Leather furniture

Leather Furniture - Furniture Leather

According to statistics, about 30% to 50% of all upholstered furniture sold in Germany is covered with leather. For a large furniture set 6 to 7 cow hide skins are processed.

cowhide is the most used leather. There are very rare exceptions. Very seldom sheep leather is processed. In a normal furniture store, furniture with sheep leather is not available. Sheep leather furniture can only be obtained by niche providers.

There is no standard furniture leather, but there are many types of leather that are processed on furniture. They differ in the tanning process, manufacturing and dyeing method and price ranges. From high quality aniline leather to coated split leather or synthetic leathers, all materials are processed.

It is not correct that "leather furniture" always mean good quality. As with other natural materials (wood, stone, etc.), there are many different qualities. Usually the price is an indicator of what quality is acquired. A reputable furniture shop will ensure an appropriate payment. Nothing is for free.

The following recommendation for the purchase of new leather furniture will help to better understand the different leather qualities. With this information you can get an overview of the different types of leather and the advantages and disadvantages.

Exotic: Sofa with real Crocodile leather.

The different types of furniture leather in comparison

The most common types of leather in the furniture sector:

Smooth leather with a coloured finish

Significantly less are the following types of leather:

Only dyed aniline leather
Velvet like suede and nubuck
Buffalo leather
Antique leather
Pull up leather (do not mix up with PU leather!)
PU leather (coated split leather)

Smooth leather with a protective coating on the surface (finished leather, semi-aniline)

The most common leather for furniture is semi-gloss, surface-coloured smooth leather. It’s always cowhide, which has obtained a protective finish. The leather is easy to clean and care and wear can be easily re-adjust as long as it's not too much or too strong.

The colour layer can vary in thickness. If the colour layer is very thin, the leather is called semi-aniline leather (also lightly pigmented nappa leather). It is slightly more sensitive than the more coloured leather, but it feels warmer and softer. Car leathers have thick colour layers. Comparing the grip of both types of leather, usually furniture leather is more beautiful. But furniture leather is more in direct skin contact and therefore this aspect is more important when buying furniture leather.

In the higher price ranges, the grain texture of the leather is mostly natural. In the lower price ranges, the leather is almost always sanded and embossed. This leads to less waste and even worse skins can be processed because damages from insects, diseases or injuries are better hidden under the embossing. However, an embossing does not always mean a bad leather. There are also high quality embossed furniture and car leathers, which have received an embossing for design reasons. Be careful with special offers. Therefore often poor leather is sanded and embossed. Or even split leather is embossed or coated with PU films to make it look like smooth leather. Such leather is no smooth leather any more, but it’s usually not properly declared, what it really is. In Germany coated split leather is not permitted to be used for seats, back rests and arm rests.

Surface coloured leather furniture. Because of the protective coating the leather is easy to clean and care.

Darker leather is easier to handle than lighter leather. On bright leathers dirt is more visible. Discolouration of textiles or leather and signs of wear are more noticeable on light leather than on darker leather. Who has children and pets, should rather choose darker leather colours. But bright pigmented leather is not so problematic that it should always be rejected.

Sometimes pigmented leather for furniture is offered as longlife leather. This type of leather is often connected with a 5-year warranty. The warranty applies only to "easy maintenance" and "fading". The warranty applies only when the regular buy and application of a care sets of the furniture manufacturer can be proven. Such warranties are worthless. "Easy maintenance" is not a defined property. Modern pigmented leather is always easy to maintain and does not fade. Signs of wear and unremovable stains are excluded from the warranty. A practical case were the warranty is more valuable than the legal warranty nearly never occures. Often buyers are disappointed when warranty claims are not accepted. You should only buy such furniture if you would have bought the furniture also without the extra warranty.

Grease stains and other stains are a not a big problem with pigmented leathers, as the colour layer on the top of the leather prevents the absorption of liquids. Also fading is not a big problem of pigmented leathers. Modern leather pigments are very resistant to fading.

Important: Semi-aniline leather only has a thin layer of pigments. As a result, such leather earlier tends to grease stains in contact areas and tends more to fading. But semi-aniline leather is not as sensitive as open-pore aniline leather, but has a nicer touch compared to stronger pigmented leather, which is often embossed and sanded.

Conclusion: Pigmented leather is not as soft and warm as aniline leather, but it`s more robust and easier to clean and care. The more expensive leather is, the higher the quality generally is. Cheap leather has a lower life expectancy. For special offers, you should always let confirm in the purchase order or in the receipt that you have not bought embossed split leather or a film-coated split leather. Such leather is very vulnerable and has a shorter life expectancy. The best choice of these types of leather is semi-aniline. It costs more, but it is warmer and softer. But always check carefully! Often furniture leather is offered as semi-aniline but is none.

