Bicast leather
Encyclopedia
Bicast leather is a split leather
with a layer of polyurethane
applied to the surface and then embossed. Bycast was originally made for the shoe
industry for glossy shoes, and recently was adopted by the furniture
industry. The resulting product has an artificially consistent texture that is easier to clean and maintain.
The use of the term "100% leather" in relation to this bicast treatment is considered a misrepresentation and therefore not permitted in the United Kingdom
and New Zealand
. Furniture made with bicast exhibits none of the characteristics associated with aniline leather; it will not develop a patina or suppleness nor otherwise "improve with age". With constant use the polyurethane layer may crack and split free of its backing.
Modern technology permits up to three or four horizontal layers being taken from a single hide. The leather used in the backing of bicast is a thin layer, remaining after better quality layers have been removed for traditional leather work.
Furniture manufacturers say that the main benefit of bicast leather is its price. Lower grades of leather can be used during the manufacturing process, and treating with polyurethane gives a uniform shine and a long-lasting "like new" appearance. Bicast leather looks best, they say, on furniture with taut seat cushions and pillows. It can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth. New bicast leather furniture can have a slight chemical smell, but this typically dissipates about a week after the piece is exposed to air.
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
with a layer of polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
applied to the surface and then embossed. Bycast was originally made for the shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
industry for glossy shoes, and recently was adopted by the furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
industry. The resulting product has an artificially consistent texture that is easier to clean and maintain.
The use of the term "100% leather" in relation to this bicast treatment is considered a misrepresentation and therefore not permitted in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Furniture made with bicast exhibits none of the characteristics associated with aniline leather; it will not develop a patina or suppleness nor otherwise "improve with age". With constant use the polyurethane layer may crack and split free of its backing.
Modern technology permits up to three or four horizontal layers being taken from a single hide. The leather used in the backing of bicast is a thin layer, remaining after better quality layers have been removed for traditional leather work.
Furniture manufacturers say that the main benefit of bicast leather is its price. Lower grades of leather can be used during the manufacturing process, and treating with polyurethane gives a uniform shine and a long-lasting "like new" appearance. Bicast leather looks best, they say, on furniture with taut seat cushions and pillows. It can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth. New bicast leather furniture can have a slight chemical smell, but this typically dissipates about a week after the piece is exposed to air.