Sturdy sofas?

[Farrar]

Our living room sofa isn't that old (I think... 7 years? So not that young either). But the springs have already caved in. I'm so annoyed. It's just sunken and uneven now. The exterior still looks pretty good actually, which makes me even angrier. It came from Pottery Barn too, so it's not like it was a cheap one. I think part of the issue is that it's just constantly in use. The living room is small - just the sofa and a single comfy chair. Dh works nights from home on the sofa, so there's nearly always someone sitting on it. Like, always. And the kids are adult sized now. Dh and I aren't skinny for sure, but nor are we of a size that you would think we'd need specialized support furniture. Ugh.

I want to replace it, but... I don't want something that's going to cave in again! What are the sofa brands that are really going to last?

I'm much more interested in hearing what brands are good than specific sofas. But just generally, the room has a lot of color so we want a neutral for the sofa. We prefer firm, and I refuse to ever have a sofa with back cushions again. I chose this one because the back is permanently stuffed. Back cushions always just end up smushed  in every sofa I've ever owned.

[Carrie12345]

We have a sectional from Raymour and Flannigan that I think would be excellent in most people’s homes.  It does have back cushions, but the only damage we’ve had in +/-5years is from our 14lb cat sleeping on two of them @@.  We also have obnoxious children who have jumped on the couch well after we thought they were past the stage of jumping on couches. That broke a support in the middle section.  And our cat scratches, so there’s that.

If I didn’t have a cat and my kids hadn’t been jerks, our sofa would be in great condition for 5 years with a family of 6-7 in the only real gathering room of the house. Family members and guests often sleep on it. The laundry gets stored folded on it.  Games get played on it. Meals are sometimes eaten on it. Schoolwork is done on it. Video games, reading, streaming... I still can’t believe cat butt has been its main downfall!

[catz]

We spent a small fortune twice on room & board furniture.  I had a set of room and board around for about 20 years previously.  And when we got rid of it, the upholstery was in rough shape, but the cushions and springs were still perfect.  And that was through my kids infant - tween years with cats.  Our current set we've had 4 years - great shape.  A little cat fraying on the bottom edge.  LOL.  Just select the upholstery carefully.   We are super hard on our furniture too - we have one large living space, kids sleep on them and throw the cushions around, etc.

I am sorry you had bad luck with Pottery Barn!  I would haven expected theirs to be at least decent quality.  

I really think you get what you pay for in terms of furniture.  My in-laws buy new couches/chairs every few years because they're junk.  

[Katy]

We have an old one from Ethan Allen that's still pretty nice.  It recently got a rip from my big dog, and another rip when DH spilled coffee on the seat, took the cover off, and laundered it. But it's probably close to 20 years old and still looks nice.  We've rotated out sectionals a couple times and put this one in the basement, but the sectionals have all been low quality and got thrown away in less than 6 years.

I'm strongly considering an Ikea Ektorp sofa or maybe a sectional with washable slipcovers next.  I know a few people who've had one for more than 5 years and they love theirs.  Both had to replace the slipcovers once but the cushions are in good shape.

[Farrar]

The comfy chair in our living room is older than me - it belonged to my grandparents, who had it recovered twice. The springs aren't awesome, but it's still comfy. The other day someone sat in it and was like, ooh, that's... yeah, that's a seat. Lol. I wish I could buy something that was going to last like THAT. Sigh.

Raymour and Flanigan is too far for me to test them. I'm nervous about Laz-E-Boy, though maybe I shouldn't be? Room and Board and Ethan Allen look promising. I'm willing to drop $1000 on this. If not this second, some time in the next year. Sigh. Why must everything cost money? It's always something.

We have Ikea basic futon type sofa thing in our basement den and I like it a ton. If I wanted a cheap sofa, I'd totally get an Ektorp in part because I'd know I could just replace the back cushions and the cover every couple of years until it all died. Ektorp isn't going anywhere. But the overstuffed feel and look of it isn't right for us.

[Katy]

You might try a ReStore near you.  It's a Habitat for Humanity thing, if you're unfamiliar.  You can possibly find something like your grandmother's and get it reupholstered.  We got two Hayden chairs from them that are similarly comfy.  They need reupholstering, but I haven't chosen a fabric yet.  Beware that having something recovered can be very expensive compared to buying a cheap import. It's reasonable if you do it yourself and wait for a sale on fabric.  Make sure you use upholstery weight fabric though- a friend of mine once bought some drapery fabric once, not knowing there was a difference, and didn't line it, and you could not only see through it, it ended up ripping pretty quickly.

I know most of the brands that are still made in the USA are from the Carolinas, but I'm not super familiar with what those brands are.  I wonder if someone here from the area can comment.  It might be worth a trip if you can buy in person at wholesale prices.

