Must Know Before Purchasing Leather

There are many types of leather and it is up to you as a consumer to be knowledgeable about what you are buying because cleaning and preservation methods vary widely and you don’t want to make any mistakes when buying leather couches or leather interior vehicles. At Love Your Leather and Love Your Tailor we specialize in cleaning and restoring leather items. With over 25 years of leather cleaning and restoration experience we are canada’s best leather cleaners and leather alteration specialists. To inquire about our leather cleaning services check out – leather cleaning Toronto, to read more about our leather alteration and restoration services check out – Tailors Toronto

Listed below are different type of leather and their unique characteristics.

Top-grain finished leather: this is the strongest of all leather. It has an epidermis and a protective clear coat on the surface hat makes it the most durable leather known. If you live in an active household or are using leather commercially then this is the type of leather you need. It is very durable and very stain and fade resistant. The only downside is that it is fairly stiff and can feel cold in the winter.

Corrected top-grain finished leather: this leather epidermis is sanded mildly to eliminate imperfections. It is not as durable as the leather listed above because its topcoat is sanded. It is heavily coated with dressing and water repellents. This type of leather is most common in vehicles.

Split-hide finished leather: this leather is not very durable because it is not the top-grain of the hide. It is fairly inexpensive but doesn’t have a very long life. It is heavily coated to make it glassy and appear high quality. It is very easy to clean and still quite resistant to fading and tearing.

Unfinished aniline-dyed leather: this leather is very expensive because it is very soft and smooth because it has only a thin coat of protectant. It has the best feel of all leathers and is loved for its authentic look and feel. Because it is the rawest form of leather it is quite durable but it easily absorbs stains and fades quickly. It is very hard to maintain over along period of time.

Suede: this leather is of top-grain. It is the flesh side of the hide of an animal. It is dyed with aniline and is not protected with any waterproofing or other protectants. It is very soft and cozy; however, it has a short lifespan because it stains and fades very easily. It is also difficult to clean.