Chep sofas are usually made up of Demic leather, this type of upholstery is made up of ’split’ hides which are usually offcuts that are sewn together to give the appearance of a fll-hide sofa. Unfortunately, due to the quilted, buttoned nature ofthe Chesterfield, Demic sofas are easily disguised with the patchwork stitching being easily hid within the folds of these sofas.

Why are Demics bad?

The patchwork nature of Demic upholstery means that theres extensive stitching throughout the back, sides and seats of your sofa. Each stitched seam is a point of weakness in your sofas construction and can lead to the sofa splitting.

As Demic sofas may be made of different hits of hide the leather patches used can be of different thickneses and quality which can result in your sofa wearing funny

Also due to the possibility of the use of different hides, Demic sofas can fade differently with the varying densities of hides used holding colour more or less than the surrounding leather panels.

How to spot a Demic sofa

It can be difficult to spot a Demic sofa as the upholsters can easily hide the colour variations etc in the initial dying. The simplest way is to ask “is this a demic sofa” and then check the pleats in the sofa for stitchwork.

We have to relpy “no they’re not”.

This is because a sofa that has been upholstered in leather on all sides, when placed on a leather base would slip and slide all over resulting in an uncomfortable seat. Our cushio0ns have a webbed back which provides additional traction, keeping thour cushions in place and providing a more comfortable seat.

Known as ‘The Beam House’ process, the skin from the animal is mechanically stripped and cleaned before being transported to a tannery where the fat and flesh deposits are removed from the hide.

Next the hide goes through a process called ‘Liming’, where the hide is placed in a large drum with lime and spun to stop the skin from putrefying and removes the hair from the hide, this is then de-limed and treated with enzymes (Bated) to remove any final proteins resulting in a workable hide.

The hide is now bathed in chromium salts which turns the hide a blue colour (hence the name) and assessed for quality.

The leather is now separated into layers:

• Aniline Leather (full grain) - The most luxurious leather which is available on our premium Chesterfields
• Corrected Grain  - Most commonly used in general furniture production

The hide is now shaved to create a consistent thickness throughout the hide.

The hide is now re-tanned and re-dyed using oils and dyes to add colour and gives further lubrication creating a more supple leather feel.

The leather will now be stretch dried in a specially equipped oven.

The hide is coated with pigment dye which penetrates deep into the leatherto achieve a uniform colour.

The hide is then re-dried and a protective final fix coating is applied to protect the achieved finish.

The leather is then pummelled or dry milled to softens the hide and finally ironed before being cut, stuffed and stitched into the final Chesterfield sofa.

So here’s our quick guide on how to spot a cheap chesterfield sofa:

Demic Leather Sofas

Demic is the use of several hides stitched together to cover your sofa as opposed to a medium to high quality sofa which would usually be created from a single piece of hide.
Demic covered sofas are easy to spot. Just run your finger down a few of the pleats in the chesterfield and check for hidden stitching.

Due to the stitching used to put a Demic sofa together, the sofas cover may not be as durable as one made from a single hide with the stitching being pulled apart as the sofa wears.
In addition there may be some issues with varying leather density and colouration which, over time, could reduce the lifespan of your sofa.

Check the Pleats on your Chesterfield

A high quality chesterfield sofa should have a good sized pleat of 2/3 an inch or greater. This allows your sofa to retain its pleated look whilst shifting to support the sitter. Small pleats are quick to pop out leaving an unattractive bubble on your sofas exterior.

To check the depth of your pleats check for a ridge on the outside and run your finger along inside the fold.

Check for flaws in your leather sofas hide

Check the top, sides and back of your sofa for flaws in the leather. These flaws could be in the form of drags, scuffs or ‘pock’ marks which occur naturally on the hide.
A flaw found on the hide of a sofa maybe something you wish to raise with your supplier however finding an unflawed hide could be expensive so be prepared for an additional cost.

Can you feel the sofa frame?

Just as when buying any sofa, the cheaper frames are easier to spot as you can feel them under the arms and seat when you sit on the sofa.
A high quality chesterfield sofa should provide support and comfort without the feel of a solid under-frame.

Distinctive Chesterfield Nails

Chesterfield sofas are often designed with a traditional nailed finish. These nails are used to affix the hide to the frame and are an attractive feature of the sofa.
Cheaper chesterfield sofas forgo the benefits of using real nails in the exterior detail of a sofa which are typically stapled together.

To check if your chesterfield has been created in a traditional, high quality manner the nails should not be uniform and should not be part of a strip of other nail heads which are often glued to a frame for effect.

Button It

Low quality chesterfields often have buttons and pleats on the outside edge of the arm rests. This is usually because the sofas are made from Demic leather and these pleats and buttons are used to hide the stitching required to hold such a sofa together.

Check that your chesterfield sofa’s buttons stop on the top of the arms.

Frame Sizes

To save costs, cheaper chesterfield sofas are usually built on smaller frames which use less material to construct.

Check that there is adequate depth, height and width to your chesterfields seats.