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Duane,
I fully understand that leather and pets don't mix. That being said, I find that Bari and Antelope hold up well. Equestrian which I thought would hold up better scratches easily.
Would Capri or Quintessence wear similar to Bari or would it scratch easily like Equestrian?
I get asked this question often....
Capri and Quintessence come from the same European tannery, the main difference between the two is Capri has about double the amount of high/low shadows than Quintessence. Both are super-soft, luxury hides (I have Quintessence on my office chair in my home library). They are naked leathers, so there is really nothing to scratch per se, though if a pet decides to really get after one, they can scratch the skin in the same way they can on your arm. Those old cows are pretty tough though, so it takes some sharp claws to do damage (think of a cut on your skin). With topcoated leathers like Equestrian, what you are seeing is a scratch in that topcoat, not the leather itself. Most they time they can be removed if severe, take a little # 0000 steel wool and lighty work that area and see if the scratch goes away, follow with some leather conditioner.
Bari is not topcoated like Equestrian, so it will be less prone to showing any marking.
What I really dislike about the leather furniture industry is the term "Protected" and how its always recommended for hard use. Customers see that work and think it means 'armoured' when in fact all it REALLY means is the leather is painted or topcoated. Now we know from having paint on other things (cars, houses, etc) that it works really well when new and is a durable product, but we also know that with time and use paint can chip or fade away, especially when there is friction involved. So that 'protected' leather really isn't - its just painted.
I have all aniline dyes in my home (except for one H&M painted leather recliner I bought in 1987 when I didn't know anything about leather), and we're on dog # 4 right now and raised two kids on the furniture. It all still looks very good. But like you said, there is no pet-proof leather and none of it can tolerate moisture saturation, so choose accordingly!
It's too bad Bari only comes in three colors. At a grade 3 I think it is nicer than the Antelope piece I own. It seems to me that until you actually own a leather it's hard to judge if it will work.Quote:
Originally Posted by drcollie