TYPES OF LEATHER

Leathers are made from the skins of many animals but mainly cows, goat, sheep and pigskins. There are a great variety of leather types:

Nubuck –  leather has been lightly abraded on the grain surface to create a velvety finish or nap. In some cases the grain pattern is still visible. The nap is very fine because of the tight fibre structure in the grain layer. Nubuck is not protected and can be stained easily. It is not recommended to use in furniture for young families or very high traffic areas for that reason. 
Check if your lounge is Nubuck by placing a drop of water on the leather.  The water drop will soak into the leather almost immediately.

Semi-aniline – This type of leather is one step away from aniline as it is mildly treated before being made into a product, like leather furniture. It receives a light coating on its surface retaining a natural appearance. Check if your lounge is Semi-aniline by placing a drop of water on the leather.  The water drop will sit on the surface and then slowly soak in.

Pigmented – This is the most treated and the most durable type of leather as it is treated with a strong coating that also contains it’s pigment and protects it.Protected leather is the most durable type of leather, for that reason it is the most used leather in manufacturing furniture and car upholstery. Protected leather has a polymer surface coating containing pigments, making this the hardiest of these three different types.  

This type of leather is easy to maintain and stands up to different conditions and uses. Water will sit or bead up on the surface and not soak in. 

Antique grain (two-tone or rub-off) A special surface effect has been created to mimic the unique 'worn' appearance of traditional leathers. This is achieved by applying a contrasting top-coat which is applied unevenly or partially rubbed off to reveal a paler underlying colour. This is normally how a chesterfield or antique looking lounge is treated.

Pull-up leather (also known as waxy or oily pull-up) A leather with a natural appearance which lightens in colour when stretched during wear to produce a unique worn-in effect with time.  We do not work with Pull-up leather.



Bycast (Bicast) products are manufactured by bonding a thick polyurethane coating to a split-hide leather or composite leather substrate. Split hide and composite leather are both significantly inferior to top grain leather.
We do not work with Bycast Leather products.