Semi-aniline leather is more durable than aniline whilst still retaining a natural appearance. The increased durability is provided by the application of a light surface coating which contains a small amount of pigment. This ensures consistent colour and imparts some stain resistance.
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Leather. Not "Bonded Leather", not "Bycast Leather", not leather that has been split and glued to a backing and called "top Grain". Just: Leather. Best are semi-aniline or aniline dyed hides.
Semi aniline leather is really more of a dying process. Usually a semi aniline leather has has a corrected grain, hence the use of semi aniline. What happens on a semi aniline leather is that small defects on the leather hide have been buffed or sanded and then get an embossed grain or corrected grain. In order to have color consistency, a semi aniline dye is utilized. Leathers that need large areas of correction are embossed all over and usually have a pigmented finish. A semi aniline leather is fairly high quality and needs more maintenance and care than a purely pigmented finish because part of the natural characteristics remain. Source: http://www.modern-leather-furniture.com
It is essential to use a good quality protector on aniline style leathers as this will make this sort of problem much easier to deal with. Aniline style leathers are very absorbent and once stains have been absorbed by the leather they are often impossible to remove successfully. Treating leather with a protector (such as LTT Ultra Protect) will allow the saliva to sit on the surface rather than be soaked in and then it can be cleaned off. Lazy Leather is a unique aniline cleaner which is a non surfactant and will not be soaked up by the leather. It is a great maintenance product for aniline style leathers. source: http://www.LTTleathercare.co.uk
An Aniline style leather will be absorbent and a pigment coated leather is not so the easiest way to tell is to put a bit of water on the leather and see whether it soaks in or sits on the surface. If you want to fully check the type of leather you have check here http://www.lttsolutions.net/whattypeofleather.asp
Semi-aniline leather is more durable than aniline whilst still retaining a natural appearance. The increased durability is provided by the application of a light surface coating which contains a small amount of pigment. This ensures consistent colour and imparts some stain resistance.
Nappa leather is really leather. It's a soft, chrome-tanned, smooth leather. It is colored with aniline, a toxic compound that smells of rotten fish.
There are several tests you can do to ascertain this. Moisture test: Put a drop of water on your leather (test in a hidden area first) - don't worry water is good for leather so will not damage it. If the water soaks into the leather and goes dark you have an aniline style leather. If the water sits on the surface you have a coated leather of some sort. Some aniline style leathers will have a finish on them which will slow down the rate of absorption. Scratch Test: Most aniline leathers will scratch with your finger nail and leave a mark These two tests are part of a 5 step process used as an industry standard for testing leather. If you want more information there is a good flow chart here: http://www.lttsolutions.net/whattypeofleather.asp
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Semi-aniline leather is more durable than aniline whilst still retaining a natural appearance. The increased durability is provided by the application of a light surface coating which contains a small amount of pigment. This ensures consistent colour and imparts some stain resistance.
When leather is produced it is dyed with aniline dyes before any other surface finishes are added. Aniline style leathers (those that have no pigment coating added) are more prone to fading from sunlight and in some cases this can happen quite quickly and quite dramatically. It is an easy problem to fix as Aniline dyes can be used to restore the colour Using a quality leather protector that contains UV protection can help to slow this process down.
There are several tests you can do to ascertain this. Moisture test: Put a drop of water on your leather (test in a hidden area first) - don't worry water is good for leather so will not damage it. If the water soaks into the leather and goes dark you have an aniline style leather. If the water sits on the surface you have a coated leather of some sort. Some aniline style leathers will have a finish on them which will slow down the rate of absorption. Scratch Test: Most aniline leathers will scratch with your finger nail and leave a mark These two tests are part of a 5 step process used as an industry standard for testing leather. If you want more information there is a good flow chart here: http://www.lttsolutions.net/whattypeofleather.asp Credit goes to Tyler9552 for this great answer.