I am planning to change most of my furniture, car interior and Wall decor frames in to leather cladded, as a theme. How to know that the leather that I buy is of genune and of good quality? I have very less idea about leathers, but still I like them.
Please help me.
2007-02-26 16:08:38 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
Since you'll be working it with yourself, you can also (aside from smelling it) look at the back. Real leather has a rough back to it. On very high quality leather, the back side looks sort of like suede. On very low quality leather, the back side looks like it's got huge rolls of lint stuck to it.
Real leather also has "grain." Leather, being made of animal skin, has wrinkles, and joint spots just like your own skin. Often you can even tell about what part of the animal the leather is made from because of the grain. Most leather has a smooth, leathery front side. Suede is a little different, in that the smooth part has been sanded away to leave a velvety sort of layer instead.
Fake leather usually has a smooth back side, or the back side has fabric attached to it. Fake leather sometimes has a fake grain, but on a large piece, it is clear that this is just a repeating pattern.
Occasionally, you can find composite leather, where the company has ground up real leather to a pulp, and mashed it together into a real/fake leather mix. This sort of leather smells like leather, and feels like suede on both sides, but it will have no grain to it whatsoever, nor will it have a smooth side. You can usually spot composit leather if you look at the edge. It's generally made in three layers. The outside layers are mostly leather, but the inside layer is mostly glue and filler. The inner layer usually is sunken in a little, and slightly lighter in color.
The tandy leather company has quite a line up of leather products, virtually all real. If there isn't one of those in your area, you might be able to find a "shoe repair" store in the older part of town, which can sometimes, with a little urging, buy you a hide along with their regular orders... but be forewarned that a hide is just that: a whole cow's skin.
2007-02-26 18:25:16 · answer #1 · answered by ye_river_xiv 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Geniune leather first of all, SMELLS like leather- like a good pair of boots or shoes. The thickness will be the guideline as to "how good" the leather is. The thicker the product, the better it is. The grain design will also be a factor since you plan on using it quite a bit so you will want to really check it out before purchasing...
2007-02-26 16:15:13 · answer #2 · answered by mac 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Leather has an unmistakable smell. If you go to a nearby upholsterer, they will probably have samples of each (real and imitation) for you to see, feel and smell. You will notice the difference right away. You'll find an upholsterer in the Yellow Pages. I hope this was of some help. Good luck.
2007-02-26 16:17:28 · answer #3 · answered by G C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Italian or Moroccan leather is the best quality in the world, very soft and supple..but very expensive too.
2007-02-26 16:18:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
GO on line and type that in the search and it will show you places and site to look at.
2007-02-26 16:12:24 · answer #5 · answered by Liteyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kill a cow.
2007-02-26 16:14:17 · answer #6 · answered by huckleberry 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