Gainsville Questions & Answers

Hi Peggy, Some great questions, let's go through them one by one. Why do you only guarantee your leather sofa's for 12 months? We have different warranty periods for different areas of our Sofa's, this is because some areas require the care and maintenance of the owner. Just like a car, the warranty is there but you should always service it regularly as per the guidelines from the manufacturer. Our structure, for example, has a parts and labor warranty for 12 Years, with no callout fee in Melbourne and no cost for parts and labor. In regards to Leather, this part is exposed to environmental conditions, such as dirt, sweat, grime, nail polish remover, chlorine, etc. As Leather cannot look after itself, we rely on the owner to "service it regularly" to ensure it is maintained.

Would you stand by your product beyond 12 months?

The standard procedure would be to send an independent leather technician to inspect. Why an independent company? We believe a non-biased report from an independent company is better than sending one of our own staff out as the process is fair and transparent. The technician will often do tests with the customer to show what may have caused the damage. We then pass on the results of this inspection to the customer.

How long do you think a leather couch from Gainsville should last without the leather peeling?

The most common cause of peeling is the breakdown of top layer caused by sweat/perspiration. This is because sweat/perspiration contains acid and this acid unless cleaned often eats away at the top layer. We have daily showers but if acid was to build upon our own skin, peeling would occur. The Leather Technician will often do tests to show the customer the areas that have build up, the most obvious is the texture. Armrests and headrest areas in the back of the sofa of your favorite seat compared to seats that are less often used. A sticky, waxy feel will be evident if the sofa has not been cleaned enough. Even different people have different acid levels in their sweat (often medication can cause high acid levels) so the question is hard to answer specifically.

Is the leather on your sofa's spray painted? Is the leather soaked through? What is your method?

The leather goes through many processes before it can be used for a Sofa, that includes a soaking process, liming process, and painting/colouring process. As you can imagine different leathers have a slightly different finishing process. Different grades also have different amounts of each process. In regards to the peeling and sweat issue discussed above, often the cheaper leathers are more durable. Why? Because the cheaper leathers have so much paint and processing (artificial layers) they protect from the acid better. These layers are like thick plastic. Softer high-grade leather does not have this thick plastic like cover. It is often mistaken that the higher the grade or the more you spend the more durable it is, but that is like saying a Versace evening dress should be more durable than Addidas tracksuit. Same with a $10,000 Sofa compared to a $3,000 Sofa, the cheaper leather will be far more forgiving because it is more like plastic.

If you would like more information, please visit our After Sales section on our website; external link 

Thank you,

That's a great questions Christine. Different companies will grade their leathers in different ways, this makes it very hard to compare. When you come into the showroom we can show you many different grades and explain the differences and those differences can benefit you or spoil what should be one of the most enjoyable pieces in your home. No matter what grade of leather you choose, leather is like a looking after a plant, if you don't look after it or treat it the correct way it will fail. Thankfully Gainsville has all the necessary products and advice needed to maintain your new sofa.

We blog about tips on buying furniture at external link  if you would like to do more research. Seeing, Feeling and having one of experienced team explain the difference in store, you'll be sure to have all the information need to buy the right leather for your new sofa.