- Milling
- Process in which tanned hides are tumbled in rotating drums using a combination of heat and a misting of water to soften the hand or enhance the grain.
- Naked
- A leather with no surface, impregnated treatment of finish other than dye matter which might mask or alter the natural state of the leather. Usually reserved for the finest quality skins.
- Natural Grain
- A leather that displays its original grain.
- Nubuck
- A leather whose surface has been buffed and brushed to create a soft, velvety effect. Differs from suede in that while suede is created from the flesh (inner) side of a hide, nubuck is created using the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability.
- Patina
- The aura or luster that develops in a quality piece of leather with age.
- Pigmented Leather
- Leather that has been coated with a flat surface color on top of or instead of the usual dye finish. Leather is usually pigmented to add durability and hide natural blemishes.
- Proprietary
- Manufacturers of non-leather products and producers of finished upholstered product frequently develop their own proprietary terms to describe their product (i.e. using invented names, such as combining “new” and “hide” with creative spelling.) As you can imagine, a frequent characteristic of these names is the tendency to use terms that imply strength and durability, or are associated with leather. Typically none of these names apply to real leather. The product they describe is usually a bