Alpine Lounge | care and cleaning for your leather lounge suite. |

LEATHER TYPES AND CARE FOR YOUR LEATHER LOUNGE SUITE

CORRECTED GRAIN LEATHER :

Alpine's STANDARD range - Bovine

Pigmented leather has an applied surface finish of pigments and sealer coats. It is therefore better able to resist marking and spillages, but has a colder, firmer feel. It has a regular texture that is printed onto the heavily pigmented surface and disguises the irregularities within the hide.

Care and Cleaning Instructions

As upholstery leather is normally finished to product specifications, additional protective coating is optional.

All that is needed to care for your Corrected Grain leather suite is to dust your suite regularly with a soft damp cloth. Dirt can be removed by wiping down with warm water and soap. DO NOT use solvents or detergents.

Condition the leather approximately every 9-12 months, using a good quality hide food which contains softening and nourishing agents .

We recommend: PLUSH HIDE FOOD, available from most footwear outlets. This will prevent leather from drying out and cracking over time.

SEMI-ANILINE LEATHER :

Alpine's:
KUDU ( Bovine)
CUMULUS (Bovine)
IMPALA (Bovine)

This type of leather is stylish and more natural looking. The finish is a mixture of dye and pigment, which gives a uniform look, but does not disguise all natural markings and scars on the hide, which should not be seen as faults. These markings are what gives leather furniture its character and authenticity and differentiates this leather from Corrected Grain.

We always endeavour to provide a degree of uniformity, but to produce a sofa it may take at least three hides and as no two hides are identical there may be substantial variation in shade and texture even within the same hide. This is a characteristic of the leather and is what distinguishes Semi Aniline leather from Corrected Grain. This gives this leather type a softer handle and more natural appeal.

Care and Cleaning Instructions

As upholstery leather is normally finished to product specifications, additional protective coating is optional, but not recommended.

All that is needed to care for your leather suite is to dust your suite regularly with a soft damp cloth. Dirt can be removed by wiping down with warm water and soap. DO NOT use solvents or detergents.

Condition the leather approximately every 9-12 months, using a good quality hide food which contains softening and nourishing agents. We recommend: PLUSH HIDE FOOD, available from most footwear outlets. This will prevent leather from drying out and cracking over time.

FULL ANILINE LEATHER :

Alpine's:
KALAHARI (bovine) and
RUSTICA (bovine)

Full aniline leather is THE most rewarding for leather connoisseurs. It has a wonderful silky touch and the look has great depth. An aniline finish is pure-dye (dyed through), then sprayed with a dye-mixture and substances that do not disguise any natural markings and scars on the hide. These markings should not be seen as faults, but natural variations that give our leather furniture its character and authenticity.

We always endeavour to provide a degree of uniformity, but to produce a sofa it may take at least three hides and as no two hides are identical, there may also be substantial variation in shade and texture even within the same hide. This is a property of the leather and is what distinguishes Full Aniline as the leather for the connoisseur. This gives the leather a distinctively unique look.

With age, your leather furniture will mould to your body shape and colours may mellow and change according to its use and environment, making the piece of furniture uniquely your own.

Care and Cleaning Instructions

Due to the aged effect of this leather type requires very little, but important care –

The leather should be wiped regularly with a dry soft cloth in order to prevent accumulation of dust.
Never use shoe polish or detergents to clean leather. Due to the nature of this leather, spills should be dabbed IMMEDIATELY with a soft dry absorbent cloth.
Condition the leather approximately every 9-12 months, using a good quality hide food which contains softening and nourishing agents – We recommend: PLUSH HIDE FOOD, available from most footwear outlets. This will prevent leather from drying out and cracking over time.
The aniline finish is sensitive to light – please keep away from windows and areas with direct sunlight.

SEMI NU-BUCK :

Alpine's:
AFRICAN BUFFALO (Bovine)
WOODLAND (Bovine)
GEMSBOK BUFF (genuine Gemsbok) and
FRONTIER (Bovine) –with stain resistant treatment

This is a buffed Aniline leather with all the natural markings, dyed through, giving a velvety suede touch, yet with a pleasing rugged appearance. Shade variations are normal and add to the character of the aged look. This leather type will take on natural skin oils from body contact and will have a tendency to go darker, shinier and smoother in these areas – this is a natural occurrence and will enhance the characteristic of the leather with time (except Frontier which is stain resistant).

