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Truffle Brown Club leather - how to make it look richer
I took delivery of my custom ordered Aventurine/Truffle C4S Manual coupe last August and absolutely love it. I’m so glad I ordered it to my taste, and I love the color combo.
One thing I’ve been slightly disappointed by is that the Truffle Brown leather has a tad bit of a plasticky look to it. It’s almost as if it needs a light conditioning and a slight bit of shine to look richer and more supple. Does anyone share the same view with their Truffle Brown interior or is it just me? Would also love a recommendation for a conditioner that doesn’t smell odd (considering the Porsche one).
I have Truffle in my wife's Macan and also am in the leather upholstery business at the retail level. This is a Semi-Aniline hide and that means its a hybrid between a Finished leather and a Pure Aniline.
Finished leathers are 92% of all hides worldwide, they have been sanded to remove imperfections, grain patterns embossed back into the hide after sanding, and are painted (or pigmented). There are no natural markings left in the leather after this process.
Pure Aniline leathers are not sanded, leaving all natural markings and grains intact. They are de-haired, tanned, and then color is achieved through vat dyeing using natural, water-based plant dyes. The softest of all leathers, and the most expensive. Appx 4% of all hides worldwide
Semi Aniline leathers are slightly sanded and dyed using Pure Aniline methods, all natural markings are removed, and then finished with a light layer of paint (pigment). They are closer to being a Finished leather than they are a pure aniline and generally are a little softer than Finished hides.
While Pure Anilines are what leather affectionados go for, they do not stand up well to direct sunlight (UV) and are subject to absording stains. This is why car makers don't use them in interiors (not even Rolls Royce or Bentley). They stop at higher grades of semi-anilines. Ford is the one exception to that, when back in the 1990's they put pure aniline leathers in their King Ranch series of pickups and so did Indian Motorcycles on the saddlebags of their Chief series. Both had the expected consequences over time as you can see.
So that is your three primary categories of Top Grain leather. There are several subcategories as well such as Nubuck, Suedes, Splits, Burnished, Pull-up, and then the disgusting plastic-based "leathers" such as Bonded and BiCast (like you buy on Costco furniture) but you get the basic ides in the main three groups.
If you have a finished or semi-aniline you are not going to change the character of the leather with any topical products, because - remember - they are painted. You can put this brand or that brand of product atop the hide and it's not going to matter despite what the others may say here. You can slightly change pure anilines with various leather products and also re-dye pure anilines. However Paint is Paint on the other two - all you can do is re-paint them. The short answer to the original question is no - you cannot apply anything to Truffle to change the look or hand of the hide. If you want to make it more Matte, use # 0000 steel wool and go over the leather with that, it will de-shine it somewhat.
That brings us to leather care. If you want your leather to stay nice the most important thing you can do is keep it clean, especially the steering wheel cover and the driver's seat. You can clean the leather with something no more complicated as a damp white rag and a swipe from a bar of Ivory Soap you get from the supermarket. Not too much water, not too much soap, then get the soap off. You can buy fancy cleaners if you like, they are just diluted soap and water in a spritzer bottle. The Conditioner is more important, as it adds moisture and softening agents into the hide. There are different conditioners for different leathers as ones for Finished/Semi-Aniline have to be stronger than ones for Pure Anilines in order to penetrate the top coat of paint. And finally there is a Protectant to apply to the top of the Conditioner, which gives you a light teflon-barrier that will help (but not prevent) stains and spills. Do your cleaning and conditioning of the entire interior every 6 months and if you live in a southern climate, make it every 3 months. If you don't have time to do the whole interior, just do the steering wheel, door handles, driver's seat and shift **** - anything your hand normally touches.
Lexol is garbage - its too watery to penetrate and so is any 1-step product. Just like car waxes, you have to clean first, then condition. Protection on top, if you want to go over a third time. I sell the leather kits that use on my three Porsches and also my own leather furniture in home, at my store @ $ 50 per kit plus shipping, made by Leather Solutions Int'l. They are not the only kit out there, you can find others, but they are the correct 3-step product. So look for something like this is my recommendation
When you see cracks in leather and loss of color in edges, its because the owner never did the maintenance. Every week I have someone come in my store and say their leather didn't hold up, and in every single instance they admit to not taking care of it. Leather is NOT maintenance free like vinyl would be. Want it to last and look nice, stay on top of it. Here's an example of a client of mine who complained about leather wear on a sofa, they never cared for the leather and this is the result of that.
