what’s polyurethane leather?
polyurethane (pu) leather, sometimes called synthetic or vegan leather is actually not leather at all! there is a reason pu leather is referred to as vegan leather, no animal hide can be used in this type of material. sense there is no animal in this material, it is not a true leather. pu leather is actually made from a plastic called polyurethane, which mimics the soft/supple feel of semi-aniline leather. through a process of melting the plastic down and “stamping” the grain pattern on, sheets are made and applied to a fabric base – most often polyester to continue to help mimic the movement and suppleness of semi-aniline leather. i will explain what semi-aniline leather means in a different article where i break down the different grades/finishes of leather that can be found in most pieces. pu leather generally will mimic real leather with a few subtle differences:
keep an eye out for pu leather
in stores it can be hard to tell what your furniture piece is made out of. the first indicator of what material you are looking at is price. pu leather is overall cheaper to produce versus real leather furniture so it makes sense that any furniture made out of pu will be cheaper to purchase. sense pu leather is actually plastic that has been stamped with a grain pattern. if you are willing to get up and look at the patterns on the furniture you will see that there are zero imperfections in pu. real leather on the flip side is made out of an animal so each leather piece is as unique as the animal itself, telling the story of its life with different marks, scaring, and fading. my personal favorite quick way to see if i am looking at a leather hide is to lay my hand down flat on the piece. now i have very cold hands so i always have to warm my hand up before this! but if you wait a few seconds you may feel your body heat coming back at you. this is an almost instant way to id a synthetic material being used, since a non-organic material such as plastic will absorb your body heat and remain cold to the touch. an organic material, or something made with parts of organic material will not absorb your body heat, you will feel your own warmth as the material warms up. now this method does not help id what type of synthetic material you are looking at but it does give you the knowledge needed to ask more questions while looking for your piece. if all else fails you could always give the furniture piece a big sniff like my children do while out and about. this will actually help you pick out pu leather, since it is a plastic it has a smell while faint, it will smell almost chemically. real leather will not smell like chemicals, but like an animal hide. now i don’t know how the person helping you look at furniture would feel about you sniffing all the pieces, but you never know! maybe, tell your kids and let them spot out all the pu leather pieces.
so what is bonded leather?
bonded leather, most commonly called genuine leather, is incredibly similar to pu leather. bonded leather is in fact made using animal hide, however it is not 100 leather nor is it quality leather. during the process of turning the animal hide into the leather material used to create the pieces there is a small section at the top of the hide (closest to the skin that is exposed to the sunlight) and small section at the bottom of the hide (the final layer of hide before reaching flesh); in the past these left over bits were disposed of, now they are what makes up bonded leather. what the manufactures do is create a new layer of leather from these left over bits and apply it to a fabric base, most commonly polyester to help with suppleness that can be found in leather material. once all the leather is applied, a layer of polyurethane is layed on top of the leather bits and creates the top layer of the material. this creates an effect that mimics full grain leather- which is quality leather. now i feel i need to explain why bonded leather is often referred to as genuine leather; this is a marketing term that consumers need to be aware of. bonded leather is made out of animal products, but recall how it was made. this process is not the same as leather products and it does affect overall quality, and life expectancy of your piece.
keeping an eye out for bonded leather
in stores it can be even harder to id bonded leather, since it will be called genuine leather. the best way to understand what type of quality leather piece you are purchasing can be found in similar ways to iding polyurethane leather:
first big indicator is price! as with pu leather, bonded leather is cheaper to manufacture and create versus its leather counterpart, thus making genuine leather cheaper to purchase. now with genuine leather the best way to understand how you are investing your money is to ask how long your piece should last after you purchase it. genuine (bonded) leather has a life expectancy between 3-5 years old. after that you will need to replace your piece sense you will see wear and tear.
where is pu and bonded leather used?
polyurethane leather and bonded leather can be used just about anywhere. the real question is if it’s the right material for the application.
polyurethane has different qualities depending on the application it is being used and how it was processed. a type of pu is used in rvs and motorhomes. it can be found all throughout due to its supple qualities and overall nice look. pu can also be used in the automotive industry, such as in your cars as seat covers. this is not as common sense as the automotive industry favors leather and vinyl for their quality and durability. you can also find pu in the clothing and apparel industry as faux leather. faux leather is a lower quality version of polyurethane leather, which allows the cost of the manufacturing and purchasing of the final product to be significantly cheaper. we have all seen it, the purses, jackets, wallets, shoes, belts and so much more that just seem to fall apart after a while. faux (pu) leather was created and produced for one purpose: keep costs down! finally you will find pu leather in the furniture industry. when we look for sofas, chairs, loveseats and more that look and feel like leather, but are at a more economical price point; that is either pu or bonded leather.
bonded leather just like pu leather has different qualities depending on the application it is being used. bonded leather has a more firm feel similar to a full grain leather. this makes it a good choice for use in the fashion industry for shoes, purses, and as leather lining in clothing. due to its qualities it makes the perfect leather for book binding and creates the lovely leather covers we see over planners and bibles. the most common place to find bonded leather is the furniture industry and the furniture accessory industry. if you look at office supplies that have leather lining or are made out of leather material, it is more than likely bonded leather. if you are looking at sofas, loveseats, recliners, or any furniture that says genuine leather across it, with an economical price point we have found bonded leather.
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