Care and Cleaning Instructions

Due to the aged effect of this leather it requires very little, but important care –

The leather should be wiped regularly with a dry soft cloth in order to prevent accumulation of dust.
Due to the nature of this leather type regular cleaning is generally not necessary.
Spills should be dabbed IMMEDIATELY with a soft dry absorbent cloth and dirt removed with a damp cloth.
NEVER use water, detergents, shoe polish or regular leather cleaners and conditioners on this leather type, as it will cause the two-tone effect to disappear. For more information on cleaning this leather, you may contact Lopez Leathers – Tel: (021) 5587099/7114 or visit www.lopezleathers.co.za
The aniline finish is sensitive to light. To avoid fading, please keep away from windows and areas with direct sunlight.

INDIGENOUS RANGE :

Alpine's GEMSBOK (Genuine Gemsbok)

This unique full aniline leather derived from this magnificent migratory antelope is strong, supple and silky to the touch.

The average size of a Gemsbok hide is only 3m2 - 60% of a bovine hide.

In order to survive in the very dry semi desert and desert conditions of the Kalahari and the Namib, Gemsbok store water in their hide. This results in a soft spongy-like texture.

The large hair follicles evident on the skin surface allows the course hair breathing passage to ventilate the animal in the extreme heat conditions. The fibre structure of the hide is therefore open allowing tanning agents to penetrate freely. The result is a robust leather ideal for smaller upholstered furnishings.

Shade variations are normal and natural defects are very evident, mainly as a result of the struggle for dominance in the herd where sharp horns are used as instruments to battle damaging the hides. All hides are sourced through strictly controlled culling programs in Namibia.

Care and Cleaning Instructions

Due to the aged effect of this leather type requires very little, but important care –

The leather should be wiped regularly with a dry soft cloth in order to prevent accumulation of dust.
Never use detergents to clean leather. Due to the nature of this leather, spills should be dabbed IMMEDIATELY with a soft dry absorbent cloth.
Condition the leather approximately every 9-12 months, using a good quality hide food which contains softening and nourishing agents – We recommend: PLUSH HIDE FOOD, available from most footwear outlets. (for Gemsbok BUFF, refer semi nu-buck type) This will prevent the leather from drying out and cracking over time.

PULL-UP LEATHER :

Alpine's PULL-UP (bovine)
CRAZY HORSE (bovine) and
WILD WEST (bovine) ranges

Only the best bovine hides are used for Pull-up leather. It is a natural product with unique characteristics. Thorns, tick -bites and scratches leave their traces on a hide and are natural marks only manufactured by nature. The leather is dyed to colour with aniline dyes with no surface pigmentation. Shade variations are normal and add to the character of the aged look. The oil pull-up effect re-creates an ‘olde worlde' finish, which lightens under stress.

All these characteristics re-affirm the purchase of an authentic leather product and makes each product unique in appearance.

Care and Cleaning Instructions

Due to the aged effect of this leather type requires very little, but important care –

The leather should be wiped regularly with a dry soft cloth in order to prevent accumulation of dust.
Never use detergents to clean leather. Due to the nature of this leather, spills should be dabbed IMMEDIATELY with a soft dry absorbent cloth.
This leather will improve with age, but should still be fed approximately every 9-12 months using a good quality hide food, which contains softening and nourishing agents – We recommend: PLUSH HIDE FOOD, available from most footwear outlets. This will prevent the leather from drying out and cracking over time.
The aniline finish is sensitive to light – please keep away from windows and areas with direct sunlight.

LEATHER "UPPERS"

LEATHER UPPERS is a name given to Alpine Lounge suites covered in:

Genuine leather on all body contact areas (inner seats/inner backs/inner arms) and Imitation/synthetic leather (Automotive quality) on the non-body contact parts (outer arms/outer backs/base)

Care and Cleaning Instructions

Dust regularly with a soft damp cloth. Dirt can be removed by washing with warm water and soap. Do not use solvents, detergents or furniture polish, as this will cause synthetic to harden and crack.

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