Interior Design Center

There is a huge array of leather and faux leather that is used to cover a wide variety of furniture including bar stools, dining chairs, couches, and other casual furniture. Here is a quick overview on the assorted types of upholstery Leather and the features of their key qualities. This article reviews full-grain upholstery leather, which is the highest quality leather and faux leather, which is a synthetic material.

Varieties of High-Quality Leather Hides

Full-grain leather is made from first-rate raw material, a quality skin that has not been modified in order to cover faults in the hide. If you dye it, this leather will give you several natural characteristics. It is a popular upholstery choice and can be found at outlets that deal in wholesale leather hides. Leather hides of this type have a distinctive odor, and the soft but strong texture. Extremely durable and will appear more attractive as years go by. Full-grain leather is available from a leather manufacturer. It is a fine but expensive type of treated leather.


Split-leather hides refer to leather hides that have been divided from the skin. Depending on the thickness of the cowhide skin, it can often be split to different degrees. This kind of hide can be more delicate than the full-grain kind, but it is often treated to make it tougher. Split leathers can often have a pattern or can be treated at a leather tannery to create a suede effect. However, suede can be damaged by water. Suede is fashioned by either eradicating the grain or by means of the splitting method. This kind of leather is painstakingly treated and groomed to produce the fuzzy surface that is prized by many people who deal in wholesale leather hides.

Varieties of Lower-Quality Leather Hides

Unlike genuine untreated upholstery leather,regenerated leather has an overall even texture. This smooth finish is created at the factory during the treatment process that flattens the fibers of the hide. This kind of hide is much cheaper than real leather and is a good choice for seat coverings because it is simple to clean and is much less expensive than suede. It is also more durable. Another kind of this leather is bicast leather, which is mixed with a synthetic at a leather tannery to make it ever stronger for commercial purposes. Finally, faux leather, which has the look of leather but is made of synthetic material, it is the best choice for commercial purposes. Even though it is not cowhide skin, it can have the same look and cost much less.