I also have Cavalier. It is a PROTECTED leather. Semi anilines are protected leathers. The finish wears off. Please read the above link in its entirety. Even if you analine dye a leather, if you then add a topcoat that can wear off, you will see the wear. On FULL analine leathers there is no protective topcoat to wear off, So they wear better. YOU have to decide which you want. You can't have both, it doesn't exist.
Last edited by SueCT; 03-02-2023 at 08:56 PM.
Cavalier is a semi-Aniline.
If you do not clean and condition your hide regularly- two to there times per year- you will not get longevity out of it. That’s the whole secret but few ever do it.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Good afternoon,
I’ve read several posts regarding leather choices. Please tell me if I’m on the right track.
Family room - we eat and have beverages
We’re looking to purchase 1 recliner or possibly a lift chair for my husband.
Sofa
- Williamsburg (3) protected
- Antelope (4) protected - at one time Mr. Collie recommended; but, not as much now.
- Hyde Park burnished - (4) not protected
- Gaucho burnished - (4) not protected
- Remington burnished - (4) not protected
Living room - occasional beverages
Sofa
All of the following are unprotected (4)
- Capri
- Markle
- Tilburn
- Hyde Park burnished
- Gaucho burnished
- Remington burnished
What is the serviceability of the above leathers? Thank you for responding.
Remember: PROTECTED just means painted, its not armored. All Paint on surfaces wears off over time, be it on leather, your car, your house, paint is a sacrificial coating. UNPROTECTED means pure Aniline, the color is dyed and will not wear off. However Anilines can absorb stains and will fade quicker in sunlight than painted leathers.
On the leather choices for the Family Room : Antelope I would avoid, the paint is applied very thinly to maximize softness of the hide, in my experience the color coat does not have good longevity. Williamsburg is a handsome leather, but a little crusty and stiffer than some others. Burnished leathers are very hardy, but do make saddle-squeak noises. Don't get those if you object to friction sounds.
On the Living Room choices: As above for Burnished. Markle is being phased out because of inconsistent colorways from batch to batch, too much variance. Capri is always a great hide and has some resistance to spills, but not like a painted leather. I am not familiar with Tilburn, never heard of that one.
Last edited by drcollie; 03-24-2023 at 03:57 PM.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Thank you, Mr. Collie, for your quick response.
I’ll take Antelope and Markle off the list.
Typo…not Tilburn; it’s Tilburon.
Family room:
No sun issues.
I’ll try and find a burnished leather to see if the squeaking bothers us. From what I’ve read, the burnished leather would be better for our family room. My husband’s Austin recliner got a hole in the headrest and there are issues with the foot lift. My sofa doesn’t have those issues; but, unfortunately, I wore the leather through the seat on 2 cushions. Cavaliers Oxblood. My husband is on medication. I’m not. Probably, between his medicine and me not conditioning the leather created the issues. Live and learn….
Living room:
No direct sunlight.
Maybe, Capri.
That would be Tiburon, which is a GR 4 oil and wax pressed Italian pure aniline, the classic "Pull-Up" leather which means is shows color bursts to pressure (some who don't understand this class of hide will say "It scratches") Pull-ups have been around for decades, and are very hardy. All Burnished leathers are done on a Pull-Up Leather base crust as well.
Yes, if you ware going through the leather itself, its from failure to clean and condition, particularly on headrests and tops of arms. When skin contacts the leather for long periods of time, the oils and dirt on human skin will build up on leather and first appear as a dark spot (staining). Eventually it will break down the tannins in the hide and cause loss of the structural cellular make up of leather and the hide fails. The solution is easy. Simply wipe down with a damp cloth every two weeks in those areas, then two or three times a year, do a full conditioning by cleaning the hide first, then conditioning. Do that and it will outlast all of us.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Dear Mr. Collie,
I had a chance to visit a store with some Hancock and Moore sofas. I only sat well for me. Unfortunately, it was a bit too contemporary. It was the Embrace.
I did look at some leather samples. Of course, the sales person said I should only go with “protected” leather.
I looked at the unprotected anyway.
I liked:
Capri - only for the living room because it won’t get a lot of use.
I also liked these:
Cameo burnished
Hyde Park burnished
Remington burnished
Tilton
Williamsburg protected. Will the Williamsburg eventually crack and split?
I’m trying convince my to drive to Arlington. Fingers crossed….
LOL, of course they said you should go with "Protected" leather, I would not except them to suggest anything else. The lack of knowledge among most furniture salespeople never ceases to amaze me.
No, Williamsburg won't crack and split any moreso than any other hide. It just is not a very soft and supple leather. All our good, the Tilton tends to come in a bit shiny, so make sure you are good with that.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Hello Mr. Collie,
Today, I asked my husband to “feel” the mini leather samples we were given and not look a the color.
This is what he thought.
He did NOT like:
Williamsburg
Remington
He did like:
Capri (no surprise there…lol)
Hyde Park
Tilton
What do you think of the following as compared to the above? Feel free to make additional recommendations too.
Buckingham
Cameo
Gaucho
Hand Antique Saddle
Mustang
I thought I’d eliminate any that have a similar feel to Williamsburg or Remington.
I’ve been looking at H&M sofas on there website trying to narrow them down. The dealers near us (1-2 hours away) don’t have much stock. Plus, as you’ve mentioned, the sales personnel don’t know the product.
Generally speaking, approximately, how many H&M sofas do you normally have on your showroom?
Thank you.
All the Burnished leathers are essentially the same, just the color variation is really the primary difference. I would skip the Mustang unless you have seen it made up on a piece, while very soft, it's a shaded nubuck leather that is about halfway to a suede. Its one of those hides you will either like a lot, or dislike. You won't get the "feel" of that leather off the 2" sample.
I keep at any given time, appx 50 Hancock and Moore pieces on the floor. I probably have (9) sofas right now from them. My store is small, and I also have to keep some B-Y, Sherrill and Century sofas as well....so 9 or 10 is about my max on H&M sofas. In fact, I have an H&M Milan sofa arriving on Wednesday and no where to place it, so it will go in my small warehouse until space frees up.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.