Buying Leather furniture you should know this: Fancy names for cheep vinyl

Faux Leather

As the name suggests, this is not real leather. It is man-made  from synthetic materials such as plastic and rubber-coated fabric. Will crack and pill of after a year of use.

Bonded "Leather"

To create bonded leather, leather scraps and fibres are mixed together, and then formed into a roll using adhesives or other bonding materials. In fact, the manufacturing process is very similar to making paper."Bonded leather” is a cheaper manufacturer’s first line of attack in selling you the look and feel of leather for a “great deal.” Unfortunately, bonded leather is hardly leather at all—by definition, it has to be only 17% leather. So leather is to bonded leather what chicken is to chicken McNuggets (or pressboard to wood, or dryer lint to fabric): In other words, it’s processed beyond recognition.

In reality, a person sitting on bonded leather is not sitting on leather at all, only plastic. And unlike real top-grain leather, the ground-up hide and plastic will never acclimate to your body temperature or get better with age. What will do your body heat will anglue particals and you will end up with the holes in seating areas which grow larger with the time.

"Bi-cast Leather"

That being said, bicast can still serve as an economical alternative for people wanting the look of leather without the price. Another benefit might be that bicast and bonded leather wipe up easily (since they have plastic surfaces) and you won’t run into many of the food/drink stain issues you may experience with upholstered furniture.

 Bicast leather (also known as bi-cast, bycast, or PU leather) is what most people consider the next step up in quality.                                                                                Before a hide is put into production tickness of the hide is about 5mm, it is cut horizontally into layers. These layers consist of the top grain (the top layer that maintains the actual surface of the cow’s hide where the pores and hair follicles used to be) and then last split below that is "bycast".

Bicast leather is a layer of split which was too thin or flawed for normal use and that, like bonded leather, is completely sealed on top with a layer of polyurethane. Like bonded leather, no actual point of contact is possible between the natural leather and your skin and, therefore, bicast doesn’t demonstrate any of the same wear or comfort attributes of top-grain. It too will cramble with the time (year or two).                                                                                                                                                                               It is made by gluing a sheet of polyurethane colour to a split grain. It has the appearance of top grain leather, at a fraction of the cost. Bi-cast does not age well. In fact, it cracks and peels when exposed to too much friction. So, make sure that you purchase bi-cast furniture knowingly and not because you were led to believe it is real leather.

Split Grain 

After the removal of the top grain, you get split leather from the remaining part of the hide. This leather is harder and cheaper than full grain leather. Split leather is comparatively more fragile and gets easily tear or damaged if not handled properly.                As mentioned before, a split is merely the lower layers of a hide underneath the top-grain. A split is still 100% real leather but does not have all of the characteristics of top-grain due to processing differences.                                                                       When a split is made, it is initially light-colored and fuzzy or suede-like on both the top and bottom of the hide so that it won’t look like top grain. On leather furniture, the traditional top-grain leather look is shiny, has natural variations in color (as a hide is a natural product with variations in thickness and quality and, therefore, withstands dyes differently), has a smooth and soft hand (or feel), and natural “pebbling” (the unique bumps that vary depending on from which part of the cow the hide was taken).Because a split has none of these qualities, the split must be processed through various means to simulate the appearance and feel of top-grain leather. Although the result is still 100% leather, some softness is always lost through the processing procedures and natural variations in color and pebbling are no long evident as these hides are run through a uniform screen.

Top Grain

.The leather, otherwise known as corrected grain or full grain pigmented, is taken from the outer layers of the hide and is the toughest leather type. Unlike full grain, top grain is usually buffed to remove any imperfections. Top grain leather furniture will typically be more expensive, but will have an incredibly soft feel and will be long lasting.                                                                                           As stated above, the top grain is the smoothest, supplest, most natural, and best kind of furniture leather your money can buy. Each hide is as individual and unique as a fingerprint. Real, top-grain is comprised of about 12-14% water. For this reason, top-grain leather acclimates quickly to your body temperature. Leather is a natural product and thus breathes like one.                                                                                                     Many people who have experienced “sweating” on "leather" and are therefore turned off by the idea of leather furniture are referring to a leather product like Faux leather, bonded leather, bicast leather, split leather or vinyl (you actually was siting on vinyl). This is especially true in car seats that sit in the sun for hours.

Top-grain comes in two different grades: aniline and semi-aniline. Aniline is the most natural and has no protective coatings or treatments that alter its natural feel. Because of this, it’s the softest but also susceptible to stains, while semi-aniline may be coated with a protective topcoat.

Nubuck

This is top grain cattle rawhide leather that has been sanded or buffed on the grain side, giving it the appearance similar to velvet and suede. It has a more uniform appearance because the exterior is sprayed with a finishing agent. It is cheaper as compared to full grain leather. However, nubuck furniture is fragile in nature and requires careful maintenance. A waterproofing treatment is mandatory to keep the material looking good.

Full Grain

The term full grain describes leathers retaining the imprints original to the hide and the animal it was taken from.

Full grain leather, is the leather that is formed just by removing the hair present on the skin of the hide. The whole hide is used, rather than just some layers of it. Except for hair removal and soaking in some form of natural dye like analine vegetable dye, it is basically untreated leather. No polishing and finishing is done to the grain. Although there may be imperfections on the leather, as it retains all of the original texture and markings of the original hide, this kind of grain tends to look and feel better with time. As such, it is usually the most expensive kind of leather furniture available.

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 Protect leather with a conditioner designed specifically for the type of leather you select. Because leather is a natural product, it will be affected by direct sunlight and will need periodic conditioning to protect it from drying out. Expect changes, since the appearance of leather will alter as it ages by softening, absorbing body oils, etc., which will give it a high-low look and add to the overall beauty of the hide.

LEATHER CARE

Leather is a natural product. Follow these guidelines to ensure your leather products remain beautiful:

FOR SPOTS AND SPILLS

Wipe up excess liquids with a soft cloth or sponge. If a spot needs special attention, a damp cloth or sponge soaked in lukewarm, mild soap water can be used. Dry with a woolen cloth and wait until completely dry before using.

DON’T USE HARSH PRODUCTS

NEVER use aggressive substances such as stain removers, cleaning solvents, turpentine, shoe polish, saddle soap, furniture polish, oils, varnish, abrasive cleaners, detergents, ammonia water, or any other type of chemical solution on your leather. 

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