Pure aniline leather is coloured only with dye, and not with any surface coating of polymer and pigment. What is Aniline Leather?Īniline leather is the most natural-looking leather, with the unique surface characteristics of the animal hide remaining visible. The surface coating allows a greater resistance to soiling, scuffing, and fading. With modern technology, the coating can be finished to be embossed, printed, or plain. The durability is provided by a polymer surface coating, which contains pigments. Pigmented leather is the most durable type and is used in the majority of furniture upholstery. Below are more detailed descriptions of each type and their properties. The third type, semi-aniline leather, is somewhere between on both counts.
Pigmented leather is the most durable with a consistent surface appearance, while aniline leather is more natural looking, but less resistant to soiling. There are a few different types of leather that are used for sofas and chairs. Regent 3 Seater Sofa displayed in Essential Style Leaf What leather types are used for your furniture? The ‘cleaner’ or less-scarred hides tend to be used for full-grain leathers, while hides with a degree of scarring are lightly buffed on their top surface and used to create corrected grains. Once tanned and dried, the hide is graded by size and degree of scarring and blemish.
This technique is now the modern preferred method, replacing the traditional vegetable tanning process which uses plant extracts and urine. The hide then undergoes a tanning process utilising chromium-based chemicals. It’s then split through its thickness, and the upper layer with the hardwearing grain surface is separated off to be used for upholstery leather. Then, it is soaked in chemicals which dissolve the hair follicles and cause it to swell to approximately 8mm in thickness. How is upholstery leather made?Ĭlaridge 3 Seater Sofa displayed in Rustic Charcoal.Ī cattle hide arrives at the tannery having been salted to preserve it. Leather is a great choice for both modern and traditional sofas, especially classic designs like the Chesterfield sofa. It’s the cost of the various finishing processes applied after tanning that cause the leathers to have different prices.Īs a result, when the time comes to choose a quality leather sofa, there’s an inevitable trade-off between appearance and ease of care. Tanneries only produce one quality of tanned upholstery leather. This is not necessarily the case as different types of leather can have their own merits. This can cause some confusion with customers who are encouraged to think that the more expensive, or higher-grade leathers, are of a better quality. Many retailers classify leather by grades. The skins of cattle are known as hides, making up the majority of the leather used in the manufacture of upholstered furniture. The curing of animal skins - a method commonly referred to as tanning - creates leather. These characteristics in no way detract from the wearing qualities of the leather. Leather will always bear the marks of its natural origin, and these qualities can show as scratches, growth marks, areas of differing fibre density, and hair pore structure. Real leather is a natural product - it’s warm and durable, and has individual characteristics which make each hide unique. Glossary of leather terms What is leather?.What leather types are used for your furniture?.But with so many grains, coatings, and textures available, it can often become confusing as to which type would work best for your sofa.īut fear not, as we dispel much of the confusion about leathers in this comprehensive guide, helping you to choose the best leather sofa for your home. One of the most popular upholstery coverings for our sofas, chairs, corner sofas, sofa beds, and footstools is leather. Chesterfield 3 Seater Sofa displayed in Hand-finished Antique Red