Upholstery leather is hide tanned and finished to take daily wear on furniture, vehicle seats and contract fit-outs. Woodheads carries eleven upholstery leather ranges: Calypso, Calypso Auto, Gunston, Diesel, Sativa, Napier, Milkwood, Latin, Klawer, Namakwa and our newest range, Stanford. Hides are sold whole and priced by the square metre, with colour cards and sample pieces at both branches so a range can be matched before an order is placed.
CALYPSO
CALYPSO IS OUR HARDWEARING CORRECTED GRAIN UPHOLSTERY & AUTOMOTIVE LEATHER. IT IS AVAILABLE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF COLOURS AND EMBOSSINGS. IT IS SOLD IN HIDES OF AVERAGE SIZE OF 3,5 TO 4,5 SQM
CALYPSO AUTO
CALYPSO IS OUR HARDWEARING CORRECTED GRAIN UPHOLSTERY & AUTOMOTIVE LEATHER. IT IS AVAILABLE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF COLOURS AND EMBOSSINGS. IT IS SOLD IN HIDES OF AVERAGE SIZE OF 3,5 TO 3,5M
GUNSTON
THIS IS A WELL PRICED POPULAR FULL GRAIN OIL PULL- UP UPHOLSTERY LEATHER
DIESEL
DIESEL IS OUR PREMIUM FULL GRAIN OIL PULL UP WITH EXCELLENT LEATHER CHARACTERISTICS
SATIVA
SATIVA, WITH ITS UNIQUE CRACKLE OIL PULL UP FINISH MAKES IT A FIRM FAVOURITE FOR INTERIOR DECORATOR AND DESIGN PRODUCTS
NAPIER
NAPIER IS KNOWN FOR ITS UNIQUE BUFFED FULL GRAIN AND AGED LOOK, IDEALLY DESIGNED FOR THE SOFT AND LUXURIOUS CHOICE
THIS LEATHER IS A FIRM FULL GRAIN SEMI ANILINE WAXED PULL UP. A POPULAR CHOICE AMONGST UPHOLSTERERS DUE TO ITS EXCELLENT QUALITY FOR ITS PRICE.
MILKWOOD
LATIN RANGE
THIS CORRECTED GRAIN LEATHER COMES IN A STUNNING RANGE OF COLOURS, FROM CLASSIC WHITES TO RICH TOFFEES AND DEEP BROWNS. PERFECT FOR ALL YOUR SMOOTH, SOPHISTICATED LEATHERWORK NEEDS.
KLAWER RANGE
OUR KLAWER RANGE OFFERS PREMIUM FULL-GRAIN, FULL ANILINE BOVINE LEATHER IN RICH SHADES LIKE GINGER, CHOCOLATE, AND BLACK. PERFECT FOR LUXURIOUS COUCH UPHOLSTERY!
NAMAKWA RANGE
THIS BUFFED ANILINE LEATHER OFFERS A BUTTERY-SOFT FEEL, IDEAL FOR THAT OTTOMAN OR ACCENT PIECE YOU'VE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT.
THIS RANGE IS COMING SOON – STAY TUNED!
THIS LEATHER IS A FIRM FULL GRAIN SEMI ANILINE WAXED PULL UP. A POPULAR CHOICE AMONGST UPHOLSTERERS DUE TO ITS EXCELLENT QUALITY FOR ITS PRICE.
STANFORD
NEW RANGE COMING SOON!
WHAT UPHOLSTERY LEATHER COSTS
Upholstery leather is not priced by the running metre, because a hide is an irregular shape rather than a roll. It is priced by the square metre or square foot, and the rate moves with the range, the finish and the grade of the hide.
For budgeting, a three seater sofa takes roughly 15 to 20 square metres once cutting waste is allowed for, a two seater roughly 11 to 14, and a single armchair roughly 6 to 8. Vehicle interiors vary too much to generalise and are best quoted off the pattern.
GRADES AND WHAT THE LABELS MEAN
Genuine upholstery leather is real hide, usually corrected grain or pigmented, chosen for consistency across a large run.
Bonded leather is not full hide. It is leather fibre bound with polyurethane on a backing cloth.
Leather match uses real hide on the seating surfaces and a vinyl on the sides and back. It is a legitimate way to hold a price down, but it should be stated rather than assumed. Where a job mixes leather with cloth, our upholstery fabric range covers the panels that do not need hide.
CHOOSING FOR THE ROOM
Pigmented and corrected grain hides hold up best in daily use, because the finish resists scuffing and wipes clean. Aniline and semi-aniline hides look and feel better but mark more readily, so they suit low traffic pieces. For anything sitting in strong sunlight, ask for a UV stable finish whatever the grade, since South African light is hard on a hide.
Upholstery leather is a long purchase, and the range and the finish matter more than the first price quoted. Woodheads has supplied upholsterers since 1867 and holds the upholstery leather ranges at Cape Town and Pinetown, with hides pulled and measured at the counter alongside the tacks and nails to finish the job. Bring the pattern or the square metre figure and the team will work out how many hides the job takes before anything is cut.