Buying Leather Furniture: The Difference Between Top Coats

About a year ago, I consulted for a client for whom I recommended an orange-red, leather sofa.  When we met, she had a couple of swatches from a furniture store.  She asked me what I thought of the one she was leaning towards.  The color was perfect.  Then, I ran my fingernail across it.  Uh-oh. 

My client's sample finish was much like the sofa above.

 "I can't have a sofa that scratches like that!" she gasped.  Her reaction told me everything I needed to know about which direction to point her in.  Do you know enough about leather to have scratched a sample piece?

If you do, you know how many headaches you've avoided.  If you don't, now you will.  First, some basics.

1.  Leather is most often either analine or semi-analine.  It's the dying and top coat (in semi-analine) that helps determine the look of the leather.  Analine is how it is dyed -- it enhances the natural markings and beauty of a hide, no matter the dye color.  Here are two examples of analine leather (analine has no protective top coat)...

 I sometimes call this the "Ralph Lauren look."  You can see the hyde's wrinkles, the uneven "complexion", sometimes even bug bite scars or healed scratches from the cow rubbing against a fence, perhaps.  Without a top coat, analine leather will eventually take on a patina of body oils and stains, which can enhance the look of a piece of furniture as it ages and is used.  After many years, it may even crack, because there has been no moisture-protecting barrier.  (Think of your own skin after years without any lotion.  Hello!  Dry.  Hence the expression "leather skin" when we talk about people who've spent too much time in the sun!!)  You cannot wipe up spills on a leather with no top coat.

2.  So what does semi-analine get you?   Family friendliness.  The protective top coat gives you time to wipe up spills.  Some top coats more than others.  For example, the images above and below most likely, from the looks of them, have a "wax pull up" top coat on it.  While you can wipe off a spill, you better hurry, because I believe this to be a minimal protectant against stains.  I have a small sofa with a wax top coat.  The sheen and feel are very rich, like the one below, but it is definitely not scratch-proof or completely spill-proof. 

Most semi-analine have a synthetic topcoat that works really well at tolerating spills and giving you enough time for a successful clean up.  One trade-off is that they tend to be more cold to the touch, because the natural hyde can't adapt to the room temperature as well as an analine hyde.  They also can look less rich (depth of color) if the hyde has been highly corrected (explained in the next post) and has a top coat applied, like the image below. 

 This all said, semi-analine can be beautiful, but much of it depends on how "corrected" the leather is (again, next post...).

 Are you learning anything valuable?  I hope so.  As I've said before, I am by no means an expert, and I'm sure there's lots more info.  Always read the labels when you look at leather, and always ask the salesperson for guidance.

Talk to you soon,
Carol

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If you missed the Basic Tips of this series, click here.  Differences in Grain, click here.

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

Buying Leather Furniture: Basic Info You Need to Know

Buying leather furniture can either lead to great joy or great disappointment.  You need to know what you're buying, whether for you or a client, your leather choice really is important.  Why am I talking about this today?

Someone showed me a small black swatch of leather last week and said "I need to replace a cushion on my black leather sofa because it's really worn.  Can you match this?"  Um.  No...

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 The woman who asked me this is very bright -- lots of lights on.  But, like others I've encountered in the past, she didn't stop to think...leather comes from a hyde.  From a cow.  Not from a bolt where you can order it by the yard.   I'm not being snide.  People just don't think about it.

Here's the next surprise people encounter in situations like this.  First, you have to buy an entire hide to reupholster anything.  Next, it is nearly impossible to ever match leather.  Why?  Back to the cow.  It takes several hides to upholster a sofa, or even a chair.  When the furniture is made, quality manufacturers will have tight quality control, where they use hydes dyed at the same time, and ones that are carefully chosen to blend/match as closely as possible.  

Just like us, every cow is different.  Some have more wrinkles, for example. (Have you ever noticed a leather sofa where one cushion just seems more wrinkly than the others?  That can be why.)   This is the same reason why you want to buy a matching chair and sofa at the same time, 

if you want them to look the same.

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(Okay, you have to know I love this orange leather.)

This leather reupholstery question made me realize I know a few things about leather furniture that you might like to read, whether for yourself or when shopping for a client.  I don't profess to know it all, but a few tips I've learned along the way might benefit you.  I hope so.

In Part II, I'll share what I know about leather furniture construction.  After that, I'll tackle leather finishes.

Talk to you soon,
Carol

PS  Did you notice I centered my paragraphs?  I'm trying it -- what do you think, is it easier or harder to read?