[Kassia]

We have a sofa and loveseat made by Temple Furniture.  It is incredible quality - to the point where I wish we bought something less sturdy so we can feel good about replacing it someday.  I think this furniture is going to outlive us.

 

[Pawz4me]

We've always been very pleased with La-Z-Boy. We have two recliners that were purchased around 1992 or 1993. They were in a main living area up until about three years ago. We still use them, just not in our main living areas. The upholstery is getting just a wee bit thin, but I wouldn't yet call it threadbare by any stretch. The cushions and springs are fine. We replaced them with two new La-Z-Boys, now three years old and still like brand new. We also have a sofa and loveseat that are 13 years old. Other than some "patina" on the leather from the pets they're still fine.

[MercyA]

Another vote for La-Z-Boy. We've had ours probably at least 15 years now. 

[klmama]

We've had a La-Z-Boy for about 6 years, and while it's still okay, it's been gradually sinking for a couple of years.  In contrast, we also have a 25 year old Flexsteel that still feels like a new couch when we sit on it.  It's in great shape, despite the dated style.  That dated style is an issue, though.  It's hard to get rid of a couch you don't like anymore when it's still in great shape.  MIL has a Flexsteel from the 1970s, and it looks and feels new.  Ugly, but new.  

[Angie in VA]

I know a mom of 3 teens who saved and saved and then got on sale a Pottery Barn Build Your Own Sectional that is holding up well. 

I can't shake my fascination with Love Sac, but it's so darned expensive, and I might lose my religion while putting on all those covers. 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Angie in VA

[kbutton]

 

4 hours ago, Katy said:

You might try a ReStore near you.  It's a Habitat for Humanity thing, if you're unfamiliar.  You can possibly find something like your grandmother's and get it reupholstered. 

My aunt reupholsters, and she recommends old furniture, but be sure to get something with coil springs, not the zig-zaggy kind. I *think* the coil springs can often be replaced when you reupholster, but the zig-zag springs, over time, can actually pull the frame apart. 

1 hour ago, klmama said:

  In contrast, we also have a 25 year old Flexsteel that still feels like a new couch when we sit on it. 

We just shopped for furniture, and Flexsteel came up again and again for this reason. We didn't buy one (it was choice #2), but only because the option we chose was a LOT cheaper, and we figure we might need to change furniture again at some point. 

[catz]

Oh - we've had some good luck with a couple Ethan Allen pieces too.  

[Farrar]

Do the LZB sofas hold up as well as the recliners though? Like, if we got one, it would be something like this:
https://www.la-z-boy.com/p/sofas/dolce-sofa/_/R-610623

Definitely not a recliner. There's no room in here for that! 

[Bambam]

I've got a La-z-boy reclining sofa and recliner - probably at least 22 years old (we bought them some time before oldest child, so they could be older!). Still in good condition - the past two years, a couple of corners of the cushions (attached) have come loose - and just need sewing up.

However, I am not officially tired of it. I researched and it looks like La-z-boy may not be as sturdy as it once was. I am thinking about going to look at some Flex Steel furniture. 

[sgo95]

We bought a lazyboy sofa in 2002 and gave it away in 2010 because I didn't like the style.  But it was a solid sofa and still in great shape.  It was our main sofa and DH slept on it for several years.  So we had a good experience...but haven't tried it recently.

[solascriptura]

I bought a sectional from Costco (I think it's in most warehouses now) that we love.  It's so comfortable.

[Pawz4me]

We had a Flex Steel sleeper sofa in our former RV. I hated it. It was very uncomfortable and the cushions wouldn't stay in place. But I don't know if their RV line is substantially different from what they sell for homes.

[Pippen]

18 hours ago, Kassia said:

We have a sofa and loveseat made by Temple Furniture.  It is incredible quality - to the point where I wish we bought something less sturdy so we can feel good about replacing it someday.  I think this furniture is going to outlive us.

 

The house we live in had 70's disco era red and black carpeting that would have outlived us had it not been for the basement flood. I can't remember the name of the company, but the installer for our new carpet said it had been so durable the company went out of business because no one needed to replace it. 

[DawnM]

We have had our La-Z-Boy stuff since we got married.  The leather pieces have held up very well, and we treat the leather every 6-9 months to avoid drying and cracking.  

Our dark green leather La-Z-Boy sofa is now in the rec room.  We bought it the year we got married, 1995.  I went around 2013 to see about getting a matching loveseat.  They still had the same model sofa and loveseat so I thought we could just match it for the family room.  But they no longer carry green leather.  The man looked at me and said, "Oh, sweetie, that green is so last century!" 🤣🤣

Although we did also have a cloth set that didn't last as well.  The mechanisms still worked and it was comfortable but the dog kept sleeping on it when we were not looking and wore out the fabric.