bicast leather

[TONY5322]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

One of the bigger problems i've noticed with a lot of leather furniture is that you can't easily re-stuff it. I hate saggy seats. Sure you can get hardwood frame & webbing instead of springs, but there's often nothing you can do about the eventual depressions in the cushions. Depending on the firmness of the foams that are used, this can be more or less of a problem. The next time i go shopping for a leather couch, I will make sure that the cushions can be removed without tearing the whole couch apart.
Whether or not the cushions are removable has nothing to do with it as the seams have to be opened up allowing for stuffing the material and resewn.
If you had not had price as your priority when you bought the pices, you would have gotten heavier, denser foam which would last a lot longer. After all, at the end of the day, the cheapest is really the most expensive.

 

[TONY5322]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I am no fan of leather couches. I think that 99% of the time they are cheesy.
Don't worry. I hear that Herculon is making a comeback for sophisticated, non-cheesy people such as yourself. You should also look inot the array of synthetic fabrics and surely there is one with 15-20 colors in the fabric with looks and feel like a burlap sack.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by TONY5322

Whether or not the cushions are removable has nothing to do with it as the seams have to be opened up allowing for stuffing the material and resewn.
If you had not had price as your priority when you bought the pices, you would have gotten heavier, denser foam which would last a lot longer. After all, at the end of the day, the cheapest is really the most expensive.

When did I ever say price was my priority? I actually made no consideration of it. I also didn't buy a cheap leather couch from The Brick. My main constraint was size, followed by style and comfort. I tried a lot of different couches, some with denser foam, but this one was a happy medium for me.

Originally Posted by TONY5322

Don't worry. I hear that Herculon is making a comeback for sophisticated, non-cheesy people such as yourself. You should also look inot the array of synthetic fabrics and surely there is one with 15-20 colors in the fabric with looks and feel like a burlap sack.

I think we have a return member ready for a banning! You revived this thread to make two condescending remarks? You are awesome.

 

[ArmyWifeStrong]

Ok......so now that I have already gotten taken for a ride....can you guys make a suggestion please?

I went into a store and told the sales person (USA) that I wanted 100% leather. At EACH couch I said "is this one real leather?" He would say yes. He would also reply with "the only one that isn't leather is the one I showed you in the front of the store." My mom was even with me...

So....I was seaching online, making sure I got a good deal...and another store had it and listed it as bicast leather. When I looked that up in Google...I found this site.

My furniture was delivered today. I REALLY wanted real leather.

Can someone make a suggestion?

I would also REALLY like to know how this fake stuff wears....since I have it now and my old furniture is gone......I am really at a loss here.....

Thanks!

 

[j]

So weird that we are a top hit for bicast leather info. Hopefully someone can answer your question though.

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by ArmyWifeStrong

Ok......so now that I have already gotten taken for a ride....can you guys make a suggestion please?

I went into a store and told the sales person (USA) that I wanted 100% leather. At EACH couch I said "is this one real leather?" He would say yes. He would also reply with "the only one that isn't leather is the one I showed you in the front of the store." My mom was even with me...

So....I was seaching online, making sure I got a good deal...and another store had it and listed it as bicast leather. When I looked that up in Google...I found this site.

My furniture was delivered today. I REALLY wanted real leather.

Can someone make a suggestion?

I would also REALLY like to know how this fake stuff wears....since I have it now and my old furniture is gone......I am really at a loss here.....

Thanks!

We've seen floor samples that show abrasion at the seams, if that's any clue to how well bicast does in the field. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[ArmyWifeStrong]

So...........
I just hung up with the company I bought it from.
I explained to them that they sold me bicast leather...which is NOT what I asked for since it is not 100% leather.


They stated that "bicast leather is a split leather with a polymer coating."
I told him he was correct...but that is NOT 100% leather...it is leather mixed with plastics. I hope I have this right...I read so much last night...
With what I found the main issue was that the coating, as mixed with body oils and so forth, breaks down...

They are getting back to me...

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by ArmyWifeStrong

So...........
I just hung up with the company I bought it from.
I explained to them that they sold me bicast leather...which is NOT what I asked for since it is not 100% leather.


They stated that "bicast leather is a split leather with a polymer coating."
I told him he was correct...but that is NOT 100% leather...it is leather mixed with plastics. I hope I have this right...I read so much last night...
With what I found the main issue was that the coating, as mixed with body oils and so forth, breaks down...

They are getting back to me...

Bicast is reconstituted leather. Read: Chinese shoes.

 

[ArmyWifeStrong]

well........for a change I got lucky....
The company is taking it back. And a good thing too...I found a rip along the edge of the couch where it meets the fabic under the cushions. So...ripped and not leather...

I did buy REAL 100% leather today though! LOL

 

[j]

Originally Posted by ArmyWifeStrong

well........for a change I got lucky....
The company is taking it back. And a good thing too...I found a rip along the edge of the couch where it meets the fabic under the cushions. So...ripped and not leather...

I did buy REAL 100% leather today though! LOL
Glad to hear it worked out for you.

 

[Lucky Strike]

Originally Posted by johnapril

There's one store in town that deals the sort of furniture iammatt has in his place, but given that the salesperson was on tenterhooks while watching our son test out the samples in the store, I concluded I would feel the same if some of it were in my house.
Good indication, that.

 

[jeffersonmc]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would add my 2 cents, as there is very little information out there regarding bi-cast leather, and it is becoming more and more prevalent in a lot of the chain furniture stores. Saying "you get what you pay for" is not really the case here. I would warn anyone to stay away from it.
My experience is with a $4000 bi-cast "leather" sectional. I didn't do the research when I bought it, and just accepted the sales pitch that it was the "bottom layer of the leather" with a special coating to increase durability. I did price comparison on similar sectionals at several different stores, and received very similar responses as to what bicast was from all the sales people. Some even said "yeah - its leather", but with an added protective coating. "It makes it last longer".
So I can report back to you all, that after just over a year of wear, this sectional is showing some serious signs of wear. The "special coating" is cracking on the most heavily sat in spots and I am starting to visualize the hack job they will do in "repairing" this damage via the extended warranty I purchased with the sectional. It doesn't look like it will be long before the cracks in the bicast start to connect and the coating flakes right off, exposing the dull grey leather (if it even is real leather under there).
I have also heard that the bonding agents used to hold the bicast to the leather or base layer can also become gummy and sticky once the top layer wears off. Hoping it wont get that far with mine.

I chalk this one up as a lesson learned, as it was my first real furniture purchase and I didn't expect to keep it for a long duration anyhow.

An important note here is that retailers can not legally use the term "bicast leather" in some countries to market this material. It is simply known as bicast or "synthetic". Because leather, it is not.

Happy furniture hunting!

 

[unjung]

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