How is Fake Leather Made for Compendiums

Leather compendiums are absolutely gorgeous, but they're not exactly suited to every budget. Because leather compendiums quite pricey, some companies are hesitant about investing in the real thing. That's why a large number of organisations opt instead for imitation leather compendiums.

What is Imitation Leather?

Also known as faux leather, imitation leather has grown in popularity over recent years, mainly owing to its affordability. The great thing about this type of material is that it is almost impossible to tell the difference between the imitation product and the real thing! You might even wonder – how is imitation leather made? It's actually a straight forward process but it involves considerable skill and material knowledge to make the kind of high quality faux leather used in Compendium Planet's portfolios.

What Are The Ingredients?

The successful creation of faux leather actually relies on the quality of fabric used. Thick fabrics such as canvas or denim are usually preferred, as well as finely woven fabric as course fabric requires more paint to disguise it. Once the fabric is chosen, the next ingredient is acrylic paint. It does not have to be an expensive kind, since the results are similar regardless. Most manufacturers opt for a paint colour that is similar to natural leather such as tan, brown or even black.

What is The Procedure?

The creation of fake leather typically involves a simple and straightforward process.

• Step 1: Application of Acrylic Paint: The fabric is soaked in the first coat of paint to encourage adhesion and prevent peeling. A considerable amount of water is mixed with the paint to ensure that fabric is fully soaked in the paint mixture.
  
  
• Step 2: Allow Paint to Dry and Repeat Paint Application. Once the first coat is dry, another layer of paint is applied. When this layer of paint is completely dry, the process is repeated until the desired thickness and texture is achieved. As acrylic paint is re-applied, less and less water is used. The paint is even applied in different or alternating directions to easily disguise the fabric’s grain or weave. For the last coat, a thickening medium is used instead of water.
  
  
• Step 3: Cutting and stitching of the imitation leather. In most cases, faux the leather is backed with another fabric.