Differences in Leather Furniture

When choosing the best leather furniture for you, there are some tips that will help in selecting the right piece like the different grades of leather and the way the leather was colored, these will affect both the price and the quality. One way you can buy leather furniture as well as keeping the price down is by using a synthetic leather on the sides and the back of the furniture (the parts not showing) but the overall construction and grade of leather on the surface is where we will focus.

If you have heard the notion or think that leather makes you sweat or is sticky, this is almost always due to someone mistaking leather for vinyl or (synthetic leather). Leather breathes and will adapt to the room temperature meaning cool in summer and warm in winter. When leather is processed this is usually done in Brazil, India or China where the majority of leather is processed for manufacturers, these are the steps that most will use in preparing to market and sell the leather to be used on furniture beginning with its physical preparation.

When leather reaches the first phase, the actual hide will have markings, scars, wrinkles and discoloration from the animal’s outdoor exposure. So to match up to make the natural pattern and color look right would require more hides, this leather is referred to as top grain leather and is noted for being a extremely quality leather. Using more leather means an increase in price, to be able to get more use of the hide sanding or using a steel wool brush on the top (exterior) part of the leather to have a uniform soft texture (like suede). This is called Nubuck, which is very expensive and hard to maintain and keep clean.

To keep the price of leather down, the only way is to get more usable sections from the leather, the process where they actually split the hide into layers (split hide) wherein the underside has a smooth appearance (suede). The split hide is ironed and stamped to give the uniform grain appearance found on most leather sold today. The next process gives the most usable leather making it the least expensive. The three layers split from the hide are ironed to remove most of the graining and then bonded to a man-made surface covering and coated heavily with polyurethane, giving it a very shiny look. This is known as Bycast leather. The next role is the color of the leather, remember it starts out one color and except for top grain leather that has natural markings and in a natural color with the exception of a wax coat. The more faint the markings and the more the natural color fades is how to determine the grade of the leather.



Common terms you will come across, when shopping for leather furniture:


Aniline Leather – A transparent dye used to color leather all the way through, considered transparent because it doesn’t cover or conceal natural graining, markings on the leather

Pure Aniline Leather – The leather has been colored with an aniline dye but does not have a protective finish

Semi Aniline leather - A leather that has been aniline-dyed and then coated with a matching pigment evening out the color, and providing some protection

Antique / Distressed Leather – A leather that has been given additional markings to simulate natural aging and wear to the leather

Pigmented Leather – A solid pigmented coating applied to the leather giving it a stiffer feel. Note that this type develops tiny spider web cracks in the leather

Pull Up Leather – A aniline dyed leather that is waxed or oiled giving it a soft feel, usually found on high end leather furniture