B-Y question

[JParks]

How many grades up from 98xx-xx, promo, and GR 1 to Bentley Place?

[drcollie]

Bradington Young has a Married Cover Program on several frames, which will always be in the format 98xx-xx. The '98' denotes a promotional leather. The first four digits are the leather series, the last two after the dash are the colorways.

xxxx-8x is always a brown
xxxx-6x is always a burgundy
xxxx-9x is always a black

and so on. One of the big problems with Bradington Young is they don't sample swatch these promo hides to the dealers, so we have no idea what the leathers look like. A huge mistake that I complain about often, but it falls on deaf ears.

Once we leave the promo leathers, there are four price grades:

Grade 1 (Ashton Court). Least expensive
Grade 2 (Bentley Place). Where the bulk of the business comes from
Grade 3 (King Street). Upper level hides
Grade 4 (London Park). Decorative and unusual leathers.

Lets' look at one pricing example, the ever-popular # 4114 Recliner and see how many ways you can buy it in different leathers:

9807-69, -87, -88 : $ 1,049
9858-48, -69, -88 : $ 869 (this is the one I advertise here on the forum)

In GR1: $ 1,203
In GR2: $ 1,273
In GR3: $ 1,343
In GR4: $ 1,413

[JParks]

I have narrowed it down to
552-25
502-25
737-25

In either GR2 or GR3, are there any benefits for going to a higher grade than Bentley? I know the grading is based on price, is the higher price predictive of quality?

It will be used for a reading/movie watching chair, would finished, semi, or aniline be best suited (no direct sunlight)?

Will a splash of water stain aniline? Does the cleaning regiment differ for the type of leather?

I have been able to find the chair dimensions for 502-25 and 737-25 but not their seats.

Thank you for a great forum.

[drcollie]

Price grade is not an indicator of quality or durability. As a general rule, the more costly the leather the more luxurious and natural looking it will be. That's the common denominator.

The leathers that look the most processed and glossy are the most stain-resistant. Typically that will be the less expensive ones and all are "finished". As you add in the more natural look and softness/luxury you take away some of that protective top-coating. What works for one lifestyle doesn't work for another for staining and soiling purposes. Having said that, 90 % of all leathers will not stain for common food and drink spills. It's heavy oils and household acids that can ruin the higher end leathers (Ammonia, Bleach, Motor Oil, Mineral Oils, etc). Water doesn't stain anything.

502-25 seat dimensions:

Seat Height: 22"
Seat Depth: 20"
Seat Width: 23.5"
Arm Height: 27"
Seat to Back Height: 13"

737-25:

Seat Height: 21"
Seat Depth: 20"
Seat Width: 18"
Arm Height: 24.5"
Seat to Back Height: 16"

Longevity of the leather cover is all about regular cleaning and conditioning, no matter what the grade or whom the maker!

[aaron]

Water doesn't stain anything.

But you wouldn't want to push that theory by allowing the water to soak into the leather.

[drcollie]

True that! Soaking water can and WILL damage leather as will body fluids. So wet swimsuits watching a movie on the sofa are a no-no, and that's also why you don't see leather in medical offices and hospitals.

[jriley]

I can verify that. A few days ago, I took six leather samples home from the local dealer which included Tiburon, Sedona, Equestrian and Weston, all unprotected leathers and all in lighter colorways. I tested how they would react to water by dripping about a quarter teaspoon or so onto a small area of each sample. Before I could even finish treating all of them, I could see that the water on the Weston Cane sample was starting to soak into the leather. With the other five, the water simply beaded up on the surface and I could wipe it off. In contrast, the water on the Weston completely soaked through to the back in less than a minute. When it finally dried, it left a noticable mark.

Since all the other leathers I tested, but not the Weston, are waxed, that may explain the difference. Still, I was surprised the Weston was so water permeable since, as Duane says, all the HM leathers have a thin topcoat of Teflon (R) which should make this leather at least water resistent. It's possible, of course, that the Weston sample I had was not representative of the actual leather that would be used on a piece of furniture.

Since we're considering using another Weston colorway on our Roy Longer, I would welcome imput from anyone who has experience with this leather. I'm somewhat leery of it at this point.

[JParks]

What are the 502-25 chair dimensions? Can the feet on the 502-25 be removed (tight doorway) and is the back cushion semi-attached or loose?

[drcollie]

Weston Cane should have shed the water, I'm guessing that sample was cut from an are of the hide that wasn't treated.

502-25 chair is 38.5" W, 39.5" D and 36.5" H Back cushion is loose and the feet should be removable (rare is the chair where you have to do that to egress into an entry point, however)

[JParks]

For cleaning and conditioning would you recommend any product or would club soda alone do?

Is there a standard wood stain?