Upholstery leather Q

[9fingers]

Not sure where to post this but decided here so it might get most views . Mods please move if needed.

I'm currently building a couple of dining chairs - a first time chair project so fairly simple frame with inset padded panel to rest the cheeks against.
The seat base is about 450mm square with rounded corners between 25 and 45 mm radius
I fancy having a go at using some leather but after a quick look round I realise I know nothing about what is the right stuff to use.
I've seen leather offered 0.7-8mm thick - that seems very thin to me but at the other extreme there is some 2.5mm available on ebay which will be pretty unmanageable on the corners.

Any tips on the right type of leather, thicknesses and sources would be most welcome.

TIA

Bob

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

I have no answers whatsoever for you Bob But I would also like to know a bit about leather, I plan on making a simple sofa at some point & some dining chairs as well. Cheers_Dan.

 

[mtr1]

This site has a lot of info, I have only used leather twice, that was on a couple writing slopes, so I can't help.

 

[acewoodturner]

Bob

You could try www.hewit.com in Livingston. ( J Hewit and Sons Ltd). I have their site bookmarked and intend to purchase some leather from them shortly. Their site is pretty comprehensive as well as having prices. I dont know the best leather for upholstery and they might know themselves. They will certainly have some though as other websites I have looked at dont come anywhere near them for such a breadth of product range. No connection - just localish to me!

Mike

 

[mark_h]

I made an Arts and Crafts settle/settee a few years ago that has a leather seat. I approached a local upholsterer about either buying some leather or having him do the job for me. As I wanted a seat squab that needed springing, side stitching to create the profile, plus the use of differing densities of foam I let him do the job for me; all I provided him was a beech sub frame that he built the squab around. He had loads of samples of leather that I was able to choose from, but he did not stock or recommend the thinner ones. As I wanted a special order thicker leather to get the colour I needed I did have to buy a whole hide which was pretty expensive (about £200 if I remember). However the upholsterer made a superb job and the seat looks perfect after a number of years hard abuse, so I would recommend paying for quality leather, a probably a professional to make the seats if you'r unsure what to do. I also got to keep the unused bits of the hide and my wife was able to make four full size matching cushions plus several plane socks and chisel rolls!

Good luck

Mark

 

[woodbloke]

Bob, I used to use sheepskin (not the furry bit :lol: ) for upholstery...it's more than adequate for those chairs and available from any decent tannery in a vast range of colours. Cow hide would be available in bigger sizes but is probably too thick to form the corners for a 'drop-in' seat...give me a shout when you're ready and I'll pop down and show you how it's done. You'll also need 50 or 40mm thick upholstery quality foam (slightly more rigid than the normal stuff) thin polyester material to go over the foam before the leather, some impact adhesive, a hacksaw blade, pliers, stapler, clean cotton material for the underside and a sharp Stanley knife - Rob

 

[Ironballs]

Bob I did the same as Mark earlier this year on an Arts & Crafts chair, I went to see a local upholsterer and we had a good chat about what I wanted, I was lucky in that he had enough of a hide left in the colour I wanted to make my cushions otherwise the cost would have gone up by another 100 quid.

It's not cheap (a good deal of the cost is the making of patterns for a one off) but well worth it and far beyong what I could have achieved.

Cheers

Damian

 

[Beardo16]

This is something i would love to get into alot more having only done it on a couple of occasions. If i had more spare time i would consider a course.

The only thing i would say is to not use faux leather, i used this on a project recently at work and it was not only hard to work with but doesnt produce the same results.

Sorry i couldnt help more.

 

[9fingers]

Thanks to all responders. Rob's kind offer is too generous to miss out on so special thanks to him. In the meantime, looking for 'tanneries' online all I find are tanning salons so far :roll: :roll: I've got a catalogue for other upholstery supplies so I can stock up with those.

Do you know any tanneries local to us Rob?

Cheers

Bob

 

[woodbloke]

Do you know any tanneries local to us Rob?

Cheers

Bob

Can't help with that one Bob...the last time I bought some leather for upholstery was years ago when I lived up near Guildford and I bought some nice skins from a tannery 'twixt Guildford and Dorking iIrc (it was on the main road in one of the villages that you drive through) but I can't remember exactly where it was. It ought not to be too hard to find though. I should reckon on one hide per seat, plus buying an additional one (or even two) in case of errors. As it's not cheap, I'd also recommend getting hold of some similar gauge 'faux' leather to practice before the real upholstery is begun...it would also be useful to make up an identical mock frame so you can get used to playing around with the clearances (between ply seat and the inside of the rebate) so the finished seat is a snug fit without being too tight. It will look poor if it's a sloppy fit and if too tight may put uneccassary pressure on the joints - Rob

 

[9fingers]

Thanks Rob,

I'll have a look in that area.

Bob

 

[Dibs-h]

Bob

Have you thought about popping round to a Car Upholstery\Re-trimmers? Car seats have to put up with a lot of abuse compared to dining chairs - and you might strike lucky and be able to snag some offcuts or at least some advice. Most firms I've dealt with are very friendly and more than happy for someone to pop in for a chat.

HIH

Dibs

 

[trsleigh]

Bob

I've used Yarwood Leather a couple of times.
http://www.yarwoodleather.com
Their site doesn't look as if it's geared to one off orders but you'll find their sales staff very helpful.
I wanted a small quantity and they offered an exceptionally small whole hide, approx £60 iirc.

 

[JWF]

Bob

I have used Crest leather at www.crestleather.com on a number of occasions for just the job you mentioned. Found them really helpful with advice on the type of leather to use. They have a particular leather called Dollaro which we have used on both drop in seats and overstuffed and the corners were not too difficult to do.

Hope this helps
John

 

[9fingers]

Bob

I have used Crest leather at http://www.crestleather.com on a number of occasions for just the job you mentioned. Found them really helpful with advice on the type of leather to use. They have a particular leather called Dollaro which we have used on both drop in seats and overstuffed and the corners were not too difficult to do.

Hope this helps
John

Hi John,

Thanks for the recommendation. I see from their web contact page that they are trade only so do you think they might be able to help me. I can't promise them vast orders as I only have two chairs to cover.

Cheers

Bob

 

[JWF]

Bob
pm sent
John