WHICH ARE THE MOST HARD WEARING THREE PIECE SUITES?

I dont think the manufacturers want them to last....they seem to make the styles so fashionable and hint on their adverts that we should be changing them every five mins. All I can say is that we are not so hung up on it all matching. So that if one piece gets more wear then that can be replaced. Our stuff sort of blends together rather than matching. And I think that re-upholstering only really works for the stuff thats really well made....i.e. craftsman quality...a rare thing nowadays.

I am living in with my daughter for the time being but, I had a Tetrad suite with loose covers( which went into the washing machine as they are cream) for 12 years, it was feather filled, it held its shape, there was no movement in the frame, I would buy another suite from this same manufaurer. I hope it is still in one piece when it comes out of storage.

Also have a good leather suite (cant remember make), which I have had for about 6yrs, and was also very pleased with that too.

But out of the two I would go with the Tetrad.

Thank you HildaW and glassortwo. Certainly some ideas there. Any others would be welcome.

I have a Marks and Spencer suite and it is not of the quality I expected. The framework is poor, the springs in one chair went after a month or two. I bought an M&S suite 17 years ago, to use in the lounge of our second home, and the workmanship was good even to the extent that the fabric continued under the cushions. I bought the second suite expecting it to be the same and found that cheap looking white material had been used to finish off where they thought it would not show. If you were thinking of looking at M&S lift the cushions.

Had a Multiyork suite once and it lasted years, in fact I got bored with it well before it wore out, since then we have had leather sofas which are very hardwearing

We have just got rid of our leather suite which we had for 20 years. It wasn't particularly worn but we used to have a cat that scratched it. It didn't seem worth replacing it while we still had the cat! We bought the suite from the Co-op and it was made in Wales (rather than China).
I suspect the new leather suite we've bought won''t last half as long as they don't seem as well made now. We went to Barker & Stonehouse & the salesman was helpful in recommending a leather which was hardwearing rather than "luxury soft". We also took out their leather insurance so they will replace the item if we do have an accident.

My G plan leather sofa is as good as new after 5 or 6 years. They are normally expensive, but I found a good reduction in the sales. The only downside with leather is that it feels cold in the winter, not exactly cosy.

Our Wesley Barrell suite is still great after 25 years. We have had various loose covers over the years, but the cost of re-covering by WB would have been more than it cost in the first place. Expensive, but wonderful quality.

Harrigran..with you on the poor quality of M&S...we had to up sticks and move quickly and needed funiture asap.....chose theirs but its very medicore...weve had to put boards under the cushions to give it some support....after 6 months...yes I suppose we could have complained but it took 2 months to get replacement legs for something else and life was just too damned complicated at the time.

We too had a G Plan leather suite (in sale) for 11 yrs and reluctantly got rid of it because it was too big for the cottage we are in. It cleaned very easily and did not show any sign of wear and tear or ''sagging'' The seat cushion were still as firm as when we got it. My daughter had a similar one from DFS and had to have the seats 're-stuffed' after a year.
I have had 2 good suites from M&S and we have a sofa from there now ...but it feels very lightweight.
Hubby and I sit on swivel recliners.

We inherited our first 3 pce suite from my sister in law who bought it from Harrods. After it got really shabby, we got rid of the chairs (they were too big), had the sofa reupholstered and bought 2 parker knoll recliners. The sofa had a hand-built frame, weighed a ton, and would have lasted forever. Eventually, we decided to replace the sofa as it was really too big for the room, and bought a G plan one, and later, because I wanted a suite that matched, we bought what we were told was a good quality leather suite from a local department store. Big mistake! The frame is shocking (an upholsterer who came to rectify a fault said they are all now made in China - even the "good names", and quality has gone out the window). It looked as if it had been put together in a junior woodwork class! I wish we'd stuck with G- plan, or Parker Knoll. Leather is good, but make sure you have assurances about the quality of the frame and any recliner mechanisms because apparently they are pretty shoddy now that they are made abroad.

This is a nightmare as have just ordered some new M&S furniture and awaiting delivery - wish I had read the comments first!
Our last M&S settess were bought in 1994 and were perfect other than fading covers so we had new washable Plumbs covers fitted, which worked ok. They are big 3-seaters though and too big for our new living room so are getting 2-seaters. The 3-seaters were going to the charity shop but may hold off for a while until I see the quality.

Hope its got a label to say it conforms to fire safety regulations, silversurfergran, or the charity will turn their nose up at it!

So many good ideas here. Thanks so much. Gransnet has come to the rescue.

I would highly recommend sofachoice.co.uk from Bridgend. We bought a natural Chatsworth from there 12 years ago with loose covers and it has worn amazingly well and doesn't attract the dirt. It also washes like new. It is extremely comfortable and one of our best buys at a very reasonable price.

We have had some really sturdy furniture from DFS but you do have to look at it thoroughly some of the cheaper ranges dont last. I understand from the dalesman that they consider 10 years to be the maximum one should expect and with some of their lurid colour suites 10 years is about all one could bear to look at them! if i was buying Wesley Barrell I would expect a good 20 years out of those.

Yes, I would also recommend Multiyork. We have had our settee 13 years and it is as solid in both frame and upholstery as the day we bought it. All their covers are 'loose' even though it looks as if they are upholstered on so they can be taken off and cleaned and Multiyork can also supply replacement covers as can Plumbs or Lynplan. We have just replaced ours but for decor reasons not because the original ones were wearing out.

Please be aware G-Plan on sale now is NOT to be confused with the G-Plan of old
Trading on a previous good reputation but delivering average quality furniture.

Paid £3000 for a suite that arrived crumpled and creased
After much complaining I was told it was a “ dressing issue”
Three visits by technicians made some difference
But this involved unzipping all the cushions removing the filling and pummelling the internal cushions to try to restore the shape

I was informed that this dressing needs to be done on a regular basis

Please check before you buy about the extent of the dressing required

I have no faith whatsoever in G-plan
I bought the suite from SCS and they also did not step up to their responsibilities until I contacted the CEO.
Shabby is the word all round

My fairly cheap leather sofas have lasted much longer than any fabric covered sofas I've had before.

Google Sofasofa - they are in South Wales and sell locally made furniture - companies such as Christy Tyler and Pendragon who made for Marks years ago. We have had a couple of their loose covered sofas -2seateand 3 seater - for about 12 years and still OK - we have a sort of chenille cover which is comfy. They deliver anywhere and if you are down that way can go and visit their show room.

We have an m and s suite, never again,very poor quality leather they came out to inspect it as the leather was cracking after only 3 years they concluded it was wear and tear ! We have since had it professionally repaired, but it cracking in two other ares now.Might have to bin it.

My old G Plan suite would not wear out even though I wanted it to do so - the covers had zips so went into the washing machine although it said 'dry clean only' and came out like new.
However, after years we decided to buy another G Plan suite in a different configuration and have to say that it is not going to wear as well as the old one.

M and S suites were very good quality - I have one 25 years old. covered in. Bayer. Velour fabric - no breaks etc in it and the fabric can be washed.

I'm still trying to erase the vision of having 5 pieces of matching furniture