Dents - Over stretching - Sagging in leather

The stretchability of leather

Leather is a soft, flexible and stretchy material and consists of infinitely small fibres. Therefore, leather can be made hard or soft, it can be embossed or deformed, it can be ironed or the grain can be reinforced. This flexibility also causes it to stretch over time and if caused due to sufficient force, wrinkles, creases and pressure marks can be as stubborn as an embossing.

Leather consists of infinite fibre connections and permanently deforms under high pressure.

 

The stretchability of skin, varies according to the specific tanning process and the part of the skin. The stretchability of a chrome-tanned bovine skin varies within the same hide.

Red marked areas are more than 100 percent stretchable, yellow parts can be stretched from 75 to 100 percent. There are no values for the green areas. But there are also differences in those areas. Depending on the course of the fibre, the leather is more stretchable in one direction than in the other (horizontal to vertical).

The partial areas of the skin are different stretchable.

 

Wrinkles, Sagging and over stretching in leather

Due to the elasticity of leather, deformations can occur due to general use. In most cases, over stretching and sagging are common occurrences.

• Due to daily use Leather furniture tend to have loose leather in certain areas
• Car leather seats tend to get wrinkles in the entry flanks of the driver's seat. Leather starts to sag in sitting areas.
• Incorrectly stored leather upholstery gets pressure marks due to heavy or angular objects leaning or kept on the leather.
• Leather clothing gets wrinkles occasionally due to incorrect storage or of the incorrect transport in travel suitcases. Other problems are bumps in the knee or buttocks area.

Over stretched leather trousers. The creation of pressure marks on leather furniture.

Bumps or wrinkles can appear due to incorrect storage of leather, wrong transport conditions. Incorrect handling of the material can also cause the leather to deform.

Heat guns are used to make leather more deformable and wrinkle-free and is used extensively in every upholstery workshop where car or furniture leather is being processed, Short-wave infrared is used for the same purposes in the automotive industry. Leather is heated for 30-40 seconds to remove wrinkles. However, any such process must be done with care as at extremely high temperatures, leather hardens and is permanently damaged.

Neatly folded leather in the warehouse. - Fold in the finished upholstery.

Dents, sagging and over stretching in leather furniture

Particularly in the case of new furniture, customers are often annoyed that stretching of leather becomes visible after some time. Furniture leathers come in a wide variety and the existence of such problems depend largely on thickness and quality of the leather.

Photos from a furniture store. Do not buy such furniture if you do not want to have dents and over stretched leather.

Thicker leather is less prone to the formation of wrinkles and bumps. The middle part (butt) of a cattle skin is much more unobtrusive than the margins of the skin (belly). Very large areas are also more susceptible to stretching and looseness than small areas. Leather can also be pre-stressed so that it is not as extensible in use later. The permanent elasticity of the upholstery material is also important and must be considered.

Typical wrinkles in furniture leather.

Extreme wrinkling and overstretching in old furniture leather giving it a saggy look

Typical example of over stretching in leather furniture.

Typical over stretched leather on chairs.

Typical example of over stretched leather on aircraft leather seats.

There are special measuring instruments for checking the differences in the height of wrinkles, the level of sag and dents. Before the measurement, the cushion is loosened and flattened. Therefore, the criteria are not always clear and the results of these tests are not always comprehensive enough for the customer.

Over stretched and saggy leathers are a major source of complaints by customers. Over stretched leather makes the leather sag. in such cases, the leather is subjected to significantly higher wear and tear and breaks/tears more quickly due to friction caused by daily use. Besides, over stretched leather and wrinkles are unattractive. The level of ambiguity surrounding these methods and the lack of standard testing mechanisms and processes, one should always ask for advice from a neutral expert in case of any disputes.

A negative example: According to information from the owner of the furniture, a leather consultant appointed by the court decided that these folds were permissible. The sofa set was only a few months old. However, if such pictures were shown before the purchase, then hardly any customers would buy such furniture.

It is hardly imaginable that such overstretched leathers are deemed acceptable by leather experts on almost new furniture.

Dents and creases in car seats

Also in the case of car leather, the driver's seat often changes with time. The entry flank and side bolster is often pushed by getting in and out, and in the seat area, the leather stretches and becomes loose and causes it to sag over time.

Typical folds in the driver's seat. Such folds are not a defect, but a characteristic of the natural product leather.

Through the weight of the driver and the continuous load, the fibre structure expands with time causing indentations and over stretching. To a certain extent it belongs to the naturalness of the leather. If it is too disturbing, consult a local Upholsterer or Trimmer. If the leather is too over stretched, it must be replaced. The problem can sometimes be solved just by upholstery work. A rather risky and hard way would be to shrink the leather by wetting it with very hot water and use heat gun. The effect is stronger because of the moisture but be aware that the risk of entirely damaging the surface with this method is high. Any resulting damage due to this method cannot be undone.

Typical overstretched and sagging leather in the driver seat. These develop only after extensive use. Only a Trimmer can help.

By adding moisture with water and the use of heat, these wrinkles in a Porsche Cayenne could be removed (ledercenter.si).

A fold in new leather. Not perfect but within the tolerance (but not for the suppliers of the manufacturer of the vehicle...).

-> - Dents and creases removement

Ruffled leather

Designers sometimes design leather intentionally with wrinkles. Such design is called ruffled leather.

So called ruffled leather. The folds are part of the design.

Pressure points in the leather

Due to incorrect storage of heavy objects on leathers, pressure marks can become visible. Depending on the weight and duration of the load, these can be removed relatively easily.

Typical pressure marks in the leather.

-> How to remove pressure points on car leather

Crumpled leather clothing

Sometimes leather clothing is very wrinkled and creased when unpacked from the travel bag or by incorrect storage. It is often sufficient to heat the folds with a hair dryer and to flatten the area using your hands. Hang the clothing for a little while to get rid of minor wrinkles. If this is not enough, you can also iron the leather. Not too hot, not with steam and never iron damp leather! Put a cloth or a coated baking paper (with the coating to the leather side!) onto the leather surface while ironing. With baking paper, you can detect better how smooth the leather under the paper is.

Extreme cases should be washed and dried according to basic washing instructions. This should definitely make the wrinkles disappear.

The folds, which become visible in hidden areas of sleeves or trouser legs, are usually not removable.

"Crumpled look" - A desired effect on this leather jacket.

A video about pressure marks in leather

A video about how to treat pressure marks in leather.

Additional information

• Wished deformation of leather
• Shrunken leather - leather shrinkage
• Leather damages

-> How to remove pressure points on leather

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