We’ve all seen leather shoes, wallets, handbags, or more commonly, biker jackets. They’re sleek, smooth, and sexy, and when it’s on a person, it’s easy to distinguish. You might look at the elbows, creases, and fastenings to confirm the quality of wearable leather. If it has cracks and patches, it was probably low quality, or maybe it wasn’t leather at all!
Unfortunately, when you’re looking at leather lounges, it can be harder to tell the real from the fake. After all, what you’re looking at is brand new, so you have no concept of its wear and tear. Even if it’s a used lounge, there are no elbows or joints, so it might be harder to spot areas that will eventually flake off.
The best way to be sure you’re getting genuine leather is to visit a reputable furniture store Sydney like Brescia Furniture. Our leather lounge Cabramatta showroom has lots of models to choose from, and it includes global brands with guaranteed quality. Still, on the off chance you’re shopping elsewhere, we have a few guidelines on testing the quality of leather.
Start with the asking price. Good leather can be quite expensive, so if it’s too far below what you expected to pay, put your senses on the high alert. The seller might claim the price is due to age, but this doesn’t necessarily apply to leather.
A used lounge may be cheap because of stains, worn out fabric, or faded upholstery. But genuine leather retains its appearance and texture decades after you buy it. It doesn’t crack or peel, so if the ‘cheap’ lounge has that kind of damage, it’s probably not leather.
Look out for how the leather is described. There are different kinds, such as full-grain, top grain, split, and corrected-grain leather. Full-grain is the highest quality. Corrected-grain might still be genuine leather, but it has imperfections that were scraped off using sandpaper.
The sanded leather is then restored using a dye or stain, making it look as good as new, but also significantly affecting its quality. You might also see terms like 100% leather or bonded leather. The former might just be an empty label, while the latter is basically plastic.
When you buy a leather lounge, inspect all areas of the lounge. Many manufacturers will put high quality in the visible areas and faux leather on the rest of the lounge. Sometimes, the simplest thing to do is ask. Many sellers have a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy, but if you have specific questions, they will explain just how ‘genuine’ the leather is.
If the lounge has a warranty, go a step further and ask if the whole lounge is covered. This can be a crucial loophole for lounges that have different qualities of leather patch. For instance, the arms might have ‘true’ leather while the back is synthetic. To save yourself the drama and hassle, give us a call on 02 9700 9000 to get your genuine leather lounge at a genuine price.
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