leather or not?used or new?couch cover or not?you know, because sippy cups do leak sometimesand the occasional movie, popcorn w/ the whole fam on the couchwe need a couch and loveseat and need your input! (we have a baby and toddler too and plan for more)
We bought new about 4 years ago. We went for the suede-like stuff with fake leather accents. It's been great. We got the Teflon coating and it really works. No slipcovers, but I could see using them in the future. We don't let the kids eat on the couch. Not at all. We still get stains, but not as badly as if we let them eat there. Furniture Liquidators. Never again.
I have a 3 year old,5 and a 7 year old so I've learned over the years leather is really good to use. When drinks are spilled no stains and the sticky stuff comes out quickly so it makes for easy clean up. It depends on a lot of things for me whether it is used or new. The couch I have now I bought a little over 2 years ago and it was leather, it was brand new for cheap. Now lets say it was more expensive I would have bought a used couch. So it all depends on what you can find and your budget. I used to use Couch covers and I found that I did not like them what so ever.They were hard to put on and off for cleaning purposes, were really uncomfortable for company and even the kids to sit on, and they made weird nosies when you moved. So I wouldn't use them all.
My parents got the couches from my grandparents when they passed away and they didn't have anywhere to put them, so they passed them to us. That was about 4 years ago. They were barely used, my dad had purchased them for my grandparents only a couple years before that. They are Lazy Boy and I think my dad bought them at an RC Willey furniture outlet. We have both a couch and a loveseat. They are not leather, and they do have a couch cover. Before that, we had a nice couch that we bought new when we first got married. It got worn out fast, though, because we stupidly allowed our hair-shedding dog to be on it all the time for a few years, so by the time my parents gave us the other couches, our first couch was completely worn out even though it was only about 5 years old. When we got the couches from my parents, we made a new rule that the dog was not allowed on them and they seem to be doing much better than the other couch did. And we do have a rule that no food or drink is allowed out of the kitchen by anyone under the age of 12.
I have a bonded leather sofa that I have had forever. It looks brand new. I've had a standard fabric couch for the same amount of time and it looked near death when I gave it away last month. I replaced both of my couches with a bonded leather sectional. I love it and could never go back. I had mine custom made by a friend who reupholsters furniture for a living. It was cheaper than buying it at a store.
I got a cheap Ikea sofa that has washable covers. The covers are $60 to replace. It's not a big deal to update the sofa and replace stains every year or two. When they grow up, I'm getting leather couches.
