When you buy a leather couch, you might have a lot of questions. There are certainly many aspects of leather to consider: color, type, grain, weight, and much more. A lot of care goes into the development of each type of leather, especially when adding color is involved. At Florida Leather Gallery, we want you to be comfortable making an informed choice when deciding on colored leather for your couch. Here’s a breakdown of how dyed leather works, and what the differences are between types of dye processes, specifically protected aniline versus pure aniline leather.
Aniline refers to the type of dye used to give the initial color to a leather skin. When leather is aniline dyed, the tanners put skins into a drum and allow the dye to soak completely through the leather. Aniline leather is also the highest quality dyed leather on the market. Whether it’s “pure aniline” or “protected aniline” refers to a difference in how the leather is finished after the aniline dye is applied.
“Pure aniline leather” is unprotected leather in that it is unfinished. No extra coating has been applied to the original skin, meaning that the feel of pure aniline is often more natural, and smoother than protected aniline leather. But pure aniline leather is especially more vulnerable to aging and to wear and tear than protected aniline leather is, meaning that it is much more likely than protected aniline leather to fade or stain, and often is less hardy and durable than protected, too. This makes “pure aniline leather” a difficult kind of material to maintain and repair for most modern families, especially those with young children or pets who might cause spills or tears. You can technically treat pure aniline leather with additives like Scotch-guard or temporary protective sprays of the same kind, but the protection will be minimal compared to that of “protected aniline leather.”
The “protection” on “protected aniline leather” is a topical, pigmented coating that is applied to the outer surface during the leather finishing process. Most colored leather seating sets you see in department stores or public common spaces are upholstered with protected aniline leather. While it is true that “pure aniline leather” does have a more luxe feel, the upkeep on unfinished leather is very difficult for most families, and the difference between protected and pure aniline leather is usually so little that it ends up making more sense to go with protected aniline leather for the maintenance factor alone.
However, here at the Florida Leather Gallery, we can help you decide for yourself in a consultation with one of our friendly and helpful leather experts. Visit one of our showrooms today!
