Bonded Leather
Encyclopedia
Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is a material made of varying degrees of genuine leather
combined with other substances to give the appearance of leather at reduced cost. Bonded leather can be found in furniture, bookbinding
, and various fashion accessories. Examples of products that are most commonly constructed with different varieties of "bonded leather" are: books, diaries, art books, desk accessories, bags, belts, chairs, and sofas
.
There are different types of bonded leather, but the type being used on upholstered furniture today is a polyurethane
or vinyl
product, backed with fabric and then a layer of latex
or other material mixed with a small percentage of leather fibers in the product's backing material. The actual leather content of bonded leather varies depending on the manufacturer and the quality level they are selling. The polyurethane surface is stamped to give it a leather-like texture. In the home furnishings industry there is much debate and controversy over the ethics of using the term "bonded leather" to describe a vinyl upholstery product.
Other types of bonded leather include fragile paper-backed bonded leather constructions used to cover books and desk accessories. These bonded leathers may contain a smaller proportion of leather and have some leather content in the product's surface, hence there may be an actual leather smell.
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
combined with other substances to give the appearance of leather at reduced cost. Bonded leather can be found in furniture, bookbinding
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
, and various fashion accessories. Examples of products that are most commonly constructed with different varieties of "bonded leather" are: books, diaries, art books, desk accessories, bags, belts, chairs, and sofas
Couch
A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...
.
There are different types of bonded leather, but the type being used on upholstered furniture today is a polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
or vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
product, backed with fabric and then a layer of latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
or other material mixed with a small percentage of leather fibers in the product's backing material. The actual leather content of bonded leather varies depending on the manufacturer and the quality level they are selling. The polyurethane surface is stamped to give it a leather-like texture. In the home furnishings industry there is much debate and controversy over the ethics of using the term "bonded leather" to describe a vinyl upholstery product.
Other types of bonded leather include fragile paper-backed bonded leather constructions used to cover books and desk accessories. These bonded leathers may contain a smaller proportion of leather and have some leather content in the product's surface, hence there may be an actual leather smell.
External links
- Bonded leather making headway, Furniture/Today, February 2008
- For consumer's sake, let's not call it 'bonded leather' "Furniture/Today", July 2007