Leather is a common material in life, such as shoes, bags, belts, sofas, beds, soft bag decorations, etc. all use leather. This time, we sort out the leather materials commonly used in sofas, beds, and upholstered furniture, and provide reference for you when choosing leather furniture. After all, leather sofas are much more expensive than fabric sofas, so learn some professional knowledge in advance. Good-quality leather has an inherent high texture, which can not only express the warm atmosphere of the family, but also highlight the taste of the owner.
Genuine Leather
Genuine leather is made by tanning the skins of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, deer and other animals. The real leather on the market usually uses cowhide, sheepskin, and pigskin as the main leather raw materials.
Cowhide is often used to make furniture. Cowhide leather has the following classifications:
Whole green leather (cow's first and second layers of leather): It is the best kind of Italian leather. Italian leather means imported cowhide. Italian cowhide has a high reputation in the market. It is rare in the market. The most expensive.
Full green leather is made of top-quality cowhide dyed by a special process. No chemical dyes are used. The pores on the skin surface are clearly visible, and the air permeability is excellent. It can also show the natural pattern of the leather and is very wear-resistant. The price mainly depends on the quality of the leather embryo. From the beginning of the selection of leather, we are very picky. We must choose the hide of captive and castrated bulls. This kind of leather is basically free of scars and has a large width.
At present, all green skins are only imported, and domestic craftsmanship cannot be produced. Therefore, the cost is high, the price is expensive, and the maintenance requirements are high.
Semi-green leather (cow's second-layer and third-layer leather): it is made by lightly grinding the surface with a dermabrasion machine, painting it, and pressing the corresponding pattern. The coating is thin, wear-resistant, and has good air permeability. It is widely used in High-end furniture and leather goods.
Nubuck leather (cow's second-layer leather): It is a leather material that has been polished on the surface, mainly to remove the scars and fibers on the leather surface, and the matte nubuck leather has to be corroded. Breathable, soft to the touch, but not easy to clean.
Oil wax leather (top layer cowhide): it is a special leather effect formed after the top layer of cowhide is polished, oiled and waxed. It is a fashionable leather craft with an antique artistic effect, and it is also the leather of choice for major world brands. material. Soft leather, good elasticity, high tension, good water and oil absorption, the color of the leather surface will become darker when it meets water and oil, but it is easy to leave scratches.
identification of genuine leather
Hand touch: If you touch the leather surface with your hands, if it feels smooth, soft, plump, and elastic, it is real leather; while the surface of general artificial synthetic leather is astringent, rigid, and poor in softness.
Seeing: the real leather surface has relatively clear pores and patterns, the yellow cowhide has relatively well-proportioned fine pores, the yak leather has thicker and sparse pores, and the goat leather has fish scale-like pores.
The best leather, naturally beautiful, rarely requires complex surface treatments. Therefore, the more high-end sofa, the more natural the leather. In fact, in the process of tanning, surface treatment is only required for low-grade leather embryos, which are generally polished by rollers (the same process principle as the "old and broken" treatment of jeans), and the surface is filled to make it smooth and smooth.
Foreign consumers believe that scars are real cowhide, and they believe that every scar represents a story. However, domestic consumers are more pursuing the smoothness of cowhide, thinking that it is considered high-end if no pores are visible.
Smell: All genuine leather has a leather smell; while artificial leather has a strong plastic smell.
Huoliao: After a little fiber is torn from the back of real leather and artificial leather and ignited, the one that emits a pungent smell and has lumps is artificial leather; the one that emits a hairy smell and does not knot hard is genuine leather.
artificial leather
Of course, in addition to genuine leather, more furniture in the market is made of artificial leather. Our artificial leather technology has reached a mature stage.
There are many kinds of artificial leather. According to the types, the common ones on the market can be divided into: imitation leather, Western leather, environmental protection leather, and microfiber leather.
1) faux leather
Faux leather is actually PVC plastic, but the surface is made of leather! The quality of imitation leather is determined by the thickness. The national standard stipulates that the thickness is 0.65mm-0.75mm. The general imitation leather is 0.7mm thick, and there are 1.0mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm thick imitation leather. The thicker the imitation leather, the better! The color of the imitation leather is very important, it must be the same color or close to the real leather, if the difference is large, it will affect the quality of the furniture! Faux leather smells of thinner.
