Velvet peanut butter problem
December 10, 2018 12:20 PM Subscribe
I am considering purchasing a new couch, an IKEA Ektorp. It seems pretty comfy but I am interested to hear how yours held up after a year or two? Both in terms of fabric and structure.
Problem: I have an elderly dog who likes to a) leap upon the sofa, and b) 'nest'. This has wreaked havoc upon my year-old leather couch - I can see scratch marks raked up and down across every surface, and I assume she'll keep on with this sneaky behaviour (I'm not going to bother training her to stay off at age 14). Will the cushions/arms stay robust with frequent jumping/kicking/repositioning? Oh leather how I wreck thee...
Are the covers magnets for dog hair and other dog grime like peanut butter? I see they are washable but do they hold up? The leather has been great and wipeable in this respect.
In my dream house I would have this comfy af sofa with a velvet cover - but is this just another terrible idea like the leather? Peanut butter + velvet?
Thank you!
Problem: I have an elderly dog who likes to a) leap upon the sofa, and b) 'nest'. This has wreaked havoc upon my year-old leather couch - I can see scratch marks raked up and down across every surface, and I assume she'll keep on with this sneaky behaviour (I'm not going to bother training her to stay off at age 14). Will the cushions/arms stay robust with frequent jumping/kicking/repositioning? Oh leather how I wreck thee...
Are the covers magnets for dog hair and other dog grime like peanut butter? I see they are washable but do they hold up? The leather has been great and wipeable in this respect.
In my dream house I would have this comfy af sofa with a velvet cover - but is this just another terrible idea like the leather? Peanut butter + velvet?
Thank you!
Oh hey we have like 3 Ektorp couches - a long & short one in th family room & a corner one in the TV room. We have a smaller dog, like ~30 lbs. We let him up on the couches.
Our dog doesn't scratch per se but he does sometimes "burrow" and throw pillows around. We have what I think it an older "Nordvalla Red" cover and it's held up pretty well to all that plus two teenagers who both recently left for college. We did often have a blanket covering the seat cushions which definitely helped, but the back and arms have not gotten that worn. ZBut it's not velvet by any means so I don't know if my experience helps much with non-Nordvalla covers. I don't currently see a velvet cover on the Ikea site but maybe I'm missing it.
All that said my teenage son did break the arm of the corner couch by sitting on it too much and doing who knows what. So don't sit on the arms fulltime.
We've had our couches for at least 5 years and they're holding up well by Ikea couch standards. We have taken the covers off and washed them a few times. They wash well, just don't you dare dry them or be prepared for sadness. We line dried ours and there was not noticeable shrinkage. The colour didn't change noticeably.
posted by GuyZero at 1:17 PM on December 10, 2018
Our dog doesn't scratch per se but he does sometimes "burrow" and throw pillows around. We have what I think it an older "Nordvalla Red" cover and it's held up pretty well to all that plus two teenagers who both recently left for college. We did often have a blanket covering the seat cushions which definitely helped, but the back and arms have not gotten that worn. ZBut it's not velvet by any means so I don't know if my experience helps much with non-Nordvalla covers. I don't currently see a velvet cover on the Ikea site but maybe I'm missing it.
All that said my teenage son did break the arm of the corner couch by sitting on it too much and doing who knows what. So don't sit on the arms fulltime.
We've had our couches for at least 5 years and they're holding up well by Ikea couch standards. We have taken the covers off and washed them a few times. They wash well, just don't you dare dry them or be prepared for sadness. We line dried ours and there was not noticeable shrinkage. The colour didn't change noticeably.
posted by GuyZero at 1:17 PM on December 10, 2018
A good couch is hard to find and expensive. You mention that your couch is a year old. Is the issue just the scratches on the leather or has it broken down structurally? If it’s the former, I’ve had great success in the past with leather conditioner. Repeatedly applying and buffing helped reduce the appearance of scratches and wear. Once you do that, you can get one of the many couch covers with dogs in mind. Another option is to look up the manufacturer of your current couch and see if they sell custom covers. A lot is brands do that.
posted by vivzan at 1:23 PM on December 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by vivzan at 1:23 PM on December 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Despite being an inexpensive couch, it's pretty well-made by IKEA standards - mine has survived 10 years and 3 moves. I don't have any pets, but it's held up a lot of human backsides including a good bit of "flopping" behavior. Note that while the seat and back cushion covers are washable, the rest of the couch covering (including the arms) can't be removed. You can probably find generic decorative washable arm covers if you're concerned about the dog propping her head on them.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:34 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:34 PM on December 10, 2018
Also chiming in to recommend fixing the leather, providing you are up for the DIY. I have two sofa-loving dogs and a 12 year old leather sofa. This leather repair company carried the dye to fix the scratches and the filler to fix a rip in the sofa. It did take me 2 tries on the dye to match my brown sofa, but the $125 I paid for the dye and patch was waaay better than buying a new sofa.
Cute doggo! And from what I can see of your sofa, it looks weathered to me, rather than scratched and ruined. Of course, I may have lower aesthetic standards than you.
posted by sarajane at 2:57 PM on December 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Cute doggo! And from what I can see of your sofa, it looks weathered to me, rather than scratched and ruined. Of course, I may have lower aesthetic standards than you.
posted by sarajane at 2:57 PM on December 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
the rest of the couch covering (including the arms) can't be removed
I don't believe this is true, at least not of more recent Ektorps; ours is a couple of years old and certainly does have fully-removable covers.
We have the grey canvas-ey fabric cover which has been pretty hard-wearing against our cats doing scrabbling-and-jumping-and-tunneling-under-cushions play on it; less so against our largest cat's enduring wish to use one of the arms as a scratching post. I wouldn't particularly want to have to clean peanut butter and other sticky stains off it though; your wipe-clean weathered/distressed leather seems a lot more practical for that.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:12 PM on December 10, 2018
I don't believe this is true, at least not of more recent Ektorps; ours is a couple of years old and certainly does have fully-removable covers.
We have the grey canvas-ey fabric cover which has been pretty hard-wearing against our cats doing scrabbling-and-jumping-and-tunneling-under-cushions play on it; less so against our largest cat's enduring wish to use one of the arms as a scratching post. I wouldn't particularly want to have to clean peanut butter and other sticky stains off it though; your wipe-clean weathered/distressed leather seems a lot more practical for that.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:12 PM on December 10, 2018
All my Ektorp couches have fully removable covers, cushions + couch body.
posted by GuyZero at 3:31 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by GuyZero at 3:31 PM on December 10, 2018
By golly, you're right! I guess I was thinking of my Ektorp recliner, which definitely doesn't have removable back or arm coverings.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:23 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:23 PM on December 10, 2018
I'm sitting on one now. You can remove the covers fairly easily (I wouldn't do it weekly but every few months is OK) and wash them.
It isn't a fancy couch but it is better than the cheapest ikea models.
I do not allow people to eat on mine but somehow it happens and the covers are stained a bit. They don't wash off well. I don't think they'd hold up well to peanut butter.
A big dog jumping regularly on this couch would probably not be great.
I'd go to Goodwill and see what you can find there. You're likely to get a good quality couch for less than the Ektorp.
posted by k8t at 4:27 PM on December 10, 2018
It isn't a fancy couch but it is better than the cheapest ikea models.
I do not allow people to eat on mine but somehow it happens and the covers are stained a bit. They don't wash off well. I don't think they'd hold up well to peanut butter.
A big dog jumping regularly on this couch would probably not be great.
I'd go to Goodwill and see what you can find there. You're likely to get a good quality couch for less than the Ektorp.
posted by k8t at 4:27 PM on December 10, 2018
We've had a couple of Ektorp for ~10 years. The base holds up well and the covers can be cheaply replaced (they are washable but hard to wash clean).
However, our cushions (the ones you sit on) contain feathers that are leaking and IKEA refuses to sell replacement cushions. This has been very frustrating since the couches are otherwise fine. I believe they changed the model slightly a few years ago, and the cushions may no longer contain feathers...?
posted by yonglin at 4:57 PM on December 10, 2018
However, our cushions (the ones you sit on) contain feathers that are leaking and IKEA refuses to sell replacement cushions. This has been very frustrating since the couches are otherwise fine. I believe they changed the model slightly a few years ago, and the cushions may no longer contain feathers...?
posted by yonglin at 4:57 PM on December 10, 2018
I’ve had good luck finding additional Ektorp covers in the AsIs section at Ikea.
We have had our couch for more than ten years. I’m on the third set of covers but that’s mainly due to cat action. The covers wash well and I haven’t had a problem with them shrinking. They’re fairly easy to take off and on the couch and cushions.
