Try the FAQs page, for more
obscure upholstery facts. There's a
link below.
That page has the answers to the
most frequent telephone questions.
If your feel your piece or situation is
unique, please use the email link
below, and attach a photo.
Remember, a picture's worth a
thousand words.
 
You're at AntiqueUpholsterer.Com
the website for Joe Klem Furniture & Upholstery, located in
Coburg, Oregon, in the Eugene/Springfield area.
This page is about upholstering with leather.
Want to know about leather upholstery?
Here's the basics:
Leather comes by the cow, not by the yard. A good sized hide (one cow's skin), that
measures 52-54 sq.ft, is worth 3 to 3 1/2 yards of fabric. Most sitting chairs require 7
yards, or at least 2 hides. The picture below show a typical hide laid out on the
cutting table.
For scale, he rulers are 60"(5 feet) long. The chalk line around the edge marks out the
usable material. The edge pieces are either too stiff or too stretchy to be used.
The middle line is the cow's spine. On a lot of hides it's a permanent and very visible
line.
Hides are sold, like lumber, by the square foot. The average cow hide is 52-4 square
feet. Most leather suppliers will only sell full hides.
You might find a single hide at a discount shop for $2-3/ square foot($100-150), and if
that's all you need, you're in luck. But, you'll rarely find 2 hides that match at a
discount.
So, if you need 2 or more hides that match in color & grain, the cost rises to at least
$8+/- a square foot. That's $800-1000 for the leather to upholster your chair. A sofa
might take 4 hides($1600) to 7 hides($2800) .
How, you ask, do furniture makers produce leather furniture so cheaply? The answer
is, they don't (produce leather furniture). Inexpensive leather furniture may have a lot
of matching vinyl, with leather only where you touch. That's how it's done in auto
upholstery. Or, some leather furniture is upholstered with split hides-literally 2 hides
made from one. In either case, the furniture is designed to be replaced, not re-
upholstered, when it wears out.
The box below is
a site-search box
ABOUT LEATHER
 
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your suggestions or thoughts.
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to type in your email address.
 
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