We get a lot of calls from customers who have purchased furniture in Bycast leather, or PU leather as it is sometimes called, and who have had problems with it. Common problems with Bycast leather are that the surface bubbles, flakes, cracks in folds or that the surface has become sticky. A common denominator these customers often have is that they do not have a very clear picture of what Bycast leather actually is, they only know that they have bought a sofa in “real leather”. This is only partly true.
What is Bycast leather?
The core of Bycast is indeed leather, but usually the cheapest “split leather”, the part that is left over when the finest part of the cow’s skin has been taken to produce, for example, high-quality aniline leather. Since this leather is of such poor quality that it is not suitable for furniture production on its own, it has been found that the leather can be “refined” by laminating a surface of polyurethane plastic, PU, on top of the leather. A leather pattern is embossed into this surface, and it is often given a color that imitates the color changes that untreated leather has, which gives the leather an exclusive appearance.
Many who have bought furniture in Bycast leather do not know about this, they have completely missed that the leather in Bycast has a laminated, embossed plastic surface. How is this possible? A major reason is that the sellers of furniture in Bycast withhold this information, or simply wrap it in terms such as “durable and insensitive surface finish”, and also promise a long service life. This is partly false information. It is true that the surface is durable and insensitive, but only to a certain extent. If the Bycast leather is not cleaned often and at regular intervals, the laminated surface breaks down quite quickly, we have customers who have called us with Bycast sofas that are no older than two or three years and where the surface layer has already started to crack. Often the furniture seller is completely incomprehensible and believes that this is because the buyer has treated the “leather” incorrectly or negligently. The customer is rarely given the right to exchange or cancel the purchase.
What causes Bycast leather to go bad?
What causes the plastic surface to deteriorate is primarily a combination of dirt, grease from cooking, heat, skin creams, hair care products, grease from human skin, sunlight, moisture and normal wear and tear.
But it's not just the treatment of the surface layer that matters. The lower-quality split leather used in the manufacture of Bycast often has less elasticity than high-quality leather, which means it cracks much more easily than, for example, soft aniline leather. And applying softening conditioner to the leather to counteract this doesn't help much, as there is a plastic film on top of the leather that effectively prevents the conditioner from penetrating.
What is happening to Bycast leather?
When the Bycast leather surface becomes worn after a few years, the plastic surface can start to peel, bubble or crack in the creases that form when you sit. The plastic layer can also dissolve and become sticky.
Once it has started to crack and peel, there is unfortunately not much you can do, once the plastic has started to peel it will probably continue to peel. Even if you try to seal the areas that have started to peel with, for example, surface finish, there is a high risk that the surface layer will continue to peel off both under the new finish and in other places.
If the surface has started to stick, you can apply a new finish on top of the sticky finish, but the problem is getting the old finish clean. Often dirt particles, hair, threads from pillows/blankets/clothes, etc., have stuck to the sticky surface, and removing this before applying a new finish is very difficult.
What can be done then?
It is possible to extend the life of furniture made of Bycast leather by regularly cleaning the surface thoroughly from the very beginning, removing all dirt and deposits that are corroding the leather's surface layer. Do not leave a sofa in front of a window and exposed to sunlight and heat. Try to maintain an even temperature, as temperature changes also wear down the plastic. A cold and damp winter in, for example, a summer cottage is also not the best environment to store furniture in Bycast.
We have a great cleaner for Bycast leather, Viper Polyclean Leather & Vinyl Cleaner .
If it has progressed to the point where the surface layer has started to crack or has other damage, first try to complain about the furniture where you bought it. Stand your ground, you are right, the seller has sold a product that is not up to standard and should be held accountable for this.
If that doesn't help, or it's simply too long since you've had a chance to complain, there's not much you can do. A nice blanket will extend the life of your furniture for a few years, but then it's time to bite the bullet and visit the recycling center. Spend a little extra money on your furniture next time, it'll pay off in the long run.
