Re: What is Leather?

[LRPLTD@xxxxxxx]

Hi Brent:
Your upholsterer was correct.  On many models only the surfaces where you 
touch are leather, and the rest are high quality color matched vinyl.  This 
is also the case on much furniture.  Some manufacturers claim a sofa is 
"leather", but only the seating areas are.  A good way to tell on a sofa is 
that the back panel is going to be sewn into sections because a natural hide 
can't be a perfect 6 to 7 feet long!  You should continue to clean and care 
for all the leather and vinyl to keep everything supple and luxurious.  A 
good rule is to avoid products that contain silicone products as they dry out 
leather and vinyl, cause it to harden and crack.  As the silicone oils 
evaporate they also cause a haze on your windows. Auto manufactures purposely 
put "flexible" material into an interior as it can "give" with heat and cold 
and longevity in an interior is achieved by keeping it flexible to prevent 
cracking.  Also avoid products that contain heavy amounts of petroleum 
distillates as they can cause stitching to rot.  The thread absorbs a good 
bit of the petroleum, mineral oil or lanolin and eventually deteriorates.  
Also if your interior surface is already cracking, petroleum distillates can 
cause the delicate spongy leather fibers to weaken and split apart.  A good 
temporary solution can be filing the cracks with warmed bees wax until you 
can alleviate the problem with the correct products.  Brent this may be more 
than you wanted to know, but hope it helps.
Regards, 
George Pavlisko, CEO
Leatherique Professional Leather Restoration Products
www.Leatherique.com

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