Buying Leather: Bi-Cast, Bonded or Top Grain
- natuzziphiladelphia
- Aug 4, 2016
- 2 min read
Shopping for a new sofa but confused by the different types of leather out there? Here's a quick break down of the three types of leather commonly used in the contemporary furniture industry.
Bi-Cast or Bonded Leather: Beware!!!
Bi-cast leather is comprised of a thin layer of leather fused with polyurethane. This is typically done because the leather is not of a good enough quality to be used on its own, so the polyurethane is needed to give it extra strength. Though it may look nice, a bi-cast leather sofa will lack the softness of real leather and have a more plastic feel. Eventually this form of upholstery will crack and show age because of the mixed materials.
Bonded leather is.... even worse. Created from remnants of leather that are bonded with adhesive onto a fabric, its embossed and dyed to look like the real thing but that's about the only similarity it has with true leather. It lacks the durability, resistance to wear and luxurious feeling of a true leather, and like bi-cast, a bonded leather sofa will quickly begin to show age and eventually crack.
Top grain leather is the top most surface of a hide that has been split in two; it maintains the natural appearance of the hide and is both durable and flexible. This is the highest quality of leather available and you're best choice of upholstery for your leather sofa. Top grain leathers are either aniline or semi-aniline dyed, with the first having a softer feel and more natural look and the second having a protective top coat that gives it greater resistance to wear.
Still have questions about the leather you're choosing? Stay tuned for a closer look at the more technical terms used to describe leather furniture today.
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