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The modern dining room set often consists of a glass table top resting on a metal base surrounded by leather dining chairs. Most of the set seems durable and care free, but if you worry about care and maintenance of the chairs, banish your worries. Leather dining chairs are more durable and carefree than many other types of upholstered chairs, and, with a little regular maintenance, can be beautifully maintained along with the rest of the dining room set.
First, let me assuage your fear of leather dining room chairs by assuring you that they are quite stain resistant even though leather is porous and breathes. Most leather furniture is treated with stain resistant chemicals, and if your leather dining chairs aren’t, any leather vendor sells stain repellant. These treatments make it so that leather does not quickly absorb spills, meaning you leather dining chairs can be saved from many, many stains with a little quick action on your part. Red wine, ball point pen, spaghetti sauce, dirt and oil all disappear without a trace if cleaned immediately. If you don’t catch spills immediately, your leather dining room chairs are probably still pretty safe. If you are cleaning them regularly, then your stain repellant has probably been able to hold off the stain. This is because leather cleaner, which you should be applying to your dining chairs at least once every three months, usually contains stain repellant and constant cleaning means constant replenishing of the repellant. Every day dirt, however, will build up on your leather dining chairs, causing them to acquire a soft patina. This patina of dirt, which actually changes the color of the leather, cannot be cleaned off, and is considered a mark of fine, aged leather. If you do not want your leather dining chairs to change color with age, choose a heavily pigmented leather rather than an aniline leather. Heavily pigmented leather is of lower quality than aniline leather, but acquires much less of a patina. When cleaning leather dining chairs, remember that different types of leather need to be cleaned in different ways. Check the tag to determine how the chair should be cleaned, particularly if the chair is suede. All leather dining chairs, so long as they are not suede, can be safely cleaned with a damp rag. Be sure not to use saddle soap or mink oil as these can change the color and texture of the leather. If you get a tear in one of your leather dining chairs, it can be easily repaired. Generally, it is done by sanding and buffing the damaged area then applying a leather filler and color. There are at home kits for repairing leather furniture, but this kind of repair is best done by professionals. Leather dining chairs instantly bring class to your formal dining room, and they are so durable that you can give them daily use in an informal dining room. In whatever setting, with a little bit of simple care and maintenance, leather dining chairs will maintain their usefulness and appearance for many, many years.
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Chairs