Leather Solutions | Buyers Guide

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Leather Buyers Guide

Leather is derived from a variety of animals, generally furniture leather would be cowhide for size requirements. Leather cowhide is approximately 5mm thick, upholstery leather requires a thickness of 0.9-1.1mm, to achieve this the leather is split. The top layer referred to as full or top grain is the toughest and is used for high wear areas such as seat cushions or armrests. The lower layers are called splits, they are weak in comparison to the top grain. Split leather cannot be used on the contact areas of upholstered furniture in the UK but is often used on the sides and backs to save on production costs.

How much should you spend on a typical three piece suite? That obviously depends on your budget, generally nubuck or aniline dyed leather is the most expensive while suites made with hides from countries with a temperate climate tend to be dearer than hides from countries with climate extremes due to the fact that livestock will grow larger and be better cared for, therefore producing bigger and better quality hides. One opinion is the difference in quality between a £500 suite and a £1500 suite will be quite significant while the difference between a £1500 suite and a £2500 suite will not be as great, therefore price is not necessarily relative to quality.

As mentioned elsewhere on this site how you care for your leather is just as important as how much you pay for it.

Leather Types | What Should I Buy?

Before we commence a clean or any repair the first job we do is to ascertain the type of leather we are dealing with so we may utilize the correct techniques and products for that particular leather type. Ideally you should decide which leather type will suit the lifestyle you have before you purchase it, get this decision right and it may extend the life of your leather and almost certainly be easier for you to maintain.

The four main types of leather are listed below.

Protected | Pigmented Leather: These are coated with a pigment and protected with several coats of polymer. Available in many forms, solid colour, two tone etc. They may have an embossed grain pattern (see image) and are usually non-absorbent. Should not mark when lightly scratched. Very popular and durable leather, receptive to all cleaning and restoration techniques.

Nubuck: Top grain leather with the surface buffed off to produce a short nap (fibres) similar to a snooker table, very susceptible to dirt and difficult to clean with almost no options for repair and restoration. Purchase with caution.

Aniline Dyed Leather: This leather is coloured using an opaque dye and will feel softer and look more natural than the protected type. It will have varying degrees of shading, absorbency and protection, and may mark when scratched. Will sometimes display the natural markings and scars of the hide. Not as robust as protected with fewer options regarding repair and restoration but still workable.

Suede: Simply the reverse of any piece of leather with longer fibres then nubuck. Comes in two types, top grain (good quality) and split (poor quality). Similar characteristics to nubuck so the same caution would apply.

Bi-Cast & Bonded Leather

Bi-Cast leather, it is a split leather with a polymer coating, the coating is created as a separate layer and then applied with adhesives rather then being applied by spraying several thin coats as in protected/pigmented leather. This results in a very even plastic like finish on a leather of generally poor quality, de-lamination of the polymer from the leather can be a big issue and is worth remembering. Should be marketed as bi-cast or laminated leather.

Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is a material made from varying degrees of genuine leather combined with other substances to give the appearance of leather. The most common type of bonded leather used to upholster furniture is a polyurethane or vinyl product that’s backed with a layer of latex that contains small pieces of recycled leather, the surface is then stamped to give it a grain pattern. The actual leather content of bonded leather varies but it will be less than Bi-Cast. A point to remember when buying bonded leather is the top surface will be faux leather and nothing more.

What Type Of Leather Have I Got?

If you have already purchased your leather product use the flowchart below to determine what type of leather you may have, please remember this is not a definitive guide.

Summary

There are far to many sub-types of leather on the market today to discuss them all, generally when buying leather ask yourself the questions below and make a decision based on budget and leather type.

What type of leather should I buy? is aniline suitable for our needs?
Where will it be positioned? in front of a south facing window?
Is it practical for its purpose? will it be hard wearing for everyday use?
Does it mark when scratched? is it suitable for pets?
Is it absorbent? if so will it easily stain?
A pale coloured suite may look fabulous in the showroom but how often will it need cleaning to retain that look?

Take your time with any large leather purchase, ask what type of leather it is, think about the points above and ignore any obvious sale's patter, try to avoid the own brand cleaning wipes which you may be asked to buy.