How durable is faux leather furniture?

[TheRedSalamander]

We are looking for some new dining chairs and I'm not terribly convinced about the look of either leather or the fake stuff to be honest, I'd prefer fabric, but the only ones we've found that we like are faux leather.

We've got leather sofas so I know that real leather is relatively easy to look after and is easy to clean, but what about the pretend stuff- does it get scratched/marked easily? We have a kitchen/diner so the dining table is used daily, not just for eating but for play doh sessions/colouring/bandaging poorly knees/homework/admin etc

Any feedback gratefully received.

I've had faux leather and real leather in the past, in my experience faux leather is nowhere near as hard-wearing. It scratched very easily and sort of wore thin in places which eventually led to it tearing. I might have had particularly cheap faux leather, but I'd say they lasted maybe 4 yrs, whereas my leather chairs are now 10 yrs old and still look great.

If you're still looking for some dining chairs there is a wide variety here & i'm sure you'll be able to find a style that you like - bit.ly/c2tWCT - I really like the leather effect on the Newbridge collection.

Hope this helps!

Liz :-)

I have faux leather chairs which were really nice to start with (actually looked like the real stuff) but 3 years later they are covered with tiny cracks - not all the way through but dont look great.

Have you thought about ones with wooden backs and just a seat pad where any wearing wouldnt be so noticable and would be easy to re-upholster when needed.