Maintenance advice: Pigmented leather is easy to clean and care. There are manufacturers that give a care recommendation. There are also many manufacturers which only recommend an occasional wiping with a damp cloth. This may be enough for the duration of the implied warranties. But who doesn`t regularly clean and care his leather (every 3-6 months at least in the contact zone and in direct sunlight), will faster get signs of wear and aging and lives on an unhygienic surface.

Advice for stains and damages: Always ask on time for advice. As soon as stains, dryness, brittle, fading or other problems get visible, ask a specialised company. The longer you wait, the harder it is to remove the damages.

Aniline Leather (open pore smooth leather)

Aniline Leather is open pore smooth leather. The advantage of this leather is the warmth and softness. Aniline leather does not feel cold. Aniline leather are natural and beautiful and is therefore also the pinnacle of leather.

But aniline leather is more sensitive. A rubbed in drop of water penetrates the surface. Even if the leather is impregnated by the manufacturer, this impregnation rubs off in areas of use and the leather gets stain-sensitive on the long run.

Aniline Leather is open pore, warm and soft, but sensitive.

Stains cannot be wiped off. Liquids sink into the surface and stains remain. In most cases there are no cleaners which can remove such stains. Aniline leather also tends to typical grease stains in head or skin contact areas and is mostly UV-sensitive.

In case of children and pets, chips and fries contact, in direct sunlight and contact with hair without cushions, the use of aniline leather should be avoided.

If you decide on aniline leather, you probably should choose a darker leather. Black is not necessary. But dark brown, dark green, dark blue or dark red are preferable. But the higher UV sensitivity remains.

Aniline leather is more expensive because the best skins without damages can only be used for this type of leather. Often customers think that the higher price is associated with a greater insensitivity. But this is wrong. Silk is also much more expensive than other fabrics, but nevertheless very sensitive. Same is with aniline leather. Therefore, a good furniture store asks if aniline leather fits to a customer. But this seldom occurs, as more expensive furniture is more profitable.

Aniline leather is beautiful.

Conclusion: Aniline leather is beautiful and the grip nice and warm, but it is sun and stain-sensitive. Therefore, a careful handling is important. Avoid sunlight and stains. In doubt choose darker colours. Aniline leather is in the upper price segment. Buy well-known brands and from established dealers.

Maintenance advice: Protect aniline right from the start with a good waterproofing spray to prevent stains. If the leather gets dry over the years, also use an oil-containing spray. The most important protection is prevention! Therefore, always protect aniline leather well against stains and direct sunlight.

Advice for stains and damages: Always ask for advice in time and avoid worsening the damage by improper means and methods. As soon as stains, brittle, fading or other problems occur, ask a specialised company for advice. The longer you wait, the harder it is to clean or repair.

Suede, nubuck and buffalo leather (between velvet like leather and aniline leather)

These open pore and mostly sanded leathers are sensitive. Stains and fading are typical problems. As with aniline leather, the possibilities of cleaning and repairs are limited.

Nubuck and suede furniture.

Conclusion: Nubuck and suede are beautiful types of leather. They are soft and warm, but sensitive to stains and fading. Therefore handle it carefully. Avoid direct sunlight and prevent stains. Choose darker colours if possible. If stains, fading or other problems occur, ask as soon as possible a specialised company for advice. The longer you wait, the more hopeless is an easy solution.

Pull up leather - Greased leather - Waxed leather - Oiled leather - Vintage leather

Nowadays vintage leather belongs to the typical range of types of leather of the furniture manufacturers. These are types of leather, which get faster patina than other types of leather. The surfaces is finished smooth with oils and fats that wear becomes quickly apparent by stretching, scratching and friction. It belongs to the nature of this type of leather and such changes are not unwished.

Conclusion: Vintage Leder is durable and easy to maintain. Who is aware that such changes will come with time, will be satisfied with this type of leather. But who is looking for furniture that looks as long as possible same as at the day of purchase, won`t be happy with this type of leather.

Maintenance advice: Seek advice with these types of leather. Greased, waxed or oiled leather is usually easy to clean and maintain. But depending on the gloss and open porosity of the leather, the care instruction can vary. Signs of wear can often be polished off with an appropriate care product.

PU leather - Foil-coated split leather

Sometimes furniture is offered with split leather which is coated with a finish and embossed or a layer of embossed and coloured polyurethane is glued to the surface to let it look like the more valuable grain side split. Due to frequent problems after a short periode, this kind of leather can hardly be recommended. Because of the coating, such leather is little breathable and you sweat more quickly sitting on it. It also feels colder compared to better qualities of smooth leather.