Advantages: good decorative effect, rich patterns and colors, environmentally friendly flame retardant, light weight, easy processing, wear-resistant, cheap;
Disadvantages: poor air permeability, hardening at low temperature leads to poor flexibility, cracks and poor slip resistance, and poor hand feeling;
Uses: In addition to making bags and seats, decorative leather is also suitable for home decoration, sliding doors, TV background, KTV decoration, soft bag leather, wall soft bag, home leather, sofa leather, furniture leather, etc.
2) Xipi
The material of Xipi is a kind of artificial leather (PVC leather with a thickness of more than 1.0mm) or synthetic leather (PU leather), which has the characteristics of beautiful appearance, smooth, good hand feeling and wear resistance. This feature makes it impossible to see the quality of Xipi from the surface, so it also causes their internal quality to vary greatly. Good quality can be used to make high-end car seats, and the quality is not so good, generally used to make computer chairs or sofas. As a kind of imitation leather, Xipi can be divided into imported imitation leather and domestic imitation leather. It has the characteristics of soft touch and is usually used in office furniture. However, after a period of time, it may appear peeling and peeling off. Maintenance is very important. It is best to keep the room ventilated and dry, try to avoid contact with high temperature, and pay attention to the cleaning of leather sofas. These methods are very effective.
3) Eco-friendly leather
Environmentally friendly leather is a new type of artificial leather, which feels very soft and has a texture similar to genuine leather. Furniture on the market is less used now.
4) Microfiber leather
Microfiber leather, full name microfiber imitation sofa leather, also called regenerated leather, belongs to a kind of newly developed high-grade raw leather in synthetic leather. Because of its advantages of wear resistance, cold resistance, breathability, aging resistance, soft texture and beautiful appearance, it has become an ideal choice to replace natural raw leather. Natural leather is "woven" from many collagen fibers of varying thickness. The surface layer of the microfiber leather is composed of a polyurethane layer with a structure similar to that of the natural leather grain layer, and the base layer is made of superfine fiber non-woven fabrics. Leather has very similar structure and properties. Compared with natural leather, microfiber leather has the following characteristics:
- The folding fastness is comparable to that of natural leather. Bending at room temperature reaches 200,000 times without cracks, and bending at low temperature (-20°C) for 30,000 times without cracks (good temperature resistance and mechanical properties).
- Moderate elongation (good leather feel), good uniformity, easy to cut and sew.
- High tear strength and peel strength (abrasion resistance, high tear strength, high tensile strength), wear resistance, bending resistance, high temperature and low temperature resistance (physical properties).
- There will be no pollution from production to use, it is mold-proof and moth-proof, and has excellent environmental protection performance.
- Resistant to hydrolysis, perspiration, and aging (chemical properties).
4 tips for maintaining leather furniture
1) Protect leather from day one
Whenever we buy something new, we always want to keep it in perfect condition, and it is best to prevent it from the beginning. We recommend that you use the leather care kit as soon as you receive it. A leather conditioner will add a protective barrier to the leather that repels stains and protects the surface from wear and tear.
2) Regularly clean the leather
Whether new or old, for the purpose of protecting leather furniture, regular cleaning is a must. For a quick wipe down, a damp cloth will suffice, but often furniture and car upholstery will need a more thorough cleaning by a professional or every 2-3 months using professional cleaning products to keep them looking their best.
3) Treat the stain gently
It's normal to want to wipe off stains right away when leather furniture has been spilled, but it's best not to do this with leather furniture. We should use a soft cloth dampened with warm water and gently wipe from the outside to the center of the stain. Wipe until the liquid or dirt is absorbed, then dry the surface with a clean cloth.
4) Avoid high temperature or sunlight
To prevent fading and damage to the leather, keep out of heat and direct sunlight as much as possible. Dry heat can dry out the leather, which can lead to cracking. The best way to prevent dryness is to clean and care for your leather items every 2 to 3 months.