Best Material for Sofas / Sectionals?

[Marc Shin]

Hello - What is the best Material for a sofa?   Leather or Faux Leather?  How about microfiber?   Also, if I have enough space in the living room, is it preferred to get a sectional sofa?  or non-sectional sofa?

[Michael Baum]

Ok @Marc Shin this is such a loaded question! There are a bunch of good choices IMHO.

We don't have leather but all our surfaces are super durable because they are higher end sofas and chairs.

The 3 main couches are a pair of Basset and a La-Z-Boy. The Bassets are very high end couches I got for free off Craigslist. Basset has some of the best and more durable fabric around and these still look great after 7 years with us and probably 10+ with the original owners.

The La-Z-Boy has a more open weave as does the chair. They are durable, but catch hair and dog fur more than the Bassets.

I would avoid faux leather. It isn't durable and will begin to peel fairly quickly.

Leather is a good option and it does get a lived in look after a while which can be either a plus or minus. It does need maintenance at least once a year with Leather Food or the like to keep it nice. Leather is a living material and it will dry out and crack if not maintained.

Microfiber is a good choice like @John Underwood said. It is durable and looks good. You will have to put on a stain inhibitor of some kind to keep it looking nice. It can get what I call wear stains where people sit or lay their heads so that coating will keep that at bay.

Start keeping an eye on Craigslist, FB marketplace and OfferUP for good used furniture.