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Ikea couches...do they hold up?


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DH seems to think that Ikea couches will look like crap quickly. Has anyone bought one? What's your experience been? Have they held up well?

 

I'm just reading online that you have to assemble the couch yourself? Ugh. I'm looking at the Tidafors.

Edited by 4kids4me
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I had two cheap ones that I bought when I was in my mid-twenties for my first home. They lasted 20 years. They did look a bit tired towards the end of their lives, but DS5 cried when we finally got rid of them. I've had one of my current ones for 3 years and it's still looking lovely, even with 4 boys bouncing all over it every day.

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Guest inoubliable

I think, with IKEA, it's "you get what you pay for". I had some of the more inexpensive couches from there in my college days and early 20s - they were total crap within a year or so. I know people who have some of the as-expensive-as-any-other-big-furniture-store pieces and they've held up beautifully.

 

Full disclosure: We're saving up for a KARLSTAD. We know friends who have one and it's a gorgeous couch in the dark grey and the sofa bed is actually comfortable.

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We've bought two:

 

Leather love seat is 6 years old and still looks new. This is in the living room, though, and not used daily.

 

Wooden sofa with cushions is outside. We live in the desert, where everything outside is destroyed by the sun, so we figured it would last 4-5 years. It's been 7 years and the frame is going strong (it's in the shade). We did have to replace the cushions, but that's not surprising given the temperature out there in the summer. During the nice weather (Oct - June) the couch is used almost every day, by people, a cat, and a dog.

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I had two cheap ones that I bought when I was in my mid-twenties for my first home. They lasted 20 years. They did look a bit tired towards the end of their lives, but DS5 cried when we finally got rid of them. I've had one of my current ones for 3 years and it's still looking lovely, even with 4 boys bouncing all over it every day.

 

What kind is your current one?

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Nope. Not for us. We have a leather loves eat and chair. The love seat's frame started coming apart on one side soon after purchase. We should have returned it, but without a truck that is a huge pain. I can't even find time to return a pair of pants I end up not liking. So we've just put up with one side that is a little bit saggy. I will say that I don't much mind the wear and tear from the kids on it since I know we'll get something better eventually. I MUCH prefer the Pottery Barn sofa we have in the living room. That has held up really well.

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We have the Ektorp (spelling?). Just the loveseat--it comes with a cover that you put over the frame, and then 4 cushions that also have covers.

Our cover got some food stains--hard to wash out. The back cushions are not holding up well. It is comfy,tho. The frame is sturdy.

 

I would not do unattached cushions on the back next time, as they sag in the wrong places. We've had it maybe 6-9 months. Also, we picked a rather unattractive light brown (there's a word for it, but I won't use it). Next time we'd go with a different color. I wanted a neutral, but this is...not attractive.

 

Oh, and the cover ripped in the back after we washed it and dh tried to put it back on--of course, he probably tugged the carp out of it.

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We have an Ektorp sofa as well as a Karlstad sectional sofa. Both look wonderful even with three kids, two being very physical, rowdy boys, jumping all over them. The frames are super sturdy (and have 10 year warranties), and the slipcovers hold up to the wash well. My Karlstad cover is like denim. I can scrub the poo outta that thing.

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Chris in VA-- I have had no trouble washing food stains out of my slipcovers. Try pre treating it with stain remover (I like Tide brand) and washing with detergent and OxyClean. You can even soak it overnight in hot water with OxyClean, if it is really stubborn and has been there a long time.

 

I got month-old chocolate stains out of mine using this method.

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my nephew and his wife have the Ektorp sofa for about 10 years now. Their dc are 3 1/2 and 1 so the wife is always washing the cover. The sofa and cover have held up great, no problems. In fact we liked their sofa so much that now we have the Ektorp sectional and 2 Kivak sofas, we have had them about 2 years and no problems and I have 2 teens and 8 cats. I am always washing all the covers. The only thing I don't like is putting the covers back on, it is a snug fit but it has to be so they will look fitted and not saggy.

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Full disclosure: We're saving up for a KARLSTAD. We know friends who have one and it's a gorgeous couch in the dark grey and the sofa bed is actually comfortable.

 

For a sofa bed, that's not a bad price. We are keeping an eye out for a replacement sofa (ideally w/bed) for our bonus room. It would be used a ton, so sturdy and easy to clean are a big plus.

 

I absolutely despise cushions that are not attached, though. That's a major negative for me. I wonder if they could be stitched on somehow.

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I don't know about couches, but I bought an Ikea living room chair about 10 years ago and it looks brand new. We paid extra for the leather cover. We have a dog with chronically untrimmed nails who sleeps in this chair and it doesn't have a scratch.

 

I would like to get a love seat from there for my MBR, so I'll be watching this thread. I want to get one of the ones where you can remove, wash, or change out the slipcovers.

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