How to Judge Leather Quality when Upholstering a Furniture
22 June 2021Before selecting leather for upholstering your sofa, easy chairs or corner sectional, examine the leather carefully. First of all, you want to ensure that the material is genuine leather rather than vinyl. Secondly, you want to be certain that this leather is of high quality.
Even a new piece of leather will have surface imperfections. Its colouration will also be varied, and dark patches or areas are common. The natural pores of the leather should have irregular placement rather than being perfectly spaced. This is a good way of distinguishing real leather from faux leather products or vinyl.
Ways to Judge Leather Quality When Upholstering Furniture
You can accurately determine the quality of leather for upholstering a piece of furniture in the following ways:
- Smell the Leather. To discover whether the material is full-grain leather, smell its surfaces. If the surfaces emit a warm, earthly scent like the smell of new leather boots or bags, this is an indication that it is genuine leather. Faux leather, vinyl and other synthetic materials designed to look like leather will not have this distinctive natural scent. Some home and business owners select leather upholstered furnishings for their room interiors because of their luxurious appearance and rich, natural scent.
- Know Leather Dyeing Methods. When you become familiar with the characteristics of different leather dyeing methods, you can best judge leather quality. The three dyeing methods are pigmented, aniline and aniline-protected. Pigmented is the least expensive method that involves direct surface dyeing of the leather using a protective coating combined with dye. Although this method is thrifty, it may give the leather an unnatural appearance and a slightly stiff feel.
The protected aniline leather dyeing method is completed using a protective sealant to make the leather surfaces stain-resistant. Yet it can also leave the leather feeling stiff. Untreated aniline leather offers the ultimate quality and a soft, flexible surface texture for beautiful furniture upholstery.
It conforms easily and smoothly to the shapes and lines of each piece of furniture for a highly pleasing, professional look. With one or more furnishings covered in this fine quality aniline leather, your home or commercial rooms will display top-quality fashion with excellent functionality.
- Feel the Leather. By touching the surface of upholstery material, you can determine whether it is real or faux leather. If it has a soft, plush and luxurious surface, it most likely is genuine leather. Any stiff surface, lacking a pliable, soft quality is usually faux leather.
With some practice, you will become savvy at distinguishing genuine leather from synthetic materials. Avoid choosing upholstery that is a combination of genuine leather and vinyl since these different materials will wear differently over time. The true leather will, without a doubt, outlast the vinyl for long-term use.
When you consult our experts at Absolute Upholstery located in Petersham, NSW, and serving all of Sydney and surrounding areas, you will receive excellent advice concerning fine genuine leather upholstery. Our leading industry professionals will guide you in selecting the ideal luxurious leather upholstery to greatly enhance your home or office furniture and overall interior decor.
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