Leather has always been a symbol of luxury and leather floor and wall tiles are no exception. The same softness and warmth enjoyed on leather furniture, by leather shoes and handbags and clothing is enjoyed on leather floors and walls. Leather floors and walls compliment most any decor and can instantly add warmth and comfort to a room. Literally, leather will warm to your body temperature, literally keeping you warmer!
Leather tiles:
- Are available for floor and wall/ceiling installations
- Have a high degree of dimensional stability
- Come in smooth or textures surfaces
- Come in a variety of sizes and colors
- Are sustainable and renewable
Design options – leather tiles are available in many colors and can be embossed, distressed, antiqued, sandblasted or produced with custom inlaid designs. Sizes offered range from: 2×6,3×3,4×4,6×6,8×8,10×10,12×12,18×18, 24×24, 26×26, 4×6, 6×12, 9×18, 12×18, 18×24, 2×8 and 2×14 for borders.
Durability – one very important thing to keep in mind is that leather is a natural product and is not wear or scratch proof. In fact, leather will scratch, nick and show markings from traffic and daily use. This is considered one of the more desirable features of a product like leather and the look that is achieved by the natural wear on leather tiles is called “patina”. Much like copper and other materials that change or age with wear and use, leather falls into the same category.
Installation – Leather tiles are glued directly down to the floor or wall. For floor installations, tiles are glued to plywood, wood or concrete subfloors with proper floor preparation. Some tiles are available where they are pre-glued in order to make gluing directly to drywall easier. Proper installation is important because if not installed properly the floors can unadhere from the floor or the edges can curl up and detach.
Recommended Areas – Leather floor and wall tiles are recommended for virtually every application except for bathrooms and kitchens. The harsh detergents used in these areas are not good environments for leather products.
Maintenance – Daily leather maintenance is simple. Only a damp mop or soft cloth should be used to clean leather tiles and a soft attachement on a vacuum when a vacuum is being used. Leather tiles do need to have wax applied to them 3-4 times a year to protect the finish and nourish the leather. Also, do not use rubber backed or non-ventilated rugs on leather floors.
Recycled leather tiles – another option for leather tiles are recycled leather tiles.
Benefits of recycled leather tiles are:
- Available in larger formats
- Less humidity absorption levels
- Regular liquid wax can be used rather than hard, pasty wax
- Higher resistance to abrasion
- Made of 65% post industrial waste
Whether you are considering leather floor or wall tiles or recycled floor or wall tiles, you will be able to enjoy this product for years to come. Be creative with the different places you can install leather tiles or use them as accents. Send us your pictures and show off your leather floors or walls!
Responses to “Leather Tiles”
May 29th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Leather tiles? I can’t say I have ever seen these before? I can’t imagine them being very durable.
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:31 am
Good information for sharing. Currently, not much floor or wall Leather tiles in use for home decoration.