Genuine Leather

Genuine Chesterfield Leather Furniture

When buying Leather furniture it can be difficult to tell the difference between the real thing and the cheaper alternative of PU “Faux” Leather.

Many people get confused between the terms used when it comes to leather furniture: Genuine Leather, faux leather, PU leather, Leather Bonded, Leather Match. It can be very confusing so we have made it nice and easy;

What is the difference between genuine leather and Faux Leather?

Real Leather

Genuine Leather is a natural leather made from the skins of animals; most commonly cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. The leather is then treated to provide the leather with its colour, long lasting protection against: stains, wear and tear and fading in sunlight.

Faux Leather

Faux Leather is a man-made fabric based material which is then treated with chemicals; waxes, dyes and polyurethane (PU) for its texture and can be dyed any colour. Although it has a similar look and feel to genuine leather it is extremely cheap and doesn’t have the same long lasting quality.

Advantages of genuine leather

Nothing compares to the smell of real leather, the aura of luxury and prestige, something that faux leather will never achieve. No two animals are the same, the same goes for the leather they produce, every piece of genuine leather has a unique and natural quality to them and the more the leather is used the softer and more attractive it becomes which makes the leather more comfortable.

As the leather is natural it has a soft yet strong texture which makes it long lasting and hard wearing and as leather for upholstery is treated to make it stain resistant and provides a protection against the leather fading in the sun.

Disadvantages of Faux Leather

Faux leather is not as long lasting as real leather and it can crack and split easily from wear and tear. Over time faux leather becomes more uncomfortable and does not offer the same quality as real leather. Depending on the quality of faux leather it can have a rubbery or plastic smell.

The main difference between real and faux leather is the quality and durability. It can be difficult to spot the difference with the leather used in upholstery due to the protective coatings applied to genuine leather; but there are a few things to look out for:

Inspect the leather closely and you will notice that there are pores:

-          In a sample of real leather the pores will appear to be random and have no pattern as they are naturally accruing and everything in nature is unique

-          In a sample of faux leather the pores will appear to have a repeating pattern and have a consistent size and shape, due to the manufacturing process.

Genuine leather has a very distinctive smell and this is something that faux leather cannot replicate, depending on the quality of the faux leather there may be a rubbery, plastic or no scent to it.