This is a pigmented leather which essentially is a leather which is painted to the top surface only. There isn't much you can do with this type of leather. Try to keep any moisture off the surface is the best advice I can give you. When buying a leather product make sure your leather is aniline dyed, where the hide is tanned all the way through, you won't have this problem.   « less

09-17-2007 - The leather you purchased is called a pigmented leather, which is essentially painted on the top of the hide. You wouldn't have this problem if the leather was anilined dyed, which is tanned all the way through the hide during the tanning process. Pigmented leather shows alot of the characteristics you have mentioned. Alot of furniture stores don't know the difference, so it's very important to ask if the leather is anilined dyed or not by someone that does know. I wish I knew of a product or solution to your problem, but the expense of recoloring you leather would be cost prohibitive.    « less

Jessica, If your leather is cold and stiff it is either a split leather, which isn't top grain and has a stiff grainy feel or is bycast leather which is a blend of polyeurthane and leather and is stiffer and is often used on this type of sectional. If your leather is a full grain or semi aniline it should have a much softer hand. Zocalo imports its leather from China which isn't known for full grain, these types of leathers mostly come from Italy. Did you sit on this before you bought it or was it bought on internet? The MSRP is a bogus price, but $1500 is the market price for this type of sectional in a good leather. If you can unzip the seat cushion and look at the back of the leather you can tell if its aniline dyed or not (Should be the same color as the outside), if not then its either one of the previous choices or a pigmented leather which is essentially just painted on the top and could also be stiffer. Alot of leather products from China also have coil spring seat cushions which seem to be firmer than the standard 2.0 density foam cushion. If this sectional sits the way you have described and the leather feels stiff, I would have to say the quality isn't that good. You can use leather conditioners(Guardsmen Products) on your sectional but a good leather doesn't require that, it just gets softer with time. Leather generally shouldn't feel cold, unless its in a cold environment, should parallel room temperature and warm up to your body. I looked at their website and they don't give any information on the type of leather you chose. I would suggest to look for a Zocalo dealer in your market and see if their is any difference from the one you bought at Full house.   « less

07-02-2007 - Jo Ann, I need a little more information on your leather sofa if possible. 1). The manufacturer 2). What type of leather? Aniline dyed or pigmented, If you can see the backing of your leather and it's the same color as the surface, this is aniline dyed, (tanned all the way through), or is is pigmented which is a painted color on the surface not dyed all the way through, you can tell this because the backing doesn't have any coloring. It will be easier to match you leather if it is pigmented. 3). Send me a photo of your sofa at pom@mindspring.com. Together with this information I might be able to direct you better and suggest the best way to resolve your problem.   « less

08-18-2007 - I would suggest purchasing a deodorizer which uses enzymes to destroy smells caused by odors and especially smoke. A more natural method would to sprinkle with baking sofa, leave for 2 hours, and then vacuum...you need a big box. If this doesn't work, let a professional cleaner try.   « less

08-18-2007 - Pat, their are several great charities to choose from depending on your preference. Mission of Hope, Catholic Charities, and the Rescue Mission are just a few that will pick up at your convience and the money is used to aid those with need.   « less

08-22-2007 - Joanne, The IDL is an important component of the foam. Foam is measured on a density scale of 0 to 2.8, the most common being 1.8. Load deflection or IDL is basically how "stiff" is the foam or how hard does it feel. The Industry compression standard of IDL is 30 to 32 lbs per square inch. The higher the lbs per square inch the harder the cushion. 35 will be to hard and a 28 would be more forgiving. It sounds to me you must have to high of a compression. One other note, Latex foam is also affected by temperature in the house. Heat from your body should activate the cells in your foam and soften them up, but cooler temp can harden the foam which is usually below 65 degree's.   « less

09-17-2007 - The leather you purchased is called a pigmented leather, which is essentially painted on the top of the hide. You wouldn't have this problem if the leather was anilined dyed, which is tanned all the way through the hide during the tanning process. Pigmented leather shows alot of the characteristics you have mentioned. Alot of furniture stores don't know the difference, so it's very important to ask if the leather is anilined dyed or not by someone that does know. I wish I knew of a product or solution to your problem, but the expense of recoloring you leather would be cost prohibitive.   « less