How to Prevent Leather Furniture From Cracking and Fading
New leather furniture is a beautiful investment for your home or office. There is nothing better than the smell of a new leather sofa or chair. Fine leather furniture brings style, quality and comfort to any room whether it is rustic, formal, sophisticated or masculine. Leather upholstered furniture brings that Ahhh… look and smell along with maintenance free living.
Why Does Leather Crack and Fade?
You can expect leather to evolve with use. Your leather furniture will develop comfort wrinkles and a slight sheen from body oils as years pass. Like your favorite pair of leather shoes, your leather furniture will only get better with use.
The surface of leather hides is a combination of dyes and chemicals that create the luster and beauty of leather furniture. This combination can make leather somewhat more sensitive to sunlight. There are leathers that can withstand long UV exposure better than others. Finished or semi-aniline leathers will fade slower when paired with direct UV rays while a pure aniline leather will fade faster.
Fading and cracking will occur when leather is left in direct sun exposure for months and years. As the UV rays penetrate the hide it will act the opposite of how our bodies tan. Leather will fade or lighten as our skin will darken. There are products on the market from companies like Leathermaster or Uniters that make a furniture sunscreen and dye. These lotions and dyes would make for a good investment to help maintain the luster of your leather furniture.
Leather will crack when left in a dry environment without conditioning a few times per year. Cracking will also occur when comfort wrinkles form and sand granules are not removed from the creases. The sand acts like sandpaper and will puncture the surface with daily use. Thus, causing hairline cracks. A company like Fibrenew could aid in getting the leather back into shape once this occurs.
Cleaning Your Leather Furniture
As mentioned above leather is always taking moisture from its environment to stay soft. This is the case in both pure aniline and semi aniline leathers. A protected or finished leather will allow you to clean your leather sofa with mild soap and water. No need to stress about dirty dog paws, sippy cups or holiday parties when you have leather furniture in your living room. It can take it!
Leather cleaning and conditioning products should be used every few months to keep your leather sofa looking refreshed. It is important that you remove any dirt from the surface of your leather. This allows the leather to breath and keep sand from causing harm. If sand is allowed to lay on the surface every time you get up and down, it will work like sandpaper to remove the surface color causing hairline cracks.
Going over your leather furniture every few months will help it stay looking refreshed and new throughout the years.
Moisture Keeps your Leather Sofa Soft and Supple
Adding moisture to your leather chairs is key to maintaining a smooth, crack-free surface. Just as we need water so does your leather furniture. You should start to wipe down your new furniture with water for finished leathers once use begins and only condition your leather furniture after the first year or as needed. Since leather is a natural material, adding moisture is essential to keeping your leather furniture hydrated and looking new. Using this suggested practice will allow your new leather furniture to look beautiful and age gracefully.
