Leather and Vinyl MD
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Five things you need to know before you buy leather furniture
Are you looking for the perfect leather furniture for your home: something beautiful, comfortable and durable? Whether you want heirloom quality traditional styling, a relaxed more contemporary look, or even bold and ultramodern pieces there are five things you should consider carefully before you buy.

 

Location suitability - What works for your environment.
Some leathers stain and fade easily and are difficult to clean or repair making leather care a problem. They are not suitable for busy family rooms or tv viewing rooms where adults like to snack while watching TV. For these areas a  top coated or protected leather would be a much better choice.

Leather finishes
Semi-aniline and protected aniline leathers are high quality top grain leathers that have been vat dyed and then top coated with a light protective pigment that make them ideal for high traffic areas. These finishes make leather furniture cleaning easy and if pets or children damage them leather repair is not difficult. 

Pure aniline or "raw" aniline leathers are beautiful, full grain buttery soft, "natural" leathers, made from the very best hides. Natural hide markings will be visable as they will not be buffed off or covered by pigment. In the right environment these leather will age gracefuly and even develop a rich and attractive patina. They are the strongest and most durable of the true leathers but, they  stain easily and these stains set quickly and become very difficult or impossible to remove.  Repairs are a problem too because they cannot be concealed by aniline dyes. Some pure aniline furniture has a light synthetic protective coat that will help prevent staining BUT this will wear off and need to be replaced. 

Nubuck is a pure aniline leather that has been buffed on the grain side to produce a velvet like nap. It too has no top coat to protect it from stains. 

Leather care Information for unprotected leather.
A stain protection treatment, applied as soon as you bring the furniture home is essential leather care for unprotected leather. Stains should be blotted and cleaned as soon as they occur. Placing them in a low traffic area reserved for adults is also a good option. If these pieces get heavily stained and damaged the only recourse is re-dying them to protected aniline.

When you need to place your furniture near sunny windows consider a UV protection treatment for the leather. Heat vents, and strong sunlight  can cause drying and fading so you will need to clean and condition the leather more frequently.

Bycast leather
Bycast Is a leather/synthetic combination product used to make upholstered furniture. Sometimes marketed as leather, (illegal in many countries including England) it usually consists of low grade leather with a thick polyurethane coating or a combination of rubber and a thin layer of split leather that is topped by a thick polyurethane coating. The leather layer may also be made up of bits and pieces of leather glued together (think particle board as opposed to solid wood). Unlike pure leather, bycast is not fire retardant and like vinyl it does not ‘breathe'.

If made well (and most of is not), bycast cleans easily and is strong and inexpensive. Bycast with a high gloss finish can give a patent leather look to compliment very modern pieces. However, a lot of Bycast is very poor quality and we have seen unbelievable damage (spider cracking over the whole surface and all over peeling) occur after only a few months of normal use. If you buy bycast furniture make sure the company you buy from has been around a long time and offers an excellent warranty.

Leather/Vinyl combinations 
These are found frequently in the low price leather furniture market. Often these pieces are advertised as leather furniture, with no mention of the vinyl component. If the vinyl is on the back only this might not present a big problem. However, leathers and vinyls do not mix well. If the leather starts to get dry it will draw (wick) oils and moisture from the vinyl causing the vinyl to dry out and become stiff. When this happens the vinyl will tear when pressure is applied. Sofa cushions that have leather on the top only and vinyl on the sides, and leather cushions that attach to vinyl at the top of the sofa may have have multiple tears at these junctions very quickly. If you choose this furniture be sure to condition the leather frequently.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Attached Cushions
Leather furniture with loose cushions (not attached to the back) may save you money in the long run. Cushions that are attached may tear where they join the back. If major damage, such as large dog rips occur and it is necessary to recover the top panel the repair will be expensive and will involve removal of the sofa. Zippered cushions that are not attached are the most functional. If they need more filling, or are damaged repairs will be relatively inexpensive.

Frame and construction
Since good leathers are strong and durable and can last for decades, it is especially important that the frames be well constructed of solid hardwoods. Heavy duty steel springs is another important feature to look for.


 
Leather Care Information Chart
Leather Care Tips, Cleaning and Repair 
Leather Cleaning Conditioning Products 








 

 
Copyright . Anne Franciscy. All rights reserved.