Conclusion: In a guest area with little frequency, PU leather is not a problem. But as living room leather in daily use, this type of leather is too often damaged or worn too early. As PU leather are offered very inexpensive, it might be bought if longevity and comfort is not the primary focus.

What should be considered when buying new leather furniture?

You can have bad luck when purchasing leather furniture. But there are basic rules that help to avoid the worst mistakes.

Advice

Often the advice on the purchase is poor. Very few sellers of leather furniture can distinguish the different leather types and their advantages and disadvantages well. Complicit are the manufacturers who call all leathers to be insensitive and recommend "wipe with a damp cloth" as best leather care. This race to the least sensitive leather causes that all leathers are touted as easy to maintain. In the initial warranty period, that is correct, but in the following years, customers are disappointed when the leather does not behave as expected.

A customer with pigmented leather contacts a leather repair company on average after 5 to 10 years for the first time. The customer is just a little disappointed and his problem is usually easy to solve (products for less than 100 €).

A customer with aniline leather searches advice on average after 3 to 6 years, is rather disappointed because the leather was expensive, but an affordable assistance is often not possible. In about 30% of all cases (large-scale fading, retracted stains) a professional leather cleaning and colouration with corresponding costs is necessary. Only with dark leather, the rate is more positive.

A customer with suede or nubuck contacts a leather repair company on average before 5 years and is rather unhappy. Simple aid is only possible with slight stains. Customers with buffalo leather seek advice after about 5 to 10 years and are not unhappy with their leather choice. This type of leather is almost only sold in dark colours.

A PU leather customer needs help already after about 2 to 4 years and has often problems, which can't be solved without high cotsts.

This statistic is only roughly. The individual case depends on the intensity of the use of the leather. Is the leather constantly in use? Is it permanently in the sun? Does it get dirty? Are there children and pets? Is the leather light or dark? How fast was the reaction when the first problems occurred? All these individual factors must be taken into consideration when selecting the appropriate type of leather.

The statutory warranty period is 2 years in Germany. After this periode only few manufacturers assist in case of problems. Therefore, you have to think carefully about which choice is made before buying. In Norway, the statutory warranty period is 5 years. There the advice of the sales stuff is much better to avoid claim costs later.

Test methods for leather - Leather standards

Each country has its own rules for upholstery leather. There are national and international standards. With upholstery leathers, standards are often less stringent than the standards of the car industry. The standards for upholstery leather are usually determined by the leather manufacturers and furniture manufacturers and are not very strict. It occurs, that an examination confirms a leather quality as within the norm, but the customer has an unsightly furniture after a few years without own fault.

However, the manufacturer cannot please everyone. The beautiful leathers are more sensitive and the easy to care leathers are less attractive and feels colder and stiffer. Both isn`t possible at the same time.

There are also numerous repair products and leather repair specialists. But advice has to be asked in time. Frequently furniture owners ask for advice too late and a solution of the problem could have been much easier and cheaper if advice would have been asked a few years earlier.

There are committed furniture stores (mostly family businesses) which give very good advice and provide an excellent customer service. In large furniture chains, the staff tends to be less committed and the contacts are often changing or through third-party service providers. As furniture can not be easily shipped and many repairs can not be made suburb, the costs of a good service are very high. Many manufacturers try do avoid this extra expenditure. But as in any industry, there are excellent providers and others with very poor service.

Low-cost promotion leather furniture tend to be less durable. But customers of IKEA are mostly satisfied with the purchased furniture. IKEA customers are usually very happy with the price-performance ratio. Online customers who purchased cheap offers are often later disappointed.

Place of purchase: Furniture store - Exhibition

It is recommended to buy leather furniture at a long-established local furniture store. There you have better chances to deal with engaged and competent personnel. It's not recommended to buy leather furniture far away from home or at a show. The distance makes the handling of complaints much more difficult. In the big chains experiences are different. Ask questions about the offered materials and the service. You easily notice whether the sales staff is competent and helpful.

In apparently discounted offers you should always take a closer look. Often not only offer cheap, but also the processed materials.

What you should look for when buying leather furniture in furniture stores (especially very cheap special offers):

Are really all surfaces of leather?
Is split leather processed?
Is the description of the processed materials clearly? Sometimes the vendor uses phantasy names which sound like [|[Leather#What materials can be called leather?|real leather]], but it is not. Often the information is well hidden or sometimes the information is even wrong.
Check that the product description (material specifications / leather type) appears in the order and in the invoice. Otherwise, you have no proof in case of complaints. Always keep the brochures with the bill.

