Plush leather furniture smells and feels luxurious because of its quality. However, not all leathers smell and feel this way. Yes, leathers are made or manufactured in the same manner.
Leather undergoes complex treatment processes to produce several furniture products. This explains why there are various terms when referring to leather. The various types of leather have their own distinctive qualities and feel and hence, used for different purposes. Read below and learn the different types of leather and their qualities.
Types of Leather
Full Grain Leather
Full grain leather may have a few flaws, but it preserves all of the unique texture and markings of the original hide. This makes it look and feel better as it ages, making it the most luxurious type of leather. Furniture made of full grain leather is expensive.
To create full grain leather, hair is removed from the epidermis and soaked in some form of natural dye like analine vegetable dye. The whole hide is used but not all of the layers. Therefore, full grain leather is also known as untreated leather as it is not polished and finished.
Top Grain Leather
Top grain leather is the most durable type of leather. Taken from the outer layers of the hide, it is also known as full grain or corrected grain pigmented leather. Compared to full grain leather, top grain has no flaws because it is polished making it remarkably soft to the touch and long lasting. Thus, furniture featuring top grain leather upholstery is more expensive.
Bonded Leather
Made from a mixture of leather scraps and fibers, bonded leather is made into a roll by using adhesives and other bonding agents. The process of manufacturing bonded leather is the same as that of making paper. To reduce the moisture content, the leather is put under a drying equipment. Some industry experts do not consider bonded leather as real leather because it contains only 10-17% leather fibers.
Do not get upset or jeer at it, though. Bonded leather as a furniture material offers numerous of advantages.
- It is durable.
- It contains low levels of formaldehyde because it does not go through chemical tanning, making it friendly to people with allergy.
- It is a whole lot cheaper than real leather.
Split Grain Leather
After getting rid of the top grain, split leather comes from the remaining part of the hide. Thus, it is cheaper and compared to full grain. It is reasonably delicate and damages easily, requiring proper handling.
Nubuck Leather
Taken from the cattle’s top grain rawhide leather, nubuck’s grain side is sanded or polished. This results for it to have a suede or velvet appearance. Sprayed with a finishing agent, the exterior has a more uniform look. It is inexpensive than full grain leather. Furniture made of nubuck leather requires careful maintenance because it is fragile. It requires careful maintenance for the material to look good.
Formed by gluing a sheet of polyurethane color to a split grain, bi-cast leather looks like top grain leather, but is cheaper. It is not durable, however, and easily peels and cracks when exposed to too much friction.
Faux or Fabricated Leather
Created from synthetic materials, such as rubber-coated fabric and plastic. With the help of modern technology, its material composition is much better now. Modern sofas featuring faux leather upholstery are comfortable, cheaper, and looks like real leather.
Now that you know the different types of leather, it will be much easier for you to decide what kind of leather upholstery to buy! Online furniture stores sell modern Italian leather furniture and you may find it a little expensive, but it gives back your money’s worth!
This blog post was first seen on The Different Types of Leather Furniture Upholstery. Read more on: http://www.lafurniturestore.com
