From Lemons to Leather: Fibrenew Welcomes Family Man Hank Weinstein

For forty years, Hank Weinstein excelled as a top level manager in the food service distribution industry, moving throughout Texas managing multimillion dollar companies and leading hundreds of employees. It was a fine career for him and his family (Hank is the proud father of six daughters), and satisfying enough. But Weinstein is not one to settle for “enough” — he always had a desire to leave the corporate world and apply his skills towards an enterprise that would give him greater fulfillment. He’d reached as high as he could possibly go in his career, but was not ready to dial in his retirement.

Thinking he’d purchase a fast food/casual brick and mortar franchise, Weinstein serendipitously came upon Fibrenew, the leader of leather, plastic and vinyl restoration and repair, after unintentionally filling out an application for exploration — an occurrence he couldn’t be more happy with. “The more and more I talked with the franchise development coordinator, Bob Johnston, the more positive our talks became,” he laughs. “What got me even more interested in Fibrenew was how Bob got my wife involved.” Weinstein explains that after decades of moving around and busting his butt for large corporations, having a family-centric franchise to his name made better sense as the exploration progressed. Having Johnson include Tammy, Weinstein’s wife of 22 years, in these discussions was a big component of his transition to Fibrenew.

That, and meeting other Fibrenew entrepreneurs. Weinstein did a ride along with Craig Burton of Fibrenew Metro Austin and really got the day-to-day feel of how to tackle a territory, handle the administration and apply the patented hands-on techniques Fibrenew customers appreciate. “I rode along to see how he did it all. We did a few jobs together, and he had me on the spray guns, and I was texturizing … and I thought, ‘Hey, I really like this!’” Continue reading here!

Residential: leather furniture repair, sofas, couches, chairs, loveseats and footrests

Damaged leather couches, chairs and sofas, whether torn, worn, ripped, faded, is chewed by a dog, or scratched by a cat, can be restored by Fibrenew. Blemishes on leather furniture such as burns, stains, holes and cuts can also be renewed. If you’re looking to change the color of your leather furniture, turn to our expert color matching and re-dye services. We offer mobile leather furniture repair service to your home or business. Ask us for a quote!

Leather Furniture Guide: Top Grain to Bonded Leather

Knowing What to Ask For

First and foremost, shopping for quality and value in home furnishings is about knowing exactly what you are paying for. With such a wide range of retail price points for living room furniture, it’s important to see past the commissioned salesman's jargon to know what you are getting for your dollar. Nowadays, cheaper manufacturers have found savvy ways to throw the word ‘leather’ around while meaning something completely different. The best course of action is to find a furniture store near you and always to ask a salesperson directly about the construction, fabric, leather, and warranty. Before you buy, make sure you're getting the straight talk you deserve.

What Is Bonded Leather?

"Bonded leather" is a cheaper manufacturer’s first line of attack in selling you the look and feel of leather for a “great deal.” Unfortunately, bonded leather is hardly leather at all—by definition, it has to be only 17% leather. So leather is to bonded leather what chicken is to chicken McNuggets (or pressboard to wood, or dryer lint to fabric): In other words, it's processed beyond recognition.

When a leather cowhide is taken into manufacturing, cookie-cutter-like shapes are cut out of the hide to make panels that will eventually make the seat cushions, backs, arms, and sides of quality leather furniture. When you are cutting cookies, there will always be scraps outside the cuts of these panels that are too small to use whole. This is where bonded leather begins. These scraps are ground up in a machine into even smaller pieces that are laid out in a long, thin layer and then adhered together with a thicker layer of polyurethane (plastic).

While bonded leather, being merely a "leather product," prices out (foot for foot) similar to a fabric—and in the sense may be more economical—it is, unfortunately, used all to often in misleading customers, as retailers may try to pass it off as the real thing in order to inflate the perceived value of their product.

In reality, a person sitting on bonded leather is not sitting on leather at all, only plastic. And unlike real top-grain leather, the ground-up hide and plastic will never acclimate to your body temperature or get better with age.

What Is Bicast Leather?

Bicast leather (also known as bi-cast, bycast, or PU leather) is what most people consider the next step up in quality.

Before a hide is put into production, it is cut horizontally into layers. These layers consist of the top grain (the top layer that maintains the actual surface of the cow's hide where the pores and hair follicles used to be) and then every split below that.

Bicast leather is a layer of split which was too thin or flawed for normal use and that, like bonded leather, is completely sealed on top with a layer of polyurethane. Like bonded leather, no actual point of contact is possible between the natural leather and your skin and, therefore, bicast doesn’t demonstrate any of the same wear or comfort attributes of top-grain.

That being said, bicast can still serve as an economical alternative for people wanting the look of leather without the price. Another benefit might be that bicast and bonded leather wipe up easily (since they have plastic surfaces) and you won’t run into many of the food/drink stain issues you may experience with upholstered furniture. . . continue reading!

3 Main Reasons Why Leather Furniture Should be Maintained

 Cleaning your leather products can seem unnecessary when you already have a busy schedule. Who wants to spend time wiping down their sofa when they could be doing something fun?

While it’s pretty normal to want to avoid cleaning, there are some important benefits that come from regular leather cleaning. We’ve broken down the top three for you in hopes that it will inspire you to keep cleaning!

Lasting pigmentation: The color and overall look of your leather is bound to be better when it’s been subjected to regular cleanings. It doesn’t need to be anything intense; just wiping down your leather products with a damp cloth on a weekly basis can make a world of difference!

Durability: Caring properly for your leather goods will lead to stronger leather, which will last longer over time. Having to replace a leather sofa or chair can be tedious; regular cleaning and upkeep will keep your fabric strong for many years. And don’t forget, Fibrenew professional leather repair can fix any tough fabric issues you may encounter!

Comfort: Sitting on cracked, aged leather is simply not as comfortable as lounging on a pristine fabric. Basic maintenance, such as wiping down your leather, keeping it out of the sun and using a good leather protector, will help keep your leather in excellent shape. You’ll never be worried about company disliking your sofa!

Keeping your leather in great shape isn’t very hard; a little time and effort is all that is necessary! Fibrenew is here to offer tips as well as assistance with difficult maintenance.