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The Lowdown on Leather
Perhaps you think that leather furniture is impractical, too hard to clean or too fragile for your active household. Besides, nobody can really afford it, right? Wrong. The facts may surprise you.
Leather Facts
- Leather furniture, with normal wear will outlast fabric 4 to 1. The dyes that are used in tanning the hides are absorbed into the leather and will not rub off.
- Leather furniture will fade in direct sunlight, just as fabric will do.
- Because of modern technology with the leather tanneries, the leather that is used in making furniture does not crack or peel.
- Leather furniture "breathes," it assumes the temperature of its environment.
- Leather is a practical material, ideal for busy lifestyles. A bit of dusting, vacuuming out the chips between the cushions from time to time, and spot cleaning if needed, is all that leather furniture requires.
- Leather ages well. It will not get shabby-looking like fabric covers. Instead, fine leather acquires a "patina,” just like that favorite bomber jacket in your closet.
Leather School 101
We want you to know more about leather furniture than you can imagine. This is a big purchase — something you will own for a long time, and you NEED to know these things! Ask your salesperson at any store when you are shopping for leather some of what you are learning. If they cannot answer you, don't buy from them!
Leather Myths Busted
Myth No. 1: "Leather is hot in the summer and cold in the winter." No, not exactly. Leather is porous and it breathes. It takes on the temperature of its environment. If you have a little black car that has black leather interior and you come to our Hank’s store in July, when you return to your car, it’s going to be warm inside. However, turn on the air-conditioner and in about 2 minutes your seats are as cool as the air. By the same token, in the winter when your room is cool and you sit on your leather sofa, it will feel cool. But, kick on the heat, and after a few minutes, your sofa will be warm as it returns to room temperature. This hot/cold myth came from the old vinyl which was sold before leather furniture became so affordable. That was nothing more than sitting on plastic.
Myth No. 2: "I have children and pets and they would ruin a leather sofa." Oh contraire, this is the best thing you could buy other than a park bench. The ease of cleaning leather is far superior to cleaning fabric. Leather does not hold any pet odor like fabric does, and it outlasts fabric 4 to 1. In addition, if a scratch or puncture does occur, it is much easier to repair the leather than fabric.
Myth No. 3: "The color will wear off over time" The technology that the tanneries employ now is fascinating. The formulated dyes are put into the vats of wet hides and the dye then goes all the way through the hide, so even if you would get a scratch, the color would be the same. Most factories use organic materials so if someone does have an allergy to synthetic dyes, leather would be the way to go.
The Bottom line is that never in the history of the furniture business has leather furniture been so beautiful and so inexpensive. The hides that are used are found all over the world, the large tanneries are so state-of-the-art that matching pieces and dye lots are a thing of the past. The color is always consistent and the seating comfort is tremendous. In our stores we have Leather Experts that have gone to numerous seminars plus visited many factories in order to be able to answer all your questions. We want you to be totally at ease with your purchase of leather furniture.
We love selling leather furniture, the value and quality has never been better. Come to Hank’s Furniture and let us show you.