leather.

Leather is a beautiful product of nature.

For upholstery of furniture, panels and wheelhouses we mainly uses the hides of cows and bulls (cattle) but also calve hides and sheep hides are used. The hides are processed  at a tannery. In a time frame of about 3 weeks a skin is preserved, greased and finished.  

There  aren’t a lot of different kinds of leather, but there are  many different types of leather, partly based on the  finish of the product.

Based  on the of finishing we can distinguish the following  types of leather :

• Full-aniline leather
• Semi-aniline leather
• Corrected-grain (pigmented)  
• Nubuck leather
• Old Saddle leather
• Sheep Leather
• Wax and / or oiled leather
• Pull-Up leather and bi-cast leather
• Pilots Leather

 

Full aniline leather
Full aniline leather is a type of leather dyed exclusively with soluble dyes without covering the surface with a topcoat paint or insoluble pigments. The resulting product retains the hide's natural surface with the 'grain', i.e. visible pores, scars etc. of the complete original animal's skin structure. These dyes show the natural texture, but do not protect the leather from damage. This type of leather is particularly sensitive to dirt, grease, moisture and perspiration, making it necessary to very well protect this type of leather. Also, direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

This type of leather is particularly sensitive to dirt, grease, moisture and perspiration, making it necessary to very well protect this type of leather. We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

Semi-aniline leather
Semi aniline leather is produced through a very similar process to full-aniline, but has a thin protective top coat added to protect it from wear and staining. The natural features of the hides are still visible (the holes in the hairline for example, can still be seen). It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

 

Corrected-grain (pigmented) leather.
Corrected grain leather is any leather that has had an artificial grain applied to its surface. The imperfections are corrected or sanded off, and an artificial grain embossed into the surface and dressed with stain or dyes. It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

Nubuck
Nubuck is a top-grain cattle hide leather that has been sanded or buffed on the grain side, or outside, to give a slight nap of short protein fibres, producing a velvet-like surface. Although the finest hides are used, it is possible that for example, insect bites, blasts, neck wrinkles or pores are visible. This type of leather is particularly sensitive to dirt, grease, moisture and perspiration, making it necessary to protect this type of leather well. It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

This type of leather is particularly sensitive to dirt, grease, moisture and perspiration, making it necessary to protect this type of leather. We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

Old Saddle leather
Old Saddle leather is a patinated, vegetal-tanned, leather type. It is made of the best Western European cattle hides and has a waxy finish. Through a sophisticated tanning, dyeing and greasing process a leather type is made which has a very well rubbed and sufficient light authenticity. Nevertheless, this type of leather can not be put in direct sunlight, as the leather will discolour. Throughout the time this type of leather will obtain its final patina and will develop it’s own character. Given the waxy patina finish, this leather should not be treated with a damp cloth or cleaning product. It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Given the waxy patina finish, this leather should not be treated with a damp cloth or cleaning product. We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

 

Sheep Leather
Sheep leather is a vegetal-tanned leather (full-aniline) without a protective layer. Originally the sheepskins are drier and stiffer than cow hides. The sheepskin hides are tanned and manually rubbed with an, often brownish, water stain and usually finished with a wax-based product. This produces sheep leather which almost always has the so-called "Cloud effect" (light, dark coloration). Partly because of the relatively small hides, colour and structural differences can not be avoided between the various parts of the furniture. From the start of the use of sheep leather the hides may develop small hairline cracks. This contributes to the unique appearance of the leather and the antique look. It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

Wax / oil leather (leather finished with a wax and / or oil layer).
This type is usually a full-grain aniline leather type. This full aniline leather is treated with vegetal oils to make the surface darker in colour. In the last processing phase in the tannery hot oil or wax is rolled on the grain of the leather. Usage of this leather will in the course of time lighten the colour (in some places). Referred to as the so-called "Pull Up" effect. It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

By treating the leather about two times per year with a leather wax and oil product the leather will regain it’s original colour. During application of this maintenance product the cloth or sponge will sometimes stain. This is common for this type of leather. Given the oil or wax layer of the leather, it is recommended not to intensively clean the leather. Cleaning is possible, but use a light hand and do not press too hard on the leathe. We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

 

Pull-up aniline leather and bi-cast leather
Pull-up aniline leather is a type of aniline leather that has an additional top treatment of oil and/or wax effects. These Pull Up leathers are designed to become "distressed" looking through time and use. Its properties are similar to full aniline but in places of heavy use, the oils will be pushed away leaving lighter areas - particularly on the seating areas.
Bi-cast leather is a material made of a split leather backing and a layer of polyurethane (hence the term "PU leather") that is applied to the surface and then embossed. Because it is only used for the backing, the leather portion of this material is generally not visible on finished goods made from bicast. The end product has an artificially consistent texture that is easier to clean and maintain.
There are also types where the pigmented cow leather, usually a split leather, has a film layer with Pull Up effect pressed onto the surface.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

Pilots Leather
Pilots leather is a corrected-grain (pigmented) semi-aniline quality leather that has been sanded at a later stage. The leather exhibits a robust and fairly rough / velour-like appearance. The leather is naturally better protected than a nubuck leather. Despite this, it is important that the protective layer is kept intact, without effecting the appearance of the leather.

Care: It’s better to avoid exposure to direct rays of sunlight. UV radiation must be avoided in order to prevent discoloration and dehydration.

We are working on developing a special care and clean product and will update the site soonest with our professional cleaning products.

 

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