"Aniline (also called Natural) (A)

The surface of this leather has been colored with transparent dyes. This transparency is similar to looking at a piece of stained wood, whereas the grain stays natural and visibly distinguishable. Aniline leather will have imperfections and differences, just as fingerprints are different for each individual. This difference is nature’s signature and assurance that every hide is one of a kind. These leathers have minimal surface protection and thus tend to show the effects of usage such as wear, scratches, UV exposure, etc. To maintain the natural beauty of aniline leather it is mandatory to establish a routine of cleaning and protection. Leather Protector should be applied right at the beginning of usage. Cleaning and protection should then be done every six months, even more often on high traffic areas.

Semi-Aniline (A)

This leather is covered with a lightly pigmented coating on which transparent and brilliant colors are oversprayed to reconstruct the natural appearance of the leather. Since the coating is thin, it offers only minimal protection, so an application of Leather Protector is recommended.

Pigmented or Top Coated (P)

This is the most widely used finishing technique. The finish consists of an opaque basecoat of pigmented resins followed by a protective topcoat. The natural color of the leather is completely covered. Therefore, pigmented leather can be identified by its uniform color. It is ideal for high use items like furniture or automotive seats, especially when you want your kids to use them “trouble-free”. With the aid of Mohawk Professional Leather Care products, these leathers are easily maintained. If restoration is necessary, full re-coloring is possible.

Pull Up (X)

Fashions come and go, but waxy and oiled leathers are here to stay. These two related types of leather are called “pull up,” a phrase originally used to describe the effect on a type of leather also known as “Timberland” after that well-known footwear producer made this type of article famous. These leathers lighten when stretched, bent or “pulled up.” They are categorized as natural because they do not have a thick topcoat.

Nubuck (N)

This leather is actually aniline leather that has been sanded to give it a fine, velvety surface. It should not be confused with suede, which is the flesh side of leather. The look and feel of nubuck leather is incomparable for low use applications where elegance is desired. To properly care for nubuck, it is important to adhere to a routine of cleaning followed by protection. This regimen should begin as soon as the piece is put into use and continued at regular intervals throughout the life of the piece. MOHAWK has specific products for the care and preservation of nubuck leather. It is important to use these specialized Nubuck products on Nubuck leathers.

Bycast (B)

This is a completely different system of finishing or enhancing leather (usually split leather or heavily buffed leather). It maintains a very consistent thickness and softness over the entire area of the leather, not only on any given hide but from hide to hide as well. The technique consists of creating the finishing film on a continual support of release paper. An adhesive is applied to the film, and then the film is pressed on the leather. The finished leather is then removed from the release paper displaying a perfectly uniform surface. Often, when stretching bycast leather, you can see a lighter color that reverts back to the original color once the pressure is released. This is sometimes used to identify bycast leathers."