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What colour is best for your leather recliner chair?
When you look around at what’s on sale, you might be surprised at the range of colours of leather recliner chairs. Obviously, there are the “natural” colours, which are mostly ranges of mid to dark brown, but nowadays, there is a wide variety of other colours available.
I guess it doesn’t need saying that the most important factor in choosing a colour is to make sure it goes with the room it’s going to live in! Having said that, a leather chair or sofa is a fairly major feature in a living room, and people often take the opportunity of new furniture to redecorate the room. If that’s the case, you have the luxury of choosing whatever colour you like for your new leather sofa or chairs, and then picking wallpaper and paint to match.
So, it’s worth knowing a little about how the leather is coloured, as this might influence your decision when buying your next sofa or chair.
Leather is coloured with dyes, but can also be coloured with pigments as well. Whether or not the pigment is used results in two difference types, finished and unfinished.
Unfinished leather
This has only been coloured with dye, often Aniline, which is why unfinished leather is often referred to as aniline leather. Only the highest quality hides can be unfinished, and so it is generally more expensive than the finished variety. However, it is softer to the touch than finished skin, and has a much more luxurious feel.
The dye seeps deep into the leather, giving it a rich colour, and accentuating the natural features and beauty of the hide.
Being unfinished, it does not have much of a protective coating, so can stain easily. Dark or strong coloured liquids penetrate the thickness of the skin, and can be hard, if not impossible, to remove. It can also fade more easily when exposed to direct sunlight.
Finished leather
This is dyed the same way as unfinished leather, but is then coated with a protective layer of coloured pigment. This pigment is a special formulation used for leather, and allows the material to move and bend without cracking the pigment layer.
The colouring of pigmented leather is often not as deep as its unfinished cousin, as the colouring is more on the surface, and less in the depth of the leather. As the pigment is protective, the overall feel of the leather is that it is not as soft and supple as unfinished leather. This is not always a problem with furniture though, as it is not required to bend as much as leather clothing.
The big advantage of finished leather is that it is much tougher, and your leather recliner chair will survive a lot more than unfinished furniture. If you have kids in the house, then this is going to be the best choice, as it’s also much easier to clean.
I hope you found this post useful. Next time I’ll be giving you some great tips on how to care for your leather recliner chair, so come back soon.
Regards,
Anne
Related posts:
- Welcome to the leather recliner chair blog!
- How to choose the right quality and finish for your leather recliner chair
Topics: Leather recliner chairs, Recliner chairs