After ten years the cushions are a bit ratty but the cover hides that.
It is a comfortable couch.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:18 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
We have had our couch for more than ten years. I’m on the third set of covers but that’s mainly due to cat action. The covers wash well and I haven’t had a problem with them shrinking. They’re fairly easy to take off and on the couch and cushions.
After ten years the cushions are a bit ratty but the cover hides that.
It is a comfortable couch.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:18 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
We just replaced our 10 year old Ektorp with a brand new Ektorp. The old one had survived two cats, a dog from puppyhood, a baby (now 6 year old), and all of their associated fluids, spills, and smells. The frame was still in great shape but the cushions had been through too many spills and were losing a lot of feathers. I can confirm that new Ektorp doesn't have feathers.
posted by subluxor at 6:04 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by subluxor at 6:04 PM on December 10, 2018
We’ve had the three seat ecktorp for ten years. Cushion covers and overall cover are removable, and machine washable. Our cats have made the arms less than perfect, but over all the sofa is fine. The removable covers are a big help with cats that like to throw up just about wherever.
One thing, the cushions are packed with down, which makes them very comfy. On the other hand, over time, the feathers work their way through the cushions, and ten years later, the insides of the cushion covers look like a bird exploded, and taking them off to clean involves a lot of secondary feather cleanup.
Still, it’s a solid couch, and I’d be happy to buy it again.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:02 PM on December 10, 2018
One thing, the cushions are packed with down, which makes them very comfy. On the other hand, over time, the feathers work their way through the cushions, and ten years later, the insides of the cushion covers look like a bird exploded, and taking them off to clean involves a lot of secondary feather cleanup.
Still, it’s a solid couch, and I’d be happy to buy it again.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:02 PM on December 10, 2018
IKEA is junk. Buy a second-hand sofa—kiln-dried wood, hand-tried springs, and get it recovered.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:49 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 9:49 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: @ideefixe Respectfully; I don't have the skills to find that sort of couch myself, the time to coordinate it, or a vehicle. Hence I'm asking about what might be a good solution for my current situation.
posted by teststrip at 12:16 AM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by teststrip at 12:16 AM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
My Ektorp is about 4 years old and still looks and feels great, although I live alone and don't really sit on it too often.
My sister had an Ektorp sofa and chaise lounge for about 6 years with 3 very active kids under 10. She probably washed the covers once a month and they held up great! They were red and the only thing I would say is that they faded a little. Overall it's a great couch for the price and she never had any issues with it - even with constant jumping, pillow forts, snacks, naps, etc.
posted by elvissa at 6:45 AM on December 11, 2018
My sister had an Ektorp sofa and chaise lounge for about 6 years with 3 very active kids under 10. She probably washed the covers once a month and they held up great! They were red and the only thing I would say is that they faded a little. Overall it's a great couch for the price and she never had any issues with it - even with constant jumping, pillow forts, snacks, naps, etc.
posted by elvissa at 6:45 AM on December 11, 2018
I've had a white 2-seater Ektorp for 6 years. It was supposed to be a cheap stop-gap while I found something better but it turned out fine for heavy daily use so I never got round to replacing it. Can attest to wash-friendliness of covers in general (a couple times per year for me) but I have no experience of the suede-effect so YMMV.
posted by freya_lamb at 7:34 AM on December 11, 2018
posted by freya_lamb at 7:34 AM on December 11, 2018
I've had a leather Ektorp for AGES. Probably 8-10 years? It wipes clean really easily and has not gotten saggy or sad in any way. There are some relatively minor scratches on the arm from my cat digging in his back claws to jump off but it's not enough to be a real problem.
however I will posit that for a lot of people the patina that leather develops over time is part of the charm so if you can't take that look you might be better just rotating slipcovers frequently.
posted by oblique red at 2:04 PM on December 12, 2018
however I will posit that for a lot of people the patina that leather develops over time is part of the charm so if you can't take that look you might be better just rotating slipcovers frequently.
posted by oblique red at 2:04 PM on December 12, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
We wound up reinforcing the cushions two or three times in the time we owned the couch, which for a $500 couch that we were fairly hard on wasn't too bad. The arms did, eventually, come loose from much abuse, and that's what pushed us to replace it.
We thought about buying a velvet cover for it in 2015 and didn't, because the cost was > 50% of replacement, and we just couldn't stomach it.
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 12:26 PM on December 10, 2018