Leather 101 with Steve Honan

By: Andrea Schuch
Leather is such a huge seller in furniture - not only do many clients request it but it is a great up-sell for your design business. You want to make sure you get the right leather and I have Steve Honan to tell you all about it. Steve has been in the leather repair business for many years and is married to an interior designer! He tells us this week about the ins and outs of leather - selling the right leather and care of those leathers.

I have been repairing and restoring leather for 30 years and have acquired my perspective from correcting problems. And that is the really great thing about leather is its ability to be repaired and restored.
One of the most common comments I hear from customers when selecting different kinds of leather is that they did not know what questions to ask. They are often working with a salesperson who is in the business of selling furniture not understanding leather.
Understanding leather is knowing that when a hide is first tanned it is actually quite thick. In order to get a thinner, softer hide, the original hide is split into 2 or 3 mirror hides. The first or top piece is the top grain hide and the only piece that has any strength. All the strength of the skin is in the out layer. The under skins are called split skins and have limited use and little strength. So when buying leather it is critical that you get leather that is top grain.
Diamonds in the rough
Leather hides are graded like diamonds, the fewer the flaws (by flaws I mean scars and skin imperfections) the higher the price. By purchasing a more expensive leather you are not necessarily getting better, just a more flawless hide. With a high grade hide the tanners generally do very little to the hide except vat dye and soften it. So you end up with an incredibly buttery soft hide but very little durability. If you want luxury this is it. If you want durability go for the lower, less expensive hides.
Understanding how your leather will perform is very important when you are selecting furniture. Anilines are very delicate and do not perform in everyday use as well as finished leather. Nubuck leather is luxurious but is in the same category as silk. Do you have 3 kids and dog and cat and want a sofa for the family room? Getting the right leather that will look good and stand up to spills for years will be the top grain finished leather.
First it is important to know that leather is graded like diamonds, the fewer the flaws the higher the price. And generally the more flawless hides are left natural and colored with aniline dyes. In this state.
Aniline leather is amazing stuff. It is certainly top grain and has been softened with oils to get that buttery feel. Most of the time, the thing that sells this gorgeous stuff is the hand (a term in the leather world for the feel). It is usually dyed all the way through with color and is completely raw on the top. You just can't beat the look or the feel but there is the durability factor.
This type of leather tends to be on the extremely delicate side. If you are putting your furniture in the living room where traffic is very light, this may the a good fit. But, for the family room, with the kids, the dogs, etc, you may want to explore some other finished leathers.
They also can fade quite easily. Even with indirect lighting the colors can change quite significantly. Keeping them out of direct sunlight would be imperative. Avoiding light from a very bright window is strongly suggested.
The low durability factor means that basically it cannot be cleaned. It will also mark and stain rather easily. An easy way to determine if leather is too delicate is to take your fingernail and run it across the leather and see if it leaves a trace mark.
Top grain refers to the upper section of a hide that previously contained the epidermis and hair, but were removed from the hide/skin. This is where all the strength of the hide is. Once you slice off under layers of the hide those slices of leather ( a mirror of the original hide) these split skins have little or no strength or durability. When selecting leather for upholstery it is important to make sure that you are getting the best part of the leather.
The are many different ideas floating around about leather care and leather cleaning. The first thing to do is to determine what kind of leather you have. Different leathers require different care. Mostly what you will be doing is cleaning the surface of the leather(not as easy as it sounds). There is no extraction process for leather so surface cleaning is as good as it gets.
Finished leather
For finished leathers the cleaning process can be a little more aggressive than other types. Using a cleaner made for leather only (don't use any multi-purpose cleaners) follow the manufacturer direction. Sometimes using a very soft bristled brush can speed things along nicely for the heavy grained leather. Go slowly and carefully paying close attention to anything that looks like it may be changing the finish or color of the leather. If it looks like the leather did not get fully clean, wait until it dries and then try another application of the cleaner.
Aniline leather is extremely delicate and for the most part cannot be cleaned. If you have stains in your leather it is most likely aniline and the stains are most likely permanent. The best approach for aniline is to get it stain guarded before use and then have it done on a regular basis to prevent staining. We offer a remedy for staining but you will have to call us and arrange a service. One other point with aniline is, if it is faded, conditioning it will not restore the original color and neither will cleaning.
Nubuck is a top grain leather that has a brushed finish that has a velvety look and feel. This type of leather again is extremely luxurious but extremely delicate. Most cleaning is done by brushing out the dirt which is on the surface. Stains, ink, and discolorations are basically permanent.
One new little secret in the cleaning of the finished leather is using the Mr. Clean magic eraser and water. It works like a wonder.

Steve Honan owns Technique Leather out of Bartlett, Illinois. You can contact him at restoreleather@gmail.com or 630-205-0606.