Place of purchase: Internet

Be careful with "super offers" on the internet. In particular, if there is no shop and no one can be reached by phone. You can not be sure that the dealer is still accessible in case of problems. Often prices on the internet are very low, so that the desire to buy is high. The price advantage is often justified by the missing margins. But often customers have problems with the furniture after buying cheap offers on the internet. Contacts are often unavailable. The leathers are different than indicated. Often the leather furniture comes from Asia and the providers have no knowledge about the processed materials. For online purchases, always check the product immediately and prefer to use the right of return (if possible) instead of discussin the leather quality later.

What you should look for when buying leather furniture on the internet:

Is the vendor achievable?
Call the provider to obtain an impression of the competence.
Can you check the furniture on the spot? Consider whether it might make sense to invest the time to visit the dealer and to inspect the furniture. Furniture is not cheap.
How long does the company already exists?
Are really all surfaces of leather?
Is split leather processed?
Is the leather corrected grain (not bad, but also not high quality]?
Ask where the furniture was produced, where the leather was tanned and where the leather does come from.
Are the alleged quality brands really well-known brands? Ask for verifiable references.
Check the appropriate review sites, whether there have been complaints. Caution! Reviews are often cheated.
Are the material descriptions clearly? Sometimes the vendor uses phantasy names which sound like [|[Leather#What materials can be called leather?|real leather]], but it is not. Often the information is well hidden or sometimes the information is even wrong.
It happens more often that online retailers do not attach any bills. Always ask for the invoice and note that the product description (material specifications / leather types) are listed in the invoice text. Otherwise, you have no evidence in case of complaints. Always print a screen shot of the offer too.

Online trade with fair terms and creative campaign: wing-sofa.

Collected cases of bad experiences

As when buying a car, most customers are happy with its leather furniture. There are fortunately rare cases where customers regret heaving bought new leather furniture. Here some examples of bad experiences.

Collected cases of bad experiences

Origin of the furniture - Origin of the leather - Where was the leather tanned?

Leather furniture is produced more often than expected in low-cost countries. The leather for the furniture can be from anywhere in the world. The leather is not always tanned in the country of slaughter. But not everything which is produced inexpensive for economic reasons is also of poor quality. But the more exotic the countries are, the more careful you should be.

Origin of the furniture: In Europe, many furniture come from Eastern Europe. Poland is the largest manufacturer. The quality is generally very good. Particularly cheap furniture is from Asia. Cheap are also the processed materials.

Origin of the leather: For almost all furniture cowhide is processed. Cattle are all over the world. But the animal keeping is different and therefore the quality of the rawhide. Skins from developed countries are considered to be of high quality. The animals are perfectly kept and maintained. Cowhide also comes from South America or India. Although one can not generally say that leather from exotic countries is inferior, but you have to look closer in such cases.

Location of the tannery: Experience has shown that tanneries in Northern Europe are monitored much more severe than tanneries in south of Europe or in exotic countries. If leather is sold as "approved" or "of high quality" or "with low emissions", the location of the tannery should play a role. Its not true, that tanneries in exotic locations always produce inferior leather, but leather from Northern Europe tends to be safer in quality.

Thickness of the leather

Many factors have an influence on the formation of dents and creases in leather:

The thickness of the leather
The elasticity and the stretchability of the leather
The size of the surface
The softness of the upholstery
The tightness of the leather covering

The thicker the leather is, the less flexible it is, the smaller the surface is, the stronger the padding is and the tighter the furniture is covered, the less it comes to such phenomena.

The elasticity of the leather, the thickness of the leather, the tightness of the leather covering and the softness of the cushioning affects the formation of dents and creases.

Many customers believe that a thicker leather lasts much longer. The reason why a leather furniture is no longer beautiful or useful, is usually the optics. Damages such as stains, abrasion, fading, cracks and embrittlement makes a piece of furniture worthless. Long after the optic is no longer beautiful, the leather tears. Although a thicker leather does not tear as fast as a thinner leather, a shabby-looking thick leather is not a big advantage. Cow leather is very resistant to tearing. Only split leather tears more easily. In case of a cheap offer with different thickness, choose the thicker leather.

Colour of the leather

Basically, darker colours are easier to care than light colours. On bright surfaces changes are more visible and therefore its more sensitive and it needs to be maintained more. Also textile discolouration on leather on leather and imitation leather occur more frequently. In the purchase agreement, the furniture business escape of the liability. Thereforebe careful when buying very bright surfaces. If discolourations occur, you should react quickly. The faster you try to clean, the greater is the chances of success. Also very bright or garish leather colours are sensitive.

