Vegan Leather vs Real Leather: How It Wears, Cleans and Ages

Faux leather, leatherette, PU leather and synthetic leather are names for the same family; vegan leather is the name that says what it is not. Versions made partly from plant fibres exist too, but most vegan leather on furniture is a coated fabric.

Ours is Valencia from Spradling: a vinyl topcoat on a 100% polyester backing, 650 g/m², with the PERMABLOK3 protective finish. It is rated at 300,000 Martindale and meets EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2, the European ignitability tests for upholstered seating (smouldering cigarette and match flame).

The difference shows more over the years than on the first day. Real leather is a natural material that softens and changes colour with use; vegan leather keeps the surface it left the factory with.

Bonded leather is a third thing again: leather fibres bonded to a backing and coated, so it says leather on the label but behaves like a coated fabric, and its surface can peel with wear. The chart below compares real leather with our vegan leather point by point.

On a dining chair the front of the seat, where you slide in and out, takes the most wear. Our Valencia vegan leather is rated at 300,000 Martindale, around ten times the 30,000 rubs usually specified for commercial seating, so everyday sitting does not wear through it.

The honest weak point of any coated fabric is a cut or a deep scratch: it cannot be polished out or re-dyed the way hide often can. That is why the seat is the part we make replaceable: seats and seat cushions for our dining chairs are sold separately. Our guide to replacing a dining chair seat explains how.

Because the surface is sealed, most spills, from red wine to yoghurt, come off with water alone, even once they have dried. Avoid alcohol-based cleaners, solvents and abrasive sponges, which can dull the finish.

Real leather is cleaned in the same gentle way, but it usually also needs a conditioner now and then to stay supple, and a spill should be blotted before it soaks in. Our guide to cleaning upholstered dining chairs has the routine for every fabric we use.

Whether that is a strength depends on what you want. If you like a chair that looks lived-in, real leather does that by itself. If you want a set of chairs that still match each other after years of meals, a stable surface is the better choice.

Both do best away from radiators and out of strong sun all day. Vegan leather feels cool when you first sit down and warms to the touch. Our Valencia carries a 5-year fabric warranty from Spradling, on top of the 10-year warranty on our furniture.

Pet hair does not cling to a coated surface; it wipes straight off. Claws are another matter: a cat that kneads or a dog that jumps up can mark real leather and vegan leather alike.

If a cat or a dog uses the chairs every day, our Dolly bouclé is the fabric tested for it, to BS 8479, grade 4-5. Our guide to the best fabric for dining chairs compares all three of our fabrics, and what bouclé is explains how bouclé wears.

The chart below shows the models and colours. Order fabric samples to see the colours in your own light before you choose.

For the details per piece, see our bar stool upholstery guide, our guide to the best fabric for an armchair and our upholstered bench guide.