Over the past decades, products made from a mysterious material – eco-leather – have been very often found on the goods market. It is used for the production of shoes and clothing, upholstery of upholstered furniture and accessories: from bags and wallets to covers for passports and car seats, as well as decorating interior elements.
Many people are misled by the prefix “eco”; this raises a lot of questions about the origin and composition of the material. Some people are skeptical about the incomprehensible term and are of the opinion that this is the name given to an ordinary fake of genuine leather.
Both of these views are erroneous, and in order to conclusively refute this, let’s take a closer look: what is eco-leather?
Features, pros and cons, pros and cons of eco-leather sofas
A cheap substitute for leather is the so-called “leatherette,” which is based on polyvinyl chloride. But it is not suitable for upholstered furniture. However, among the artificial materials there is eco-leather made of polyurethanes. They process the fabric base. Some people don’t know that such eco-leather furniture is used quite often due to its advantages. Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages, but let's keep in mind high-quality eco-leather.
The advantages of this material:
- In many ways it replicates natural leather and is elastic;
- Thanks to the cotton base, it is quite durable;
- Classified as an environmentally friendly hippo-allergenic group;
- Doesn’t stretch out in place of the seats, doesn’t burst at low temperatures, and doesn’t get very hot from the sun’s rays;
- Quite a wide range of color palettes;
- Relatively low cost;
- Easy to clean from household dirt;
- Does not collect dust.
Eco-leather also has disadvantages:
- It is not resistant to mechanical damage (for example, from the claws of pets);
- Can absorb paint from bed linen and clothing;
- The upholstery is cold, but you can cover it with a blanket;
- It is not comfortable for sleeping, when it is cold you can freeze, and in the heat you can sweat.
Historical reference
The proposal to find a worthy alternative to natural leather, in order to preserve representatives of the animal world, arose relatively recently - in the mid-twentieth century. Several countries unanimously appreciated the benefits of such an event and organized a number of experiments and experiments to develop its analogues. For a long time, the scientists’ research did not bear fruit, because they were faced with a rather difficult task: to produce a similar material of low cost, while maintaining its quality at a high level.
A scientific organization from the USA was the first to achieve success in the development of eco-friendly leather in 1963. Exactly a year later, scientists from Japan achieved a similar result. The task was completed at the proper level, and soon mass production was launched to produce a new material, which rapidly gained popularity around the world. The issue of preserving the environment is very acute, and in this regard, eco-leather is in demand by many companies producing furniture and wardrobe items, as well as by designers, whose consciousness cannot be doubted.
Kinds
Straight models are a classic option and are always relevant. Despite the simple appearance, such upholstered furniture comes in different designs. A variant of the usual design, made of high-quality natural material and having a good transformation mechanism, can be a comfortable and stylish product. An excellent solution is a straight sofa made of eco-leather for the kitchen, living room, or office space.
U-shaped and L-shaped corner models are not only practical, but also durable and also serve as decoration. Available in different colors and types of upholstery materials. When unfolded, we get a large sleeping place.
Modular upholstered furniture products are multifunctional. They consist of sections. You can easily create your own version.
Economy sofas are simple compact models. There are rarely options with a folding place for sleeping, relaxing, or storing a bed. In appearance, everything is simple and standard.
Many people choose such furniture without armrests, which allows them to reduce prices and gain compactness. In this option, the side elements can be replaced with soft pillows.
Specialized eco-leather for furniture upholstery
Modern technologies have developed significantly since the creation of the first eco-leather sample. For the design of interior items, there are special classifications of this material:
- The most expensive and durable type of eco-leather has a name that speaks for itself – “dollar”. The surface of the material exactly reproduces the texture of natural raw materials and is characterized by increased resistance to damage;
- The most budget-friendly option for environmentally friendly leather is called “Oregon”. The material class boasts an ideal balance between quality and cost;
- eco-leather created by applying a polyurethane film onto foam with a pile backing is called “companion”;
- The fourth type of synthetic leather is “alba”, due to its composition it is not exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
Types of material
We already know what kind of material eco-leather is for furniture, its advantages and disadvantages. You can use smooth and elastic eco-leather for upholstery, a texture that replicates natural materials. Surfaces may be matte.
Quilted material is also used. Patterns in the form of rhombuses and squares are popular. For formal settings, models are often used where the joints of the patterns are complemented by rows of special furniture nails.
You can also often find glossy eco-leather in the upholstery. It looks more expensive compared to fabric or matte finish.
Which eco-leather is best for sofas is decided by the user himself. It depends on his taste and goals. The main thing is that it is of high quality.
Rules for caring for eco-leather
- Removing dust and small dirt from furniture surfaces is done with a slightly damp cloth.
- Noticeable stains are removed with soap foam (baby soap or laundry soap) and wiped with a damp cloth.
- In order to increase the moisture-proof qualities of furniture coverings, once a year you can rub its surface with products with moisture-repellent properties for leather clothing.
- Stubborn stains and dirt can be removed by holding a cloth soaked with ammonia on the surface, then wiping the furniture with a damp cloth.
- To remove heavy dirt and stubborn stains, you can purchase special stain removers for eco-leather in household chemicals departments.
Today in furniture showrooms you can find a wide range of different sofas upholstered in eco-leather.
How to choose?
The choice should take into account personal preferences and purpose of use. And yet, eco-leather or fabric, what good is it for furniture? We talked about the first type of upholstery, let's look at the fabric.
Furniture made from fabric is suitable:
- for sleeping, the covering is capable of allowing air to pass through, and the sheet does not slip off.
- to a house with small children and pets (coverings with special treatment);
- to create a cozy atmosphere.
Textile sofa options look harmonious in apartments and offices, and models covered in leather look diversify living room interiors.
What is Eco leather
Eco-leather is a colloquial, marketing name for PU leather. After all, it is necessary to explain to the consumer that PU leather is not disgusting leatherette, in which everything sweats and stinks of chemicals, but a new modern material, no worse than natural leather.
How is PU leather different from PVC (PVC) leather
PVC (PVC, PolyVinyl Chloride) is a common plastic in its plastic form. Roughly, in general, PVC-based leatherette is a flexible plastic attached to a woven or non-woven base. This is that classic leatherette that makes your butt sweat. Hard, rough, but cheap and durable.
PVC leather is still widely used in the manufacture of various products. Often, a layer of PU leather is applied to the outer layer of PVC leather, resulting in the tactile sensation of PU leather, but cheaper.
What is leatherette
This is not a popular name, not slang, but the real name of the material. In fact, it is a fabric with a layer of nitrocellulose applied to it. Nowadays this material is practically not used due to its extremely low wear resistance. Everyone who lived in the USSR remembers the worn leatherette tables and chairs. It is because of this tendency to abrasion that they abandoned the use of leatherette.
Reviews about sofas
Those who at the time of purchase preferred cheapness to quality usually respond negatively. A satisfied buyer, as a rule, leaves feedback about the wear resistance, practicality and durability of the products. High-quality models and proper use will prevent negative reviews of such a product.
Variety of ideas in the interior:
- The light fabric of the sofa upholstery refreshes the living room with dark floors and coffee-colored walls;
- A corner model in black leather upholstery, white walls and black-brown laminate flooring is an effective solution;
- A great combination is orange sofa upholstery against a contrasting dark gray wall and a light shade of the floor.
PU leather what is it?
It is not uncommon to find in the description of bags, jackets and other leather and leatherette products that the leather in this product is PU. The first thing that comes to a potential buyer’s mind is that this bag is made of cheap leatherette or leatherette. But for some reason, even famous manufacturers do not shun the use of PU leather in their products, and often advertise this fact as an advantage. And sellers on Aliexpress sometimes even consider PU leather to be completely natural.
There is also a confusion of concepts, how they differ:
- PU (PU) leather
- PVC (PVC) leather
- Eco leather
- Presskozha
- Cheap "Soviet" leatherette
Our article on hvastik.com will answer these questions. So let's get started.
How is artificial leather made?
Genuine leather, in our usual understanding, is whole animal skin, cleaned and processed in a certain way. In the manufacture of products, sections of skin from specific animal organs can be used, and the product itself can be assembled from pieces of leather. But these pieces will be quite large, cut from whole animal skin.
Artificial leather can be very different. But conditionally it can be divided into two groups:
- completely artificial leather, which is made entirely from polymer materials, possibly using a woven base,
- artificial leather using tannery waste, when waste from processing natural leather (trimmings, leather dust) is crushed, pressed and glued into a single piece
Polymer materials such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, nitrocellulose can be used in the manufacture of any leather. Both with and without genuine leather content. Moreover, polyurethane can also be used as a coating for natural, but not very high-quality leather.
Fully artificial leather
Artificial leather is produced entirely chemically without the use of tannery waste.
- mix the necessary mixtures (plasticizers, stabilizers, dyes, etc.) until a homogeneous texture of the required density is obtained,
- apply to the base to obtain a texture that imitates leather,
- in the case of leatherette, apply the resulting mixture to a cotton base,
- fix in the oven
- apply external coating
- in the case of the production of modern high-quality artificial leather, there may be several layers, including a layer of foamed polymer to obtain the necessary sensations from the leatherette fabric,
The quality of such completely artificial leather depends on the materials used. That is, it depends on what kind of polymer is used: PVC, PU or nitrocellulose. And also on the base material, number of layers and coating.
When making artificial leather, there are 2-3 mandatory layers (base, filling, coating) and various materials can be used as them. Fabric base, PVC filler, PU coating (for example). The combination of these materials will change the properties of artificial leather dramatically.
And this is very important
Artificial leather from tannery waste
Also sometimes this kind of leather can be called Presskozha. Tannery waste is crushed and mixed with a chemical paste for bonding, after which the leather can be applied to a polymer or woven base and coated with a polymer for wear resistance.
In some cases, the manufacturer may call such material genuine leather. However, it is not.
Pressed leather is no better than completely artificial leather and of course it is absolutely not genuine leather. A lot of chemical mixtures are used in its production; it is not environmentally friendly and is allergenic. Such leather does not breathe well, and without a high-quality base and coating it quickly becomes unusable.
If you compare pressed leather and modern PU leather, it is better to prefer PU leather.
Let's sum it up
Of course, eco-leather is much better than leatherette and surpasses it in many properties. However, you should not retire leatherette; due to its low cost, this material will remain relevant for a long time and will be in demand on the market.
For example, a person very often changes bags or some items of clothing. In this case, leatherette is ideal - why spend a huge amount of money every season if next season you want to change your look, and for this you are going to completely change your wardrobe. Although you shouldn’t follow fashion so blindly - quality things have always remained a priority and have always been fashion trends in any season.
Each reader will decide for himself what is better for him - artificial or ecological leather. We hope that this article will help you make the right choice so that you enjoy not only the optimal purchase price, but also unsurpassed quality.
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