Save this post! This question comes up every couple of weeks and no way I am re-typing all of this ....lol.
I think that is how the Olea leather is supposed to be. It has a matte finish. Beautiful and understated. It will wear in over the years.
I use small amount of Lexol leather conditioner on a cloth to wipe off any dust once or twice a year, but it isn't going to change the look. You also want to be careful not to stain the stitching.
I have Truffle in my wife's Macan and also am in the leather upholstery business at the retail level. This is a Semi-Aniline hide and that means its a hybrid between a Finished leather and a Pure Aniline.
Finished leathers are 92% of all hides worldwide, they have been sanded to remove imperfections, grain patterns embossed back into the hide after sanding, and are painted (or pigmented). There are no natural markings left in the leather after this process.
Pure Aniline leathers are not sanded, leaving all natural markings and grains intact. They are de-haired, tanned, and then color is achieved through vat dyeing using natural, water-based plant dyes. The softest of all leathers, and the most expensive. Appx 4% of all hides worldwide
Semi Aniline leathers are slightly sanded and dyed using Pure Aniline methods, all natural markings are removed, and then finished with a light layer of paint (pigment). They are closer to being a Finished leather than they are a pure aniline and generally are a little softer than Finished hides.
While Pure Anilines are what leather affectionados go for, they do not stand up well to direct sunlight (UV) and are subject to absording stains. This is why car makers don't use them in interiors (not even Rolls Royce or Bentley). They stop at higher grades of semi-anilines. Ford is the one exception to that, when back in the 1990's they put pure aniline leathers in their King Ranch series of pickups and so did Indian Motorcycles on the saddlebags of their Chief series. Both had the expected consequences over time as you can see.
So that is your three primary categories of Top Grain leather. There are several subcategories as well such as Nubuck, Suedes, Splits, Burnished, Pull-up, and then the disgusting plastic-based "leathers" such as Bonded and BiCast (like you buy on Costco furniture) but you get the basic ides in the main three groups.
If you have a finished or semi-aniline you are not going to change the character of the leather with any topical products, because - remember - they are painted. You can put this brand or that brand of product atop the hide and it's not going to matter despite what the others may say here. You can slightly change pure anilines with various leather products and also re-dye pure anilines. However Paint is Paint on the other two - all you can do is re-paint them. The short answer to the original question is no - you cannot apply anything to Truffle to change the look or hand of the hide. If you want to make it more Matte, use # 0000 steel wool and go over the leather with that, it will de-shine it somewhat.
That brings us to leather care. If you want your leather to stay nice the most important thing you can do is keep it clean, especially the steering wheel cover and the driver's seat. You can clean the leather with something no more complicated as a damp white rag and a swipe from a bar of Ivory Soap you get from the supermarket. Not too much water, not too much soap, then get the soap off. You can buy fancy cleaners if you like, they are just diluted soap and water in a spritzer bottle. The Conditioner is more important, as it adds moisture and softening agents into the hide. There are different conditioners for different leathers as ones for Finished/Semi-Aniline have to be stronger than ones for Pure Anilines in order to penetrate the top coat of paint. And finally there is a Protectant to apply to the top of the Conditioner, which gives you a light teflon-barrier that will help (but not prevent) stains and spills. Do your cleaning and conditioning of the entire interior every 6 months and if you live in a southern climate, make it every 3 months. If you don't have time to do the whole interior, just do the steering wheel, door handles, driver's seat and shift **** - anything your hand normally touches.
Lexol is garbage - its too watery to penetrate and so is any 1-step product. Just like car waxes, you have to clean first, then condition. Protection on top, if you want to go over a third time. I sell the leather kits that use on my three Porsches and also my own leather furniture in home, at my store @ $ 50 per kit plus shipping, made by Leather Solutions Int'l. They are not the only kit out there, you can find others, but they are the correct 3-step product. So look for something like this is my recommendation
When you see cracks in leather and loss of color in edges, its because the owner never did the maintenance. Every week I have someone come in my store and say their leather didn't hold up, and in every single instance they admit to not taking care of it. Leather is NOT maintenance free like vinyl would be. Want it to last and look nice, stay on top of it. Here's an example of a client of mine who complained about leather wear on a sofa, they never cared for the leather and this is the result of that.
Save this post! This question comes up every couple of weeks and no way I am re-typing all of this ....lol.
03-13-2022, 02:53 PM
Truffle Brown Club leather - how to make it look richer
