Buying Leather Furniture: The Difference Between Grains

Full grain, top grain, split hyde. You've heard them all.  But if you're buying and you don't know what they mean, you won't know what you're paying for.  And if your client wants to know why one sofa is so much more expensive when it looks just like the other one, you want to be able to answer, right?

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Like I said in Part I, I'm by no means an expert.  So, I decided to use Wikipedia to define full grain, top grain, and split hyde.  The following definitions (*) are taken directly from Wikipedia...

*Full-grain leather refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on the surface of the hide. The grain remains allowing the fiber strength and durability. The grain also has breathability, resulting in less moisture from prolonged contact. Rather than wearing out, it will develop a patina over time. High quality leather furniture and footwear are often made from full-grain leather. Full-grain leathers are typically available in two finish types: aniline and semi-aniline.

(I'll talk about aniline in Part III)

Full grain leather tends to be thicker than the others described below, and it's usually less pliable.   There is very little manipulation of the hyde, so the look tends to be more rustic and authentic.  Because full grain leather usually has no protective top coat, you don't get that "cold" feeling against your skin when you first sit on it.

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*Top-grain(Most common type used in upper end leather products)leather is the second-highest quality. It's had the "split" layer separated away, making it thinner and more pliable than full-grain. Its surface has been sanded and a finish coat added to the surface which results in a colder, plastic feel with less breathability, and will not develop a natural patina. It is typically less expensive and has greater resistance to stains than full-grain leather, so long as the finish remains unbroken.

When buying a piece of leather furniture, and the salesperson says "it's top grain leather," make sure to ask if the piece is completely top grain.  Less expensive/quality pieces will have top grain on the cushions, and split hydes on all the other sections.  Again, know what your are paying for.  It is always preferable, in my mind, to have the same grain of leather on the entire piece.  It will all wear evenly, and you want it to all appear the same, especially if you are floating a piece in a room.   This is where, when there is a considerable price difference between two sofas that look the same, the amount of a grain of leather used might be playing a part in the price.

The image above is from a big-box furniture store that touts its value and why-pay-more sentiment.  It may be leather, but it's not going to last.  It just isn't.  It is a made from a split hyde and has an artificial layer bonded to the top.  It is, really, throw-away furniture. 

*Split leather is leather created from the fibrous part of the hide left once the top-grain of the rawhide has been separated from the hide. During the splitting operation, the top grain and drop split are separated. The drop split can be further split (thickness allowing) into a middle split and a flesh split. In very thick hides, the middle split can be separated into multiple layers until the thickness prevents further splitting. 

So...have your eyes glazed over yet? :)

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Part III in this series will be a lot lighter -- how to figure out what kind of finish is right for you or your client depending on personalities (?) and intended use.

I hope this has been helpful so far.  See you next post!

Thanks for reading,

Carol