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Home > About Us > Leather Terms
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Useful Terms
| | Full Grain Leather is leather that has not been modified or corrected in any way. It is high quality leather with a natural leather grain. Full grain leather is usually used to make aniline or semi-aniline leather.
Top Grain Leather (also called corrected grain leather) is leather that has been modified to correct imperfections on the surface of the leather. It usually used to make pigmented leather. To make top grain leather the hide is split into layers, the lower layer is removed and the grain side is retained. This makes top grain leather thinner and more pliable than full grain leather. After being split, the leather is buffed or sanded to remove surface marks. It is then pigmented and printed with an artificial grain pattern. Finally, a protective topcoat is applied. Top grain leather is a strong, durable upholstery material.
Split Leather is leather made from the "split" section of a hide. A piece of leather can be sliced (split) into layers to give top grain leather (the grain side) and split leather (the inside pieces of leather). Split leather is often used to make suede. Sometimes, split leather is embossed with a grain pattern and used to make inexpensive pigmented leather. Split leather is not as strong or as durable as full or top grain leather. It can also be difficult to repair.
Bonded leather is a low cost leather alternative. Bonded leather is made by bonding together thin pieces of split leather using latex binding agents. Bonded leather is designed to mimic the look and feel of genuine leather, but it is not as strong or as durable as genuine leather. It is not usually possible to repair bonded leather.
Bycast is essentially a synthetic product. It consists of a thick polyurethane topcoat applied to a low-grade or reconstituted leather base. The thick polyurethane topcoat makes bycast leather stiff and gives it high gloss sheen. Bycast leathers are generally much less expensive then genuine leather products, but their quality is highly variable. It is not usually possible to repair by cast.
The Seven Golden Rules of Leather Care
| | 1. Use protection Protect your leather furniture with Leather Protection Cream before you use it. Re-protect every time you use a leather cleaning product.
2. Clean your furniture regularly , but not excessively. Keeping it clean is one of the best ways to extend the life of your leather furniture. However, to ensure your leather has the longest life possible you need to treat it gently.
3. Select care products carefullyOnly use products specifically designed for leather. Never use strong detergents, chemicals, saddle soaps or hide food. Always test leather care products before use.
4. Keep your furniture away from heat Heat causes leather to dry out, making the leather stiff and brittle. Position your furniture at least 30cm away from any sources of heat.
5. Avoid sunlight Never place your furniture in direct sunlight. Sunlight has a drying effect on leather, and UV radiation will fade leather furniture. Aniline and nubuck leathers are particularly susceptible to fading.
6. Protect your furniture from damage Leather is tough and resilient, but it isn’t impervious to damage. Like your own skin, leather needs to be treated with care and protected from scuffs, tears, burns and scratches.
- Be careful when moving leather furniture. Lift it don’t drag it.
- Avoid leaving sharp objects on your furniture.
- Keep your furniture safe from pets.
- Take care when smoking. Leather is fire resistant, but dropped cigarettes will still cause damage.
- Take care when using chemicals (nail polish, nail polish remover, cleaning products, etc) on or near your furniture.
7. Beware of dyes Dye from newspapers and fabrics – such as clothing, cushions and throws – can transfer to your furniture’s leather upholstery. Stains caused by dye transfer are very difficult to remove.
- Always make sure throws and cushions are colour fast before putting them on your lounge.
- Never sit wet towels or clothing on your furniture.
- Don’t leave newspapers or printed plastic bags sitting on your furniture.
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Why Does Leather Need Protection?
| | Protection from Stains
Unprotected leather is highly absorbent. Leather is hydrophilic – it loves water. Unprotected leather draws liquids deep into its fibres causing stains that can be nearly impossible to remove. Leather Protection Cream is hydrophobic - it repels water and helps prevent stains. Leather Protection Cream also helps to prevent oil and alcohol based stains. Nothing can provide 100% protection from stains, but protected leather is always easier to clean.
Protection from Damage
It’s not just stains that you need to worry about. Some substances can actually damage leather. One of the most common causes of damage to leather is contact with the human body. Over time, body oils and perspiration can cause serious damage to leather. Leather Protection Cream places an invisible, breathable barrier between you and your leather protecting it from stains AND damage.
Protection from Drying
Leather Protection Cream also helps to limit the drying effect of cleaning products. Even the gentlest cleaning products can cause leather to dry out with repeated use. When you treat your leather with Leather Protection Cream you are cleaning dirt and soiling from the top of the protective layer, this limits the amount of contact the cleaner has with the leather.
Pigmented leather already has a protective topcoat. Does it need additional protection?
In short, yes. Leather Protection Cream also helps to protect the topcoat. Many substances can stain or damage the topcoat. The topcoat is particularly susceptible to damage from body oils and perspiration. And, the topcoat doesn’t always provide complete protection. With use, the topcoat will eventually wear. Even on brand new furniture the topcoat may be cracked, damage or inadequately applied. When you apply Leather Protection Cream you ensure that your furniture is always protected.
How to Clean & Maintain Leather Furniture
| | A regular routine of protection and cleaning will help protected your furniture from stains and damage, and add years to its life. Some types of soiling only affect the way your furniture looks. Others can actually damage the leather. Dust and perspiration are both particularly damaging. Dust is abrasive: it acts like sandpaper. Over time dust can cause serious damage to the furniture’s topcoat. Perspiration and body oils contain salts, enzymes and fatty acids, all of which can stain and damage leather and its topcoat. It is important to prevent perspiration and body oils from building up.
To ensure your leather furniture has the longest life possible, we recommend that you:
PROTECT your new leather furniture with Leather Protection Cream before use.
CLEAN REGULARLY, BUT NOT EXCESSIVELY
Every Week: you should dust your furniture. The best way to dust your furniture is using a vacuum cleaner. Use a soft brush head or upholstery attachment and set the vacuum cleaner to low suction. After vacuuming use a cloth dampened with a little water to wipe overthe areas that come in contact with the body (headrests, armrests and seats). If your furniture is protected with Leather Protection Cream, you don’t need to use Leather Soft Cleaner every time you clean your furniture, a soft cloth and a little water will do the trick.
Every 3-6 months: you should thoroughly clean your furniture with Leather Soft Cleaner to remove built up dirt and grime. How often you need to clean your furniture will depend on its colour and how quickly it becomes soiled. If you have light coloured furniture, aniline leather, or if your furniture is heavily used (particularly by pets and small children) you will need to clean your furniture more often. But, do not clean your lounge more than necessary, excess cleaning causes unnecessary wear on the topcoat and even the gentlest cleaning products can cause leather to dry out if they are over used.
RE-PROTECT your furniture with Leather Protection Cream after thorough cleaning (every time you use a leather cleaning product). When you clean your leather with a cleaning product, such as Leather Soft Cleaner, the Leather Protection Cream is removed.
AND attend to spills and stains immediately. The fresher a stain is, the easier it is to remove.
Suitable for aniline and pigmented leather
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