I used to sell and manage a large leather furniture retailer.
My opinion of leather is its not suitable for furniture, but if you want leather (which sticks to you when hot and makes you sweat and cold in winter) you need to be aware that there is a big range of leather grades and suppliers.
Unless youre paying mega-bucks for it, its probably come out of China and they have sourced it from the cheapest leather producer.
Quality leather is from NZ and South America (not Auzzie leather which sadly is rubbish) and usually comes out of Europe.
What do they use in cars and RV's???? The cheapest Chinese sourced leather
If you have leather, you do need to condition it at least twice a year. It is dead skin and will crazy crack - which wont stop once it starts.
Use quality conditioner (not spray stuff from supermarkets) - it should look like quality body conditioner that ladies (and smart guys) use to keep their skin supple. Use a quality cotton rag to run in - leave a couple of days to dry off (don't put it on too thick otherwise it will not dry and leave streaky marks - try a test spot to work out how much to put on). Buff the leather when dry. Don't sit on wet leather conditioner - it will stain your clothes and may leave permanent marks on your leather
Ontos45 said
09:42 AM Feb 12, 2015
What about saddle soap and conditioner?
Dunmowin said
08:24 PM Feb 12, 2015
We use the recommended leather cleaner annually, and the conditioner at least every three months. Our van is now 4 years old, and the leather is as good as the day we bought it. Better than fabric, which, if you happen to sweat a lot (like Mr D) stains. It is far easier to maintain leather than fabric upholstery. If you are concerned about sweating or cold, put a towel over it, as it did for the first couple of months, then, well, I just gave that extra task up/
Has anyone had a problem with seats cracking?
We had the seat cushions in our caravan recovered as they cracked. The old ones were made using recycled leather.
The chap who did the job for us informed us about the process of recycling leather, and told us that it is not a quality product.
Do a search "recycled leather". I found the web site listed below.
www.brighthub.com/articles/91891.aspx
My opinion of leather is its not suitable for furniture, but if you want leather (which sticks to you when hot and makes you sweat and cold in winter) you need to be aware that there is a big range of leather grades and suppliers.
Unless youre paying mega-bucks for it, its probably come out of China and they have sourced it from the cheapest leather producer.
Quality leather is from NZ and South America (not Auzzie leather which sadly is rubbish) and usually comes out of Europe.
What do they use in cars and RV's???? The cheapest Chinese sourced leather
If you have leather, you do need to condition it at least twice a year. It is dead skin and will crazy crack - which wont stop once it starts.
Use quality conditioner (not spray stuff from supermarkets) - it should look like quality body conditioner that ladies (and smart guys) use to keep their skin supple. Use a quality cotton rag to run in - leave a couple of days to dry off (don't put it on too thick otherwise it will not dry and leave streaky marks - try a test spot to work out how much to put on). Buff the leather when dry. Don't sit on wet leather conditioner - it will stain your clothes and may leave permanent marks on your leather
What about saddle soap and conditioner?
We use the recommended leather cleaner annually, and the conditioner at least every three months. Our van is now 4 years old, and the leather is as good as the day we bought it. Better than fabric, which, if you happen to sweat a lot (like Mr D) stains. It is far easier to maintain leather than fabric upholstery. If you are concerned about sweating or cold, put a towel over it, as it did for the first couple of months, then, well, I just gave that extra task up/