Leathers are not all the same. The way they have been finished alters how they feel, the absorbency rate of soiling, colourfastness and at times the need for different care products. Leather is a natural material with pores and hair follicles, similar to our own skin. All leathers are artificially coloured and while a pigmented, topcoated leather is less porous than a pure aniline or nubuck, they are all still porous allowing the leather to breathe for your comfort. Leather will absorb soiling which, if not removed regularly will cause premature wear and discolouration. If you are on regular medication refer to the medication heading under “Tips on Care” on back page.

DEFINING WEAR ~ It is not necessarily how many times you sit down and get up, but the total hours spent in your furniture each day. Understanding this helps you understand the maintenance required. Also important is the type of soiling. At Pellé we break this into two areas, ie wet and dry soiling (wet being the most damaging). While some forms of wet soiling are obvious such as spillages, others are not and can cause damage over a relatively short period. Perspiration ~ from hair, arms and legs on areas of contact can cause colour destabilisation or loss, leading to breakdown of the leather, causing a repair which may have been avoidable with a little extra attention when cleaning. Thinking about wear and examining your furniture while cleaning, can help prevent small problems becoming large ones.

Leather Upholstery Finishes

All good quality upholstery leathers are cured (tanned) and then dyed right through. It is from this base that tanners then finish leathers in various ways to create different colours, softness and special effects. Some of these special effects are visual and others are to create leathers with different wear characteristics for varying types of use, ie heavily pigmented leathers for heavy soiling and heavy loadings to very soft open leathers for areas of low soiling and lighter wear situations.

Knowing which leather type you have means understanding better how it will wear and what you need to do to keep the appearance of your furniture while enjoying using it. As today’s leathers are more sophisticated so also are the care products needed to maintain them.

The Pellé System ‘Peace of Mind’ Leather Care Products are one of the world’s very few industry approved care ranges. For protection before release every batch is tested at LASRA, a registered testing authority with the Internaonal Council of Tanners.

The Pellé Care Products come highly recommended and are very easy to use. Leather is made to be used and enjoyed. If you have chosen the correct leather for your use, you should enjoy it for many years ~ if you care for it. By cleaning and servicing as required you will extend the life of both the leather and the finish.

PIGMENTED TOP-COATED LEATHERS
(includes Antique Finishes)

These leathers have several spray coats of a pigmented (paint like) finish to give a depth to the colour, plus a clear coat for extra protection. Regarded as the most practical of upholstery leathers. Recommended for wear areas of heavy or hard wear i.e. hotels, offices, family rooms, car upholstery, etc. These leathers soften with use and have good resistance to fade or colour loss.

To maintain this type of leather use the Pellé Leather Cleaner and the Pellé Leather Conditioner Protector as directed in the cleaning section of this brochure.

SEMI-ANILINE LEATHERS
These leathers are coloured by dye only. Then a coat of a clear sealer is applied as a protective coating. The prefix semi is used to advise that a protective surface coating has been applied. These leathers are suited to medium to light wear areas. Very soft, they often show the natural markings of the hide, healed scars, growth marks, etc. Do not place in direct sunlight, as resistance to colour loss is medium.

To maintain this type of leather use the Pellé Leather Cleaner and the Pellé Leather Conditioner Protector as directed in the cleaning section of this brochure.

WAXED OR OIL FINISHED LEATHERS
After dyeing these leathers are finished with wax or oil or a combination of both. These special waxes and oils provide a protective coating plus enhance the base dye colour. For areas of heavy to medium wear, ie family rooms, dens, etc. This leather may lighten in colour over time requiring replenishment of the waxes and oils (refer section Waxed Oiled Leather back page). Do not place in direct sunlight, as resistance to colour loss is medium.

To maintain this type of leather use the Pellé Leather Cleaner and the Pellé Leather Conditioner Protector as directed in the cleaning section of this brochure.

NUBUCK LEATHERS
A nubuck is an aniline (dyed only) leather, lightly snuffed or sanded leaving a nap or velour type finish. These leathers are coloured by dye, however, they can be airbrushed very lightly with pigment to give added colour. They do not have any protective surface coating. However, they have some protection through the addition of special treatments during the processing. This will give some resistance to soiling or spillages. Do not place in direct sunlight, as resistance to colour loss is medium to light. Recommended for wear areas of light soiling.

To maintain these leathers use the Pellé Nubuck Cleaner and reprotect and condition with the Pellé Nubuck Conditioner Stain Guard. These products are available from your leather retailer.