Leather

Leather

Basic Leather Classifications

No type of leather finish is “better” than another. When choosing the finish and appearance of your leather furniture, there is a trade-off between natural appearance and ease of care. The closer to its natural state a piece of leather is, the more individual will be its appearance and it will be correspondingly more difficult to prevent soiling and to clean it once it has become soiled. The choice you make needs to reflect your taste, where the furniture will live and how it will be used.

Unfinished Leathers

Full Aniline – This is the most subtle and sumptuous leather available. It is also the most natural looking as the leather has only been dyed with aniline dyes thereby leaving intact the unique look of each hide. A light surface coating may have been applied (no use of a pigmented coating) to enhance the appearance of the leather but this coating offers virtually no protection against general soiling or staining. As every hide accepts dye differently, dye lots will vary. Many manufacturers claim to put on a protective coating and many companies claim to produce protectors that can be applied after purchase. Our experience and testing has demonstrated that as soon as this type of leather is flexed, the integrity of the protector is compromised to the extent of letting in stains and soiling.

Finished Leathers

Semi-Aniline – is more durable than aniline whilst still retaining a natural appearance. The increased durability is provided by the application of a light surface coating which contains a small amount of pigment. This ensure consistent colour and imparts some stain resistance.

Pigmented Leather - The most durable of all finishes and used in the majority of furniture upholstery. The durability of this finish is provided by a polymer surface coating which contains pigments. The surface coating allows the manufacturer more control over the properties of the leather, e.g. resistance to scuffing or fading. Some sanding or buffing of the grain may be undertaken to remove surface imperfections, before an artificial grain pattern is embossed into the surface.(see Leather gradings help identify the amount of correction that has taken place.

Corrected Grain Pigmented Leather – The grain surface is abraded to remove imperfections before the surface coating is applied. A decorative grain pattern is then embossed into the surface. Embossing is a process that heat presses an artificial grain pattern into the leather. If not sanded or buffed, these leathers are still considered to be full-grain. This process is usually applied to pigmented leathers but can be used on aniline and semi-aniline.

Finished Split Leather – The middle or lower section of a hide with a polymer coating applied and embossed to mimic a grain leather. Finished splits should only be used in low stress applications because they are weaker than grain leather.

Antique Grain Leather (Two-Tone or Rub Off) – A special surface effect has been created to mimic the unique ‘worn’ appearance of traditional leathers. This is achieved by applying a contrasting top-coat which is applied unevenly or partially rubbed off to reveal a paler underlying colour.

Pull-up Leathers (Waxy or Oily) - This leather has been dyed and has a top layer of wax or oil applied creating a varied look that will age gracefully over the years. Subtle colour variations add to its rustic beauty. Natural markings are very apparent, making each piece of furniture unique.

By Cast /P.U. Coated - This is a new development in the use of leather in the furniture industry although it has been used for many years in the fashion accessory trade for belts and bags. It features a lamination of a coloured polyurethane film to a reconstituted leather mix. Generally only available in dark colours, it does scratch quite easily.

Leather Type and Lifestyle Recommendations

Type of Leather   Location of Furniture  
 
Formal Lounge
Family Room no children
Family Room young children
Family Room Teenagers
Aniline
****
*
*
*
Pull Up
****
***
**
*
Semi-Aniline
****
**
*
*
By Cast
****
****
**
**

Corrected Grain Pigmented Leather
****
****
****
****
Suede Leather
****
****
****
****

Ratings

****
Recommended
*** Satisfactory
** Manageable
* Not Recommended

Please Note

•  Famous Furniture generally uses water buffalo leather on their furniture. This is a bovine leather, but is not normally described as cow leather.

•  Famous Furniture uses Corrected Grain Pigmented, Antique Grain Leather and Semi-Aniline Leather on all wear areas of their furniture. Generally speaking a Finished Split Leather is used on all non wear areas as these areas are in low stress situations. A surcharge of 20% will be applied to all orders requiring Grain Leather to be used all over.

•  We do not list the colours in the many available leather ranges, as colours are periodically deleted from or added to the range. Please feel free to ask for a sample to be posted