About Leather Furniture

Leather furniture used to be considered a luxurious textile and not practical for households with children. However, attitudes toward leather furniture have changed. Leather furniture has found its way into homes in which people are looking for high-quality, reasonably priced, easy-to-maintain alternatives to traditional cloth sofas, love seats and chairs.

Identification

Leather furniture comes in a variety of colors. In an effort to create quality furniture, animal hides that are considered top-grain are dyed, processed and tanned in order to make them look a certain way. Tanning means that the hides are cured with certain salts. During the tanning process, the hide's shape is also stabilized.
When a hide goes through the dying process, this means that the color of the hide is changed. In addition, some leather is also treated with a polish, pattern or texture.
As a result, leather furniture comes in a variety of textures. It can range from rough and coarse to smooth and supple. However, the leather used to make furniture is typically tougher because it's more durable than softer leather.

Types

There are three types of leather upholstery used in leather furniture. The first is semi-aniline. This type of leather has a finished look and also appears to be coated; however, if something is spilled on it, a dark spot will form. This is also the hardest type of leather to care for.
The second type of leather is called aniline, or soft leather. It is also sometimes called brushed leather. This type has no surface finish and is highly susceptible to staining and dirt. If something is spilled on it, a dark spot will form on this, as well.
The third type of leather, top grain, is the best type, and this is most often used in making furniture, clothing and for vehicle upholstery. Top grain needs very little maintenance and most spills will simply run off of the leather instead of soaking in and leaving dark spots.

Benefits

Well-maintained leather furniture can last a long time. For example, if a sofa is well-made, a leather piece can last from 15 to 20 years, with proper care. When compared to its fabric counterpart, the leather sofa will typically last two to three times as long.
Not only is it durable and long lasting, but it can transform your home with minimal effort. Depending on the pieces of furniture you choose, leather goods can range from rustic country decor to sophisticated decor. A sofa or a chair can add a lot of character to your living room.

Considerations

Caring for leather furniture is simple, though the task may seem daunting at first. The first step in successfully caring for your furniture is to make sure that you use cleaning products made specifically for the type of leather that you have. Your salesperson will usually suggest a cleaning agent for your furniture when you purchase it. He should be able to either sell you the right product or tell you where you can get it.
In addition to cleaning, the upholstery also needs to be conditioned every 6 months. This step will keep your upholstery looking new longer. You should also consider spraying a protectant on it to ensure that spills can be cleaned up easily. This can usually be done to the furniture at the store before delivery. It's usually not very expensive and is well worth the cost, especially if you have children in the house.

Warning

When purchasing your new leather furniture, make sure that the pieces you are purchasing are 100 percent leather. If the price sounds too good to be true, it might just be. Many furniture stores will sell either leather-look or a leather-match at very reasonable prices. While it may be tempting to buy one of these pieces instead of a piece that is completely leather, you will undoubtedly find that they were hardly worth the money.
Leather-match furniture looks and feels just like leather, and for the most part it is. On a sofa, the cushions will typically be made of leather while the arms and front-bottom of the sofa are usually a leather-look type of material that cracks and punctures easily.
Leather-look furniture is even worse. Not a single part of these pieces is made out of real leather. Instead, it's a substitute material made to look and sometimes even feel like real leather. These pieces are even more prone to punctures and tearing and will not last nearly as long as a real leather piece.
If you have any doubts about the furniture you are buying, make sure you voice your concerns to the salesperson. She should be able to produce information about the furniture and prove whether it's real leather or not.