Leather is a far more superior material for furniture than alternatives like wool, cotton, silk, and linen. It’s easy to clean up in case of an accident, and it also withstands more wear and tear from kids, pets, and everyday life. However, if you’re going to go for the better material, you must also get the best quality to maximize the benefits of owning leather furniture. How do you tell if leather furniture is good quality? Luckily, as long as you’re familiar with the components of good quality leather, it can be simple to identify before making any purchasing decisions.
Here is how to tell if leather is good quality when purchasing from a Clearwater furniture store.
Take a Sniff
Take a whiff of the piece of furniture you’re inspecting and evaluate its smell. The idea of sniffing the furniture in the storeroom may seem absurd, but its smell is an obvious quality sign. If you smell a plastic or chemical fragrance, the leather material Is faux. Faux leather is man-made with a plastic base and treated to replicate real leather. On the other hand, if it is real leather you get a whiff of, it will have a unique “leathery” smell you only get from leather. Some have described it as oaky, while others have mentioned natural and sweet. Either way, it’s very different from faux and other fakes.
Check Out Its Appearance
You’ll already be looking at the furniture, yes, but you’ll want to look closer to determine the quality of it. For instance, when you look at a completely perfect piece, you may want to assume it is of good quality. Unfortunately, that assumption would be wrong and would result in you going back for something better. Real leather is unique and cannot be worked into perfection. Honestly, aside from its durability, the uniqueness of every piece is a great appeal.
Homedit recommends checking the reverse side if possible because real leather is often unfinished on the back.
Feel the Material
Another obvious telltale sign is how the leather material feels beneath your fingertips. Its base is plastic, so it makes sense that it is smooth like plastic when you feel faux leather. However, real leather is made of animal rawhide, so it’s soft and grainy when you touch it.
Is it Full-Grain?
Full-grain leather is the best quality you can get. It’s the full hide and hasn’t been altered in any way, so you’ll want to check furniture tags to confirm that it is full-grain. Business Insider warns to be careful with labels that say “made with full-grain leather” because it can mean only part of it is made of full-grain. The play on words can be confusing, so confirm with an associate instead of making assumptions to avoid disappointments.
It should also be noted that “genuine” does mean real leather. However, it is the lowest quality of real leather you can get.
Examine Edges and Stitching
A potential problem you can run into is when full-grain leather isn’t fully processed. The skins and hides are processed at a tannery, where the animal skin is preserved by acidic chemical compounds that stabilize the skin’s fiber structure and prevent it from decaying, decomposing, and oxidizing. If corners are cut, and the leather isn’t processed long enough, then the quality will suffer.
Put This On recommends checking for blue in the middle of edges and stitching, indicating that the solution didn’t soak in all the way.
Price Matters
You should know that real leather is never cheap. If the price seems way too good to be true, chances are it is. Good quality costs money, and it’s completely worth it in the long run.
Do the Moisture Test
It may sound silly at first, but a simple moisture test can give you the answers you’re looking for. Let a small droplet of water land onto the leather. Leathercult says if it absorbs the water, it is real, but it is fake if the droplet rolls of the leather. This test can be an easy way to test the leather quality of a piece of furniture, but make sure you only use a droplet and not a lot of water as that will get you in trouble with damages.
Where to Buy Good Quality Leather Furniture
There are simple ways on how to tell if leather is good quality, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our friendly staff at Florida Leather Gallery is more than happy to assist you at one of our 5 convenient locations. Otherwise, contact us if you have any questions or want more information on how we can help you get good quality leather furniture for your home or office today.
