about leather

What is leather?

Leather is a byproduct of the beef industry and puts to excellent use hides that may otherwise go to waste. Through an ancient process called tanning, the hides are transformed into soft supple leather. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes the art of tanning best; "tan - to convert (hide) into leather by treatment with an infusion of tannin-rich bark or other agent of similar affect." Now that a simple explanation of the leather process has been explained let's move on to the different types of leather available.

In the world of leather, not all leathers are created equal.
While some retain the natural markings and variations
that speak to so many people, some leathers are rendered through various methods which remove the grain and any unique characteristics giving the overall appearance of sameness. Before stepping into a furniture gallery to locate the leather furniture that fits your décor, learn a bit about the various grades and types of leather.
Leather Furniture with a uniform appearance that lacks the individual characteristics of full grain leather, called pigmented or painted, tends to be the leather most often used in the furniture industry. Sealing with a finishing agent makes it less breathable which lessens the durability with an end result of less expense when buying leather furniture.

Why buying leather furniture makes sense?

Besides the aesthetic value of leather furniture's unique characteristics and rich sophistication, leather is a great value even though it's at the high end of the furniture buying spectrum.
What makes it such a great value?

Durability. Leather furniture lasts about 4 times longer than cloth covered. It will stain if spills are left unattended, but spills on leather are easily wiped off. The tough nature of leather allows for rough housing children and pets on the furniture.

As leather furniture ages it acquires a patina, a soft sheen to the leather from age and use that is desirable and attractive.

Warm in the winter and cool in the summer, leather is furniture for all seasons.

Caring for leather is a breeze. Wipe up spills with a soft cloth or use manufacturer's recommended products. Because liquid bubbles up and is wiped off makes leather a great addition to any room.

Non-allergenic with an added feature of stretching to mold to the shape of your body.

How to clean and maintain Leather Furniture?

Leather comes in two different varieties and each of these has their own way of keeping clean. The first kind is known as finished leather. This type of leather is characterized by being coated with a smooth finish. Often times, you will find the leather finish being used for various clothing apparel such as jackets and pants and luggage such as briefcases and bags. This particular type of leather is often finished to become smooth and used thinly over the material because the presumption is that it will usually rub off against the owner’s skin. In order to clean finished leather items, you will need a damp cloth together with a mild moisturizing type of soap.
Just make sure that the cloth is damp and then put a dab of mild moisturizing soap on it. Massage the damp cloth afterwards until you see a small lather and then you can finally rub this onto the leather. Just make sure you do this lightly so that no excess water and soap comes out of the cloth. After damping the leather with the mixture, dry it through the use of a dry smooth cloth which is also clean. You can also finish up the process through the use of a leather conditioner.
The other type of leather is known as unfinished leather. This requires a different method of cleaning as this is tougher than the previous one. Unfinished leather is often utilized for heavily used items such as tools and equipment. Examples of unfinished leather are baseball gloves as well as horse saddles. With this type of leather, you can use the similar mixture you’ve used with finished leather. However, when wiping you can already leave some lather behind. After leaving the lather, use a clean cloth to simply wipe off the lather. But this is not where everything ends.
After the lathered mixture, the next thing you should apply onto to the unfinished leather is mink oil. This is known as a great leather preservative which can help keep it from being worn out and thus continuously pliable when used. Do not make the mistake of using leather preservatives for unfinished leather because this can damage its components. Unless otherwise instructed, mink oil should be the only thing to apply on unfinished leather apart from the mild soap and water lather.
Also, all leather furniture requires LEATHER CONDITIONER. Yes, exactly like our skin. How often do you use Body Lotion on your skin?
Today you can find many different types of leather care products in the Market. The leather conditioner-protectors are 2 products rolled into one. The conditioner, made up of tanners oils to penetrate into the leather and help to keep it supple. The protector, a combination of tanners waxes, leaves an invisible protective film over you leather, to prevent soiling from touching your leather finish.
It is important to remember that the leather conditioner-protector is a protective barrier that will eventually wear off. That is why it is important to regularly clean your leather and reapply the conditioner, generally
every 4 to 6 months.