Should i get a bonded leather couch

Genuine leather is made from entire pieces of animal hide and costs much more than items made with the bonded material. It's hard to tell the difference between the two, as once an item is made with bonded leather the appearance and smell are nearly identical. However, genuine leather typically feels a bit harder to the touch, and if used for sofas, its cushions tend to have a little less give than a bonded leather cushion. Manufacturers will also use many types of coats and permanent polishes to make bonded leather appear to be the real deal.

Bonded leather can be quite useful though. It gives books a fancier appearance, it makes cheap belts look expensive, and it adds a sophisticated touch to any piece of office furniture. The bad part is that bonded leather is horrible for home sofas.

It's also inexpensive and is often made of recycled materials. Plenty of consumers are attracted to the lower cost of a bonded leather couch and they're not scared away because bonded leather is in fact "real" leather, or at least it's made from small pieces of real leather. Many are sadly surprised when they realize the true difference between bonded and genuine leather is its durability, and plenty of retailers leave this important detail out just to close the sale.

But look carefully at the wording in the product description: "It's percent leather everywhere the body touches. However, the bullet point below says "Perfectly coordinated bonded leather on the sides and back. Travel Bags. Valet Trays. Artist Rolls. Tool Rolls and Belts. Knife Rolls. Hairdressers Bags. Your cart is empty. The scraps of leather are made into a pulp and stuck to a fibre or paper backer which is then coated with polyurethane and embossed to give it the appearance of genuine leather.

At a glance, bonded leather may look like the real thing but it will feel thin to the touch and will lack the softness of real leather , it may also exude a chemical smell. This term refers to the ability of bonded leather manufacturers to replicate the appearance of real leather , although it is likely that the product may be dyed in a striking range of unnatural colours.

Composition of this material varies considerably and is often a trade secret but in principle its manufacture is similar to the production of paper. Shredded leather scraps and fibre are mixed with bonding materials and extruded onto a fibre or paper backing cloth. The material can then be dyed and embossed with a leather like texture, although the colour and patterning are only a surface treatment.

A polyurethane treatment gives the surface a glossy finish. For most people this will be a choice dictated by the comparative low cost of the product; some may choose bonded leather because it can be regarded as environmentally friendly , in so much as it uses left overs and does not involve additional farming and, potentially, reduces landfill. The product is also easy to clean and is likely to come in a wide range of design options. Who is BTOD. Bonded leather is actually a mix of both real and fake leather.

It is made from the leftover scraps and fibers made from processing genuine leather mixed with a polyurethane binder. These fibers are then rolled together using adhesives to bond them onto a paper backing. Some manufacturers may add an additional coating of polyurethane to the bonded leather and emboss it so it has the texture of real leather.

Some manufacturers market bonded leather as real leather, when it in fact only contains a small percentage of genuine leather. Bonded leather is also known by a few additional names. When looking at the tag on your furniture or clothing, look for:. Before you choose bonded leather, it is best to look at the pros and cons so you know what to expect when you get your furniture or clothing.

There are many people who think bonded leather is genuine leather, and manufacturers sometimes label bonded leather as real. Being able to tell the difference between bonded leather and genuine leather will be helpful when shopping for furniture.

Full grain uncorrected hides , B. Semi aniline dyed alinine dyed but a thin layer of lacquer on the hide giving it a soft and yet protected layer, more color consistancy,sometimes even having a two tone look , D. Protected alinine dyed and lots of lacquer giving in more color consistancy than the other types.

All these leathers are ALL top grain, or the outer layer of the hide. I know of NO leather where they have veneered two leathers together. No reason to do so. All leathers have to be split off, or they are too thick and not plyable enough to even sit on.

Some thick leathers I have seen are stiff like a board. And very hard to sew or upholster. You pay more for a thin leather or a thicker leather because they have to do something extra for that feel.

You may pay more for certain looks, because they have to find the hides you are looking for. Hides are a commodity. Take a thin leather, very plyable, very expensive because they made it just for that purpose.

How long will it last? If semi aniline dyed semi protected with lacquer you would not even wear the lacquer off during those years. Top grain is just a term that they are not using the split or the secondary layer. But again, I will stress, they split off on all hides very early on the top hide off. They have to.

The split gets used for purses, shoes, belts and yes, bi-cast which is a NEW process say the last 5 years or so. Apparently bi-cast is very thin sheets of the cheap underside of the hide that is colored and sealed with a polyurethane. BONDED leather is tiny leather scraps that are ground up and "recycled" with chemicals and formed into sheets and adhered to a fabric backing and sealed with poly.

They not only look great, but they are actually very comfortable to sit in. Big problem: When they arrived I noticed that one seat cushion had a teeny-tiny pin-prick in it.

I looked at it and peeled it back - the bonded "leather" is literally tissue-paper thin and adhered to a white woven fabric. I have some heavy-duty Mid-Mod upholstery fabric that compliments the aqua chairs, so I intend to recover the seat cushions with that, since the seats get the most wear. If you are determined to not use or pay for genuine leather, then go with a high-grade Upholstery or Marine-Grade Vinyl - that will last, but you will still stick to it.

Otherwise, consider any furniture made from Bonded or bi-cast "leather" as a short-term trendy item think Ikea quality that will be ditched sooner than later. Sadly, it seems the invention of "Bonded" and "Bi-Cast" "leathers" has actually made finding GENUINE Leather furniture very difficult, and much more expensive than it was even accounting for inflation a decade ago.

High-quality ultra-suede is cheaper but not "cheap" and the next best thing after Genuine Leather for wear-and-tear and long-lasting quality. Their is a debate if Bi-cast or Bonded leather is good for the environment. As the leather scraps are bio-degradable, but after made into a leather like product, its not so bio-degradable, but a plastic now.

Not good for landfills. Worldwide demand for Leather is increasing and the supply for hides is not keeping up with this demand. So tanneries are processing more high-end leather and the lower leather price points are moving up.

But their are some very good points made here by Laura louisshanks natschultz. I think you will find that if you can't afford a high end leather it would be better to choose a lower cost pigmented leather than a bonded leather.

There are some advantages to a pigmented leather in that they clean up easily and can withstand sunlight and heat like in your car. The disadvantages are they don't look as natural, tend to be hotter in summer and colder in winter and when they do scratch they look worse.

All in all I think it is is a better choice than bonded and will last longer. I purchased a bonded leather sofa in In it started to show delimitation.

Then it started to flake badly. I contacted the store where it was purchased. The next day they called saying they would give me the full price paid as a credit for anything in the store. That is the good part. They said it has been corrected. I don't know but we will replace the sofa but not with bonded leather. When this fabric category first appeared there were several different technologies tried with varying results.

Bicast was one of those early technologies. I currently deal with dozens of fabric suppliers and have not seen a "bicast" leather for many years. Today's "bonded" leathers are good, stable products that cost about the same as good quality vinyls and have many of the same properties. The face of the "bonded" leather that you see and touch has no real leather at all. The only "genuine" leather contained in "bonded" leather is used in the backing that you can't see or touch.

Although I have never seen or heard any reports of this leather backing peeling off or delaminating from the vinyl face, it provides absolutely none of the benefits consumers generally believe they are receiving when buying a "leather" sofa.