be concerned about bed bugs.

former player

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2016, 08:15:31 AM »
The cushions are well past help, but if the frame is solid you've nothing to lose by taking the old cushions off and seeing whether you could make new ones.

pbkmaine

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2016, 08:24:02 AM »
What about a futon? I have a futon I've had for 20 years. It has a sturdy wood frame and is super comfortable to sit on. You can make or change covers easily.


EconDiva

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2016, 08:25:43 AM »
I'm open to a futon...as long as it's comfortable and I hopefully would not 'have' to replace it in 3 years.

Where did you get yours?


MsPeacock

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2016, 09:24:23 AM »
I have really had ok  luck at IKEA and good success on craigslist. Unfortunately, overstock sells some really cruddy furniture (as does Target and Kohls) made out of bonded leather and lousy materials (foam,frames). Often the reviews on overstock are entered right after people receive the pieces and so durability isn't mentioned much. If the cushions are removable you might try putting a board under the seat cushions and jamming it back as far as it will go. This may support the sagging seat. If the cushions are zippered you can see if you can get some batting or foam at a furniture store and restuff the pillows. It is hard to tell from the photo if the problem is with the frame or with the cushions.

As it is I don't think you can sell it.

pbkmaine

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2016, 09:56:38 AM »
If you want a futon or something futon-like, I think you should go and sit on it and try it out. Any futon store will have a wide variety of styles.

Spork

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2016, 10:00:49 AM »
For replacement, you might try our plan.  We've pretty much stopped buying new furniture.  For one, it's really expensive.  And another: there just seems to be an awful lot of real crap out there that isn't built to last.

We also have indoor pets that can be hell on furniture over time.

We've started buying things at garage sales/estate sales/craigslist.  The things we are interested in are usually > 20 (and usually > 40) years old.  If it's stood the test of time and still looks good, it can go home with me.

The down side is: You don't get to pick when the replacement happens.  You might go ages without seeing something that "fits".  During that time, you might have to make do with a dented couch (or in our case a leather chair with a hole in it.)

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2016, 10:26:34 AM »
It may be possible to fix it without too much effort, depending on what's wrong.  I fixed a similar sofa years ago, where the springs were sagging between the sides of the frame.  A little bit of plywood spanning the frame members fixed that.  On another sofa, the fabric supporting the cushions had pulled off the frame, so I simply stapled it back on.

So take a minute and see if you can find the cause of the sagging.  If the foam is going bad, you might still be able to fix it--see if there are any free couches on your local craigslist/freecycle/bookoo/whatever, and scavenge some foam from there.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2016, 11:43:44 AM by zolotiyeruki »

bobechs

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2016, 11:11:44 AM »
Re-stuff the cushions with cats.  Cats are free and there's always more where they came from.

neo von retorch

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #15 on: April 04, 2016, 06:03:28 AM »
I also do not trust Overstock reviews. When I was shopping for a memory foam mattress, almost every single review was something like this:

Quote
I have three painful chronic diseases. I've always had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep. Now that I bought this mattress from Overstock, I fall asleep effortlessly, and when I wake up, I piss excellence, cure cancer and found Fortune 500 companies.

OK, so I exaggerated a little, but in all seriousness, almost every single review mentioned a chronic problem that was all but cured by each and every miracle mattress on that web site.

Jack

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Re: Is my couch salvagable?
« Reply #16 on: April 04, 2016, 07:32:19 AM »
IMO, with upholstered furniture you really get what you pay for. Overstock.com, Rooms To Go, and everything else that's not "high-end" is generally crap. Worse, most places like that pretend it isn't crap and charge more than it's worth.

If you want cheap-to-medium quality/price, I recommend Ikea (which, unlike the above, acknowledges that most of its products are designed to be inexpensive and prices them accordingly).

If you want furniture that lasts, I recommend biting the bullet and getting it from a store high-end enough to sell quality brands, like Haverty's (is that a national chain, or just regional?), Crate & Barrel or maybe Ethan Allen. Admittedly, I've never bought stuff from any of those places, but my parents have and their furniture has performed well.

My couch, by the way, was almost bought from Haverty's, but a local mom-and-pop store was able to beat their Black-Friday price. It's made by Rowe and I've been very happy with it. Even with the deal I got it certainly wasn't cheap, though (~$900, I think).



The above, of course, only applies to upholstered furniture that you don't want to buy used because of bedbugs. For hard-surface furniture -- or everything if critter infestations aren't a concern for you -- used furniture is the way to go. Yard sales / estate sales / thrift stores are best, but even stuff from an "antique" store will be a better value than almost anything new.

 

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