The Basics about Furniture Leather


What is Top-Grain Leather?

Top-grain leather is the best quality and most natural-looking leather there is. When buying furniture, top-grain is the most durable, most desirable and typically most expensive form of leather.

When a hide is cured, it is split to divide the top layer from the layer beneath. Top Grain is the top portion. The grain remains in its natural state which will allow the best fiber strength, resulting in greater durability. It retains all the natural scarring and wrinkling of the hide, which is minimized by skillful cutting and placement of the hide on the piece of furniture. The natural grain also has natural breath ability, resulting in greater comfort for clothing. The finest leather furniture are made from top-grain leather.

What is Split Leather?

Split leathers are naturally soft and malleable, but they are not as strong and durable as top-grains. Split leather is formed when the lower layer of a hide, beneath the visible grain is split off from the top-grain layer. On thicker hides, this layer may be split again so that three distinct layers are created: the grain split, the middle split and the flesh split. Middle-split leather is often embossed with a repeating pattern that mimics the look of natural-grain leather. Flesh-split leather often is sanded, buffed or otherwise processed to achieve different waxy or velvety finishes, one of which is suede.

The hide's top layer has multiple grains that go all different directions, making it very strong and durable. The sub layers, however, have fibers that run in a single direction. This makes these layers more susceptible to cracking and stretching over time. Today, these layers are often treated to stay softer, which helps prevent cracks and other signs of wear.

What is Micro fiber?

It has a soft comfortable feel, very durable. low maintenance and lightweight durability. This material is very stain & water resistant.

It’s a synthetic fiber that is extremely soft, lightweight, breathable, durable and ultra fine. In fact, micro fibers are two times finer than silk and one hundred times finer than a human hair. Micro fiber is currently manufactured from acrylic, nylon, polyester and rayon.

What is Leather Match?

Leather-match is a combination of leather and vinyl. Leather Match upholstery features Top Grain leather on al the visible panels with vinyl everywhere else. The vinyl areas of the furniture are custom matched to be undetectable form the leather. The leather will cover all areas that are seen and touched, while the less visible, less-used areas are covered in vinyl. In addition, leather-match furniture is typically much less expensive than its top-grain counterparts.

What is Bi-cast Leather?

Bi cast leather is a split leather with a layer of polyurethane applied to the surface and then embossed. Bi-cast leather furniture makers takes a thin layer of genuine leather and applies an additional thin layer of synthetic material that has been dyed and embossed to resemble top-grain leather.

Because less real leather is required to upholster each item, bi-cast furniture is typically much less expensive than 100% genuine leather alternatives. Increasingly becoming more popular in recent years, Bi-cast leather recently was adopted by the furniture industry because of it’s appearance and durability and offers a less expensive alternative to genuine leather. Bi-cast Leather is easier to clean and maintain.

What is Suede?

The texture is incredibly soft and using suede on your furniture will prove to be warm and inviting. The soft, "flesh" side of leather. Considered more luxurious because its surface has been brushed, leaving a nap, velvet-like texture.