“Leather furniture is considered for the elite class”. Whoever said this is wrong. You can get a variety of leather furniture at affordable rate. However, you should be aware of the properties of the leather before you go to the market; else you will end up buying either cheap quality leather or even the look-alikes of leather furniture.

Check the grade of the leather you are buying. In short, I will classify the leather into full grain and split grain leather. There are many other grades too. It is better to go for full grain leather as it offers maximum life and ease of maintenance while the split grain, though less priced, is susceptible to wear and tears thereby loosing it luster within months.

Several kinds of finishes are given to the leather after processing it. Good quality leather will have wrinkles on it. But it becomes hard to look for that quality as many manufacturers produce artificial wrinkles to make it look like the highest quality. But you can touch and feel the leather. If the leather is soft, it is good. Artificial leather will be a bit tough and grainy. Look for aniline, the best quality leather.

Leather furniture requires frequent maintenance. You need to clean out the dust that eats up the upper coating often. Every two weeks, you may use some non-toxic soap to clean the leather. Vacuum is not advised as it may spoil the finish. You can use it to clean the hard to dust portions at the folds. If you are unsure about how to maintain, you can always use the services of a professional.