Leather Furniture - Extra warranty

In addition to the legal warranty some furniture manufacturers offer extended warranties. The terms and conditions should be checked carefully! Often the terms are flowery or the most typical damages are not covered by the warranty. Think of damage you expect the warranty would cover and check in the terms and conditions whether they are really covered. Sometimes only repaires are offered, but not replacement. Sometimes the warrenty is only valid if a yearly purchase of a leather care set can be prooved. Is a year omitted, the warranty is expired. Somtimes the costs of a visit of a repair service must be paid if the damage is not covered by the warrenty. But the customer doesn't know before the visit, if it is a case of warranty. In such cases, you should seek advice from consumer advice or legal counsel.

Often the warrenty is not as valuable as expected. But it seems trustworthy and is often used for advertising. The offered furniture is often of good quality. But only buy such furniture if you would have bought it also without the extra warrenty.

Extend Furniture Guarantees - Special waterproofing

Some furniture stores offer a "special impregnation" with extra guarantees. This offer mostly does not come from the furniture producer but from external companies. Many furniture manufacturers exclude their own warranties, if the furniture is treated with products they don't recommend. Always check, what is guaranteed and it typical damages and stains are included. Often typical problems are excluded and only "best possible cleaning or repair" is offered.

The following should be considered when such fuarantees are offered:

Ask if the furniture is not yet adequately protected from the manufacturer. Furniture should already be ready to use and best possible protected when leaving the manufacturer.
Important! Let confirm in the order confirmation and in the invoice, that the furniture manufacturer recommends the impregnation of his own furniture.
Important! Let confirm in the order confirmation and in the invoice, that the guarantee of the manufacturer remains. Usually the manufacturer warranty ends, when any foreign products comes on the furniture.
Check if the the terms of the extra warranty are clear and enclose typical damages and stains. Often there are only flowery descriptions. Let you explain a typical "warranty" and check if it's listed in the contract.
It already happend, that a customer had to sign, that he doesn`t sign a extended warranty. Don't buy in such furniture stores. Reliable furniture stores and furniture manufacturers would never insist on such confirmations.

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Leather care

Regular cleaned and cared furniture lasts longer and remains insensitive. The sales sales staff avoids discussing maintenance. Cleaning and maintenance is often considered as negative and therefore it is often answered with recommendations like "The leather is so good that wiping with a damp cloth is enough".

Often problems with stains and traces of use occur after the guarantee or warranty period. When later problems occur, it is often assumed you have cleaned and cared too sparingly or with inappropriate cleaning and care products. Always ask for the cleaning and care instructions and check if it is understandable.

Basic rules when dealing with leather furniture

First check if the leather is absorbent. On absorbent leathers (aniline leather, suede, nubuck) a rubbed-in drop of water will sink into the surface and darken the leather. On non-absorbing leathers water runs off. Absorbent leathers are much more sensitive.
First test all products and treatments in a hidden area. Especially when working on absorbent leather. Absorbent leather can easily be damaged if treated wrong.
Regular cleaning and caring of furniture leather prevents staining and signs of wear and extends the life span.
Always clean dirty leather before using leather care products.
Let the leather always dry by itself. Do not use a hairdryer and do not dry in direct sunlight. Otherwise the leather can shrink.
Light leathers are sensitive to “jeans colouration” or any form of dye transfers. Always clean immediately after visible stains to avoid colouration sinking into the surface.
Always work with the recommended products from seam to seam.
Don’t rub too hard on stains which cannot be removed. You risk damaging the surface. Contact a specialist first.
Don’t use aggressive solvents (acetone, nail polish remover, turpentine etc.) or abrasive liquids |to remove stains and dirt. You will cause damages.
Don’t use wrong care products like shoe polishes and cosmetic creams.
Leather changes because of sunlight and heat. Leather can fad and get dry. Try to avoid direct daily sunlight and the proximity of heating. Always use care products with UV protection.
Leather gets traces of use after a while. Leather can fade over the years. If changes occur (e. g. scratches, stains, fading), react early enough. The earlier leather is helped, the easier it is to keep the leather nice over a long period.
Leather has an optimum humidity of 40 to 60% and needs ventilation. Leather can become mold when humidity is above 70% and/or without enough air circulation.
Coloured leather furniture, especially open-pore leather, oiled leather or suede should not be pushed directly to light walls with rough surfaces to avoid colourations to the wall. A simple test: Rub with a light, damp cloth in hidden area on the leather and check the colouration. Light colouration is normal when testing these types of leather.