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The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

The metal bars on my new modular sofa look rusty. Are they defective?

Nothing spoils a new-sofa afternoon like orange smudges on the frame bars, neighbor. Before you box a single thing up, go find a cloth.

Answered by

The Porch Keeper of Savannah · · Updated

Pinned by Rosa

The quick answer

Usually not: marks on brand-new modular sofa bars are most often dust or production residue that was never wiped off, so wipe them with a cloth first. If the marks stay, or the bars are truly rusted, bent or won't click together, send photos to the workshop. In past cases it sent a new set by FedEx and buyers kept the old bars.

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Key facts

  • Marks on new sofa bars are often dust or production residue that wipes off with a cloth.
  • Bars that stay marked, are truly rusted or bent, or won't click together are worth photographing and reporting to the workshop.
  • The old bars do not need to be returned.
  • Replacement sets have traveled by FedEx.
  • Replacements sometimes come from the workshop's newer chrome bar collection.

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First message: “My sofa bars came rusty”

The first reply to this one is nearly always the same. The bars come to you fresh from production, and some still carry a film of dust or residue nobody wiped away. On dark metal it looks exactly like rust.

So take a cloth to every bar before you worry. Most days that's the end of the story, and the modular floor sofa goes together as it should. The support bars pattern shows how the frame clicks into place.

Follow-up: “I wiped them and the marks are still there”

Then it's a question for the workshop. Send close-up photos of the bars that stay marked, and of any that are bent or won't click into the next bar. In past cases a new set went out, sometimes from the newer chrome collection, and nobody asked the buyer to mail the old ones back. Ask the workshop to confirm what it will send, in writing.

How many bars does your layout use? A single floor sofa stands on a set of 4 pieces; count yours before you start wiping, so you know exactly what to photograph.

Orange marks on brand-new modular sofa bars are usually production residue. Wipe the bars with a cloth first; if the marks stay, photograph them and message the workshop.

Rosa
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    My metal bars looked rusty when they came out of the box. Are they defective?

    The workshop's answer

    Marks on brand-new bars are residue from production, not rust, and wipe clean. If a bar is really damaged or won't click together, send photos and ask the workshop what it will send.

  2. A common question

    The bars look stained. What should I do before I complain?

    The workshop's answer

    Wipe them first: the marks are usually dust or residue that wasn't wiped off. If they don't come clean, send photos; in that case replacement bars were shipped within about 4 to 6 days.

  3. A common question

    Several bars arrived bent or rusty and won't fit together. Can you help?

    The workshop's answer

    Send photos of the bent or rusty bars. In past cases a new set went out, sometimes from the newer chrome collection, and buyers didn't return the old ones. That set went by FedEx and took about 2 to 5 days.

  4. A common question

    Something on my floor sofa wore out after about a year. Can I get parts?

    The workshop's answer

    For wear within about a year the workshop has sent replacement covers, inserts or panels, with the buyer paying only the shipping. Send photos and say which piece is affected.

Questions buyers ask next

Do I have to ship the old sofa bars back to get new ones?

In past cases, no: when bars were replaced, the old set stayed with the buyer. The workshop asks for photos showing the marks, bends or joints that won't lock before it decides what to send.

Are replacement bars the same as the originals?

They do the same job, and sometimes they're newer: replacement sets have come from the workshop's chrome collection. They have traveled by FedEx.

What if the cushion itself is the wrong size, not the bars?

That's a different conversation. If the workshop got the size wrong, send a photo with a tape measure across the cushion; a remake or a partial refund have both been offered.