Lets Talk Leather

Leather furniture, when properly built, is one of the best values in the industry in my opinion, yet its one of the least understood products in the store. In this post, I'll cover some of the basics to help ease the confusion of selecting a hide and some of the properties to look for in leather. Lets dive into some basics, and then some questions are always good to answer.

• Leather outlasts fabric approximately four to one. This makes it ideal for high-wear usage and especially in motion furniture such as recliners. My oldest upholstery piece in my house is a 22-year-old Hancock and Moore Recliner that still has plenty of life left to it.
• Leather is not maintenance-free. It needs to be cleaned periodically to remove the oils and dirt from use. I clean the leather in my home 2x a year, typically doing it Spring and Fall when the clocks change. If the hide is not cleaned, the the oils/dirt attack the tannins in the leather and cause the product to breakdown, typically we've all seen leather with severe cracks in it, and then it begins to separate. At that point, the hide is all done.
• Leather is not vinyl. All leather varies because all cow skin varies (just as human skin varies). Only vinyl is consistent in feel and color, leather never will be. The more expensive the hide, typically the more variance one will find. DO NOT RELY ON THE SWATCHES TO BE ACCURATE IN COLOR.
• Leather is typically divided into two main camps. Finished and Aniline. Finished leather is highly processed, and the during that tanning process the leather is stripped of its grain and markings that make it unique. The grain is then imprinted back into the leather, and a pigmented painting process adds in the color. Think of Finished leather as painted. Aniline leathes are much finer hides and require much less processing. For that reason, they can be vat dyed rather than painted. The end result is a more luxurious leather, but disparities in dye lots will be much greater.
• In general, the more expensive the leather, the more fragile it is. Finished leathers are "wipe n' go", Aniline leathers sometimes will not repel certain kinds of stains (oily ones can be problematic)
• Sunlight fades everything, however aniline-dyed leather will fade much quicker than finished leather in direct sunlight.
• Thickness of leather has almost no effect on longevity. Thicker hides do not tailor as crispy as thinner hides.
• "Pull-Up" leather is a term used to describe leather that "lightens" when stretched over a corner or tightened. Make sure you like that look before you buy in this category. To test to see if a hide is a "pull-up" push your fingers into the back of the sample tightly and observe any lightening.
• Scratches in leather with fingernails, etc. are usually only in the waxy topcoat. Take the palm of you hand and rub it quickly over the scratch to build heat into the hide and the scratch will dissipate!
• Dogs don't generally bother leather, but some cats with claws can destroy it in short order.
• Buy leather with your sense of touch as much as color. Ball the hide up in your hand and close your eyes. You want a supple, rich feel in the hide - the best hides have a velvety feel to them.
• That flap of leather under the seat cushion is there to cut off at a later date to send to the factory to get another matching piece later on, or to send off for a dye kit if your piece becomes faded, etc.
• All leathers, even ones marked 'unprotected' have a teflon topcoat on them.
• Do not buy "leather treatment protection programs" from the selling store. You do not need it and they applied product might damage your hide's topceat.
• You can clean your leather with something as simple as a bar of plain Ivory soap rubbed on a white washcloth. Rinse lighty. Club soda on a washcloth also works.
• Novice buyers are fearful of buying better hides because of staining, etc. Experienced buyers move right into aniline dyes and don't even shop finished leather other than perhaps in an office chair, etc.
• Exotic hides like Lambskin can require more stitching in making a cover as the hides themselves are much smaller than cowhides.
• In general, don't upgrade cushions in leather. Stock cushions are engineered to perform the best over time. Down cushions tend to increase the likelihood of hundreds of hairline stress cracks in your leather, because down moves more than standard cushions, allowing the leather to flex more over time.
• BiCast is NOT leather. Its a product made from ground-up scrap leather which is formed into a slurry and then bonded to a polypropylene sheet, the a grain pattern is stamped into it and its painted. It has lost the natural strength bond of leather and usually deteriorates quickly. Only in the USA can that product be labeled 'leather'. Stay away from all bicast products.

-Duane

Duane,
I have to second you on the DON'T rely on the swatch advice. I ordered Bradington Young's Monaco High Leg lounger, and as it happened the swatch I selected was the one that the chair is pictured in on their website. which was 9497-87A in grade 2. I did look at the swatches in person and compared them to the other furntiture swatches for the other pieces I was buying.
Well it arrived today, and it is much darker and smoother than the samples. It is still packaged as it came from the factory I had them leave it wrapped since it is going on a moving truck, but they did cut and remove the upper part of the box in order to get it into my house, and we will put the box back over and tape it when they movers come.
anyway I was able to see it. It is still a beautiful chair.

McCall,

That's exactly what happens. When I'm in the store working with customers on hide selections I really would like them to back up about ten feet to look at the colors, but most customers want to get up close and have the swatches at arm's length to zero in on the color. That's exactly the wrong thing to do!

When buying leather, color is only a one fifth of the decision process. The other four key elements are:

1) Price Category

2) Hand/softness/texture/sheen

3) Lifestyle usage (Direct sunlight? Food and drink on the leather?)

4) Natural markings of the Aniline hides vs. the more uniform look of Finished leather.

Swatches are soemwhat unreliable as a determining factor in what the finished product will look like. Some swatches are cut from the neck or belly of the hide which is unattractive and 'wrinkly'. Those won't be used in the making of the piece but really affect how the customer views the leather. Better to look at all the graining within the series and average them out in your mind's eye.

Some request 'cuttings for approval' before production and this is a tool available that while it gives one the opportunity to see exactly the hide tat is going on their piece, it can also cause lots of anguish. First of all, it delays every order by about 6 weeks in production time. Then, if the sample is rejected there is no second batch to pull a color from. That means wait three months for another batch of leather to arrive or else re-select a completely different leather.

Glad you like your chair. Hope the move goes smoothly.....

So I took a closer look at the face of the seat and the face of the back of the chair today, remember it is still mostly wrapped as shipped. I know about the imperfections etc. as you mention, but I was still shocked to see what looks like someone gave a child a black magic marker and said, "have at it" there are SEVERAL long black marks all over the face of the leather, I know that hides have imperfections but I would think they would find a bit of mostly clear leather for the seat and back face pieces. I am assuming that these were scratches which when dyed, took the dye deeper and appear black, there are also several spots that look like scuff marks which appear lighter, but again they look like they were on the hide before dying. I know you said that Bradington Yound was not as careful with some of these things as Hancock and Moore but this seems accessive to me. Nothing I can do now about it with my dealer, though I am sure they would respond well, as you know I move next week. I don't imagine B.Y. will do much about it anyway.
It is just very disappointing after anticipating this nice leather chair and wanting one for years.

Perhaps once I get my furniture out to CA and unpacked I can take some close up pics of the leather and post them so you can give an oppinion.

I don't think you have a bad hide, This leather is called "Africa" and is a 'pull-up' leather that will get lighter where pulled tight to the frame. All the scars and scratches are intentionally left in the hide (and such will appear as blackish marks). Its a smooth, oil-based finish that is vac-dried to keep it firm to the touch. Really, its an elegant hide and one I like, but its designed to show natural markings (all the way).

When I sell hides like this in my store I make sure that the customer knows whats coming because the majority of leather customer don't like this look - its for the real leather connoisseur .....did your store brief you on this type of leather or did they pretty much leave you to select on your own?

My advice is to just use it and enjoy it, hides like "Africa" will really develop a nice patina with use, just might take some getting used to is all.

Interesting that it has a name. On all the swatches I saw at two different stores they had the numbers but no names. I did do a lot of research both with your threads on the "other" forum and in person. I guess I was just surprised that the markings were in such obvious places. If you look at the picture of that chair on the BY website you don't see it as a very blemished hide.
You mention it being firm, the sample certainly was not firm, will that soften up with wear? Also for cleaning this should I just use the Ivory soap method? BY recommends Leather Craft products I think it said.
Also one other thing, you mentioned before the lack of attention to detail. I notice that there is a lump on the side at the front just under the arm curl, on one side of the chair, it is like a lump of leather underneath that was not trimmed well, I though at first it might be a screw trying to poke through, but it gives if you push on it so I am assuming it is leather under there. Looks yucky there. Wonder what I will find when I actually unpack it in CA?
I am sure I will enjoy the chair and the hide over time. Just a bit surprised by it, since neither the ones in the store nor the picture appeared as the chair does.

The names of the B-Y leathers and other info are in the main pricing catalog, but most stores don't bother to tell you about it. I always like to refer to that because its just too shaky to rely on photos and a small swatch. Of course, nothing works as good as experience of seeing all the various hides come through the store on pieces and remembering the characteristics of each one.

Doubtful the hide will soften with use. It may slightly, but I wouldn't expect it be much.

Cleaning. Mild soap and water is always safe. B-Y Does recommend Leathermaster products and I use them on the hides of all my furniture at home regardless of brand, so its your call. Certainly the Leathermaster cleaner/protection cream puts back a sheen into the hides that soap and water never will.

Yes, B-Y doesn't sweat the details on craftsmanship like Hancock and Moore does, but its not quite as expensive a product, either. That 'lump' is probably a piece of folded-over leather to make the corners, especially since its on each arm.

I would fully unpack the chair for inspection. before you move. Two reasons:

1) The movers will only pay insurance on items they pack. If they move even a new piece in the original carton they will tell you they are not responsible for any damage that may occur because they did not pack it.

2) If you have any problem areas on the piece, you'll pay the devil himself trying to get warranty work from California when you purchased it in Massachusetts. Your local store, nor B-Y, will pay to have it shipped from California if there is a defect. You want to look it over completely while you're still near your selling dealer.

This is getting to be like a private conversation LOL, I just wanted to say, the Lump, is only on one side under the arm but you are probably right about being folded leather, just done poorly.
The movers told me to leave it in the packaging so I will have to veryify the insurance issue with them again about that and if they want it that way get them to sign off on it. One of the reasons I did not unpack and check it all now here is there is nothing that could be done anyway. If there are problems with any of it, I can't have them take it back and fix it.
As for the forum here I hope more people find it soon. I know people keep posting on the other forum to come over here to talk to you. but how long before they start deleting and blocking anyone who does that as well I wonder?