Why
should I buy leather?
Leather
is the longest lasting and most durable upholstery material
you can get–perfect for any room of your home or
office. It is the strongest upholstery material known
to man and will withstand the rigors of daily life, including
children and pets. Although the initial investment of
quality leather may be more than fabric upholstery, leather
is actually your best value in the long run as it outlasts
fabric 4 to 1.
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How
long will my leather couch last?
With
proper care, a quality
leather, unlike fabric
upholstery, can be expected
to last an average person's
lifetime. Certain features
become imperative when
choosing an upholstery
material that can last
for decades. Look for zipper
access. Zippers on the
seat cushions and back
bags insure you can refill
your sofa. Leather can
last decades, but seat
cushion cores and back
bag fill will not.
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Which
leather is right
for me?
Arizona Leather
furniture is available
in four distinctly
different leather
types: A, O, P and
N.
It’s important
to know which type
you have, so you
can care for it properly.
Some leather types
may
incur minor surface
marks that will disappear
with use or by using
Arizona Leather Conditioner.
Type A: Pure Aniline
• Little or no protective
coating; shows all
natural markings
and character of
the hide.
• Varies in shade
and texture from
panel to panel.
• Meant to age and
gain a natural patina.
• Absorbs body oils,
hair oils and certain
food spills.
• Recommended care:
See Care Manual instructions
(pages 4 and 5).
• Leather
insurance recommended.
Type
O: "Pull-Up" Leather
• A burst of color
is created when leather
is pulled and/or
stretched.
• Little or no protective
coating; shows all
natural markings
and character of
the hide.
• Varies in shade
and texture from
panel to panel.
• Meant to age and
gain a natural patina.
• Absorbs body oils,
hair oils and certain
food spills.
• Recommended care:
See Care Manual instructions
(pages 4 and 5).
• Leather
insurance recommended.
Type
P: Protected Leather
• A coated leather
with variations
in texture and
natural
markings; it is
protected from most
food and
liquid
spills.
• Varies in shade
and texture from
panel to panel.
• Recommended care:
See Care Manual
instructions (pages
4 and 5).
• Leather
insurance recommended.
Type
N: Nu-buck
• A pure aniline
product, abraded
to create a suede-like
nap with a soft
feel.
• Little or no
protective coating;
shows all
natural markings
and character
of the hide.
• Varies in shade
and texture from
panel to panel.
• Meant to age
and gain a natural
patina.
• Absorbs body
oils, hair oils
and certain
food spills.
• Recommended
care: See Care
Manual
instructions
(pages 4 and
5).
• Leather
insurance recommended.
Click
on a leather name to go directly to its color swatch page.
PHOENIX -
Our most economical choice, these slightly corrected
top grain hides are aniline dyed with a pigmented top
coat for color consistency. This process provides a durable
and long lasting finish.
These fully washable leathers are available in 15 decorator colors.
TUCSON -
This full grain, semi-aniline leather features a mild savage effect
normally associated with
much more expensive leather. The two-toned savage gives this leather
a "deep" look and soft touch.
It also provides additional stain resistance and durability.
SANTA
FE - These full grain hides can either be shrunken and double
dyed for a natural naked look, or simply dyed and given a transparent
finish for a smoother appearance. Santa Fe is a semi-aniline stain
resistant leather.
MESA -
Mesa is our distressed leather line, suede like nu-buks,
waxed pull-ups and oil pull-ups.
If you've been wanting a western or a Ralph Lauren type of look, Mesa
may be the leather for you.
These full grain full aniline leathers offer little stain resistance,
and are meant to gain a weathered
and worn appearance.
SEDONA -
Only 5% of the hides taken end up as a Sedona leather. These are full
grain, full aniline
leathers prized for their rich look and soft buttery "hand" or
feel. There are many selections in our Sedona leather category, the
best of which we feel is our "Agua". This is a full
aniline in which during the dying process 3M Scotchgard is added to
the vat, allowing the hide to soak up the Scotchgard at the same rate
as the color. This dying process makes this full aniline leather highly
oil and water resistant.
SOFT
TOUCH -
A 100% microfiber polyester suede. It is a heavy duty type suede
that will withstand over 20,000 rubs. Cleaner friendly. 100%
Micor Denier.
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What
should I be looking for when I shop for a
couch?
The
most important step in shopping
for leather furniture is often
the most ignored. The leather.
You need to be educated about leather. After all, what do you really
know about upholstery leather?
At Arizona Leather Company we take the time to teach you about leather
so that you will be able to make an informed decision on which type
of leather best fits your needs. We then take you inside the furniture
and show you what to look for in construction, such as corner-blocked
hardwood frames with tempered
steel springs. From how thick the wood should be to the spacing on
the springs, we will show you what to look for in quality construction.
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How
do I care for my leather furniture?
To preserve the luxurious appearance of your Arizona
Leather
furniture, please note these general tips:
• Take care not to mar the leather with sharp objects, including jewelry.
• Avoid long periods of exposure to sunlight or direct heat (including
radiators, heating vents, windows, skylights and powerful lamps).
• Do not sit on the back or arms of your furniture. This can cause unwanted
wear.
• Use only Arizona
Leather care products.
• Do not use Armor AllÆ, saddle soaps, ammonia based solutions, Windex®,
etc.
Recommended Cleaning & Conditioning Schedule:
When your new furniture arrives:
To assure longevity, we recommend applying Arizona Leather Protection & Conditioner.
Once a month (or as needed): Remove surface soil with a clean, damp
cloth.
At least twice a year: Fully clean, condition and protect your fine
leather seating with Arizona Leather cleaning and conditioning products.
More frequent care may be necessary in dry climates,
when seating is located near a heat source or when seating receives
heavy use.
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What
do all those fancy words mean?
ANILINE -
Aniline is the type of dye used to
give the initial color to a hide. Aniline
dying is the process of putting hides
into a drum and allowing the dye to
soak completely through the hide. Thus
the phrase "aniline dyed all the
way through" came to be.
ANILINE FINISH -
Also known as full aniline leather,
aniline finish leather is full grain
leather which
has been soaked in aniline dye, but does not have any subsequent pigmented
or clear coat finishes applied.
Only the best hides which are relatively free from gross imperfections
can be made into aniline finish leather. It is soft, pliable and considered
the premier grade of leather.
BUFFING - This is a process
used to minimize the appearance of gross surface imperfections
such as wrinkles, parasitic damage or healed scars in the
finished hide. This process makes the leather more uniform,
but also obliterates the natural grain and markings that
makes each hide unique and
naturally beautiful.
CORRECTED GRAIN - Top grain leather that
has been buffed or sanded to minimize imperfections in
the hide.
DRUM DYED - A dying process accomplished
by tumbling leather in a rotating drum to encourage
the dye to penetrate fully.
EMBOSSING - To mechanically imprint unique
grain effects under heat or high pressure in order to
smooth the grain or give a unique patterned look–ostrich, alligator,
floral, etc. Top grain leather with excessive imperfections is often
buffed smooth and then embossed with a grain pattern.
FINISHING - To make leather
more durable, clear or pigmented substances are applied to
the hide.
These provide abrasion and stain resistance, as well as color enhancement.
The finishing process usually involves three to four coating operations.
Generally, the more finish a leather has, the stiffer (boardier) it
becomes. Semi-aniline leathers tend to be softer than heavily finished
leathers, although this can largely
be overcome by milling.
FULL GRAIN - Full grain leathers are top
grain leathers that have not been corrected in any way, allowing the
natural markings and character of the leather to show through. Full
grain leathers are, therefore, much cleaner hides to begin with, have
minimal scars, bug bites, urine burns, etc., which also make them more
expensive than corrected grain leathers.
GRAIN - Markings or patterns
on the leather surface. Naturally occurring grain is caused
by wrinkles, markings and pores in the hide.
HAND - The softness
or "'feel" of a leather is referred to
as its hand.
HIDE -
A raw or tanned pelt taken from a
large adult animal. Cattle, buffalo,
sheep, goat and pig hides
have been used to make upholstery leather. However, cattle or steer
hides are by far the most common.
LEATHER - A collective term
used to describe any tanned animal skin.
MILLING - A natural
softening process in which leather is tumbled in
a drum.
MOTTLED FINISH -
The result of blending closely related
colors to achieve a more natural
look.
NAKED
LEATHER - Naked
leather is a term used
for a pure aniline dyed
leather where no
additional protective coats have been applied. It is the softest and
richest looking leather available.
Naked leather gains a patina. Accepting body oils, it deepens in color
over the years, achieving a
weathered appearance and rich glow.
NATURAL MARKINGS - These subtle markings
on leather are the equivalent of a fingerprint.
They distinguish genuine leather from man-made materials. Other marks
which can appear on
the surface of leather are healed scratches, barbed wire marks, wrinkles,
brands and insect bites.
Gross imperfections are normally cut out of the finished product.
NU-BUK LEATHER - Nu-buk is a full aniline
product that has been abrased to create a slight suede type
nap, resulting in a very soft hand.
PATINA - A luster that naturally occurs
as leather ages.
PROTECTED LEATHER - Protected
aniline leather is less expensive and more common than full
aniline
or semi-aniline leather. Its coloration is more consistent and, because
it has been coated with protective pigments, the leather's natural
markings are less noticeable. These protected leathers are more heavily
pigmented than semi-aniline leather, and are easier to clean than pure
leather because surface pigments repel water and stains…standing
up well to heavy use.
PULL UP - Pull up leather is
one that when pulled tight produces a burst of color. Used
as an upholstery leather, it gives a worn weathered appearance
or a distressed look. Pull ups are full aniline leathers
that have an oil and/or wax application. When the leather
is pulled, the oil and/or wax separates causing the color
to become lighter.
FULL ANILINE - Leather
that has been aniline dyed but has not been coated
any type of finish.
It shows all the natural markings and character of the hide.
SAVAGE - A two-toned effect which adds
depth to the leather.
SEMI-ANILINE DYED - The term
used to describe aniline dyed leather which has only a small
amount
of clear or pigmented finish. It is a premium product which allows
the hides natural character to show through.
SPLIT GRAIN - The term refers
to the underneath layers of the hide which have been "split" off
from the
top grain. Splits are buffed, sanded and embossed to look like top
grain leather. Split hides are stiffer than top grain leathers. They
are used on less expensive furniture and will not be as long lasting
or durable
as a top grain leather.
TOP GRAIN - Leather which contains the
top portion of the hide…the part that had hair on it.
Top grain leather can be full grain or corrected grain leather. The
top grain portion of the hide
is approximately 3/64" (about the thickness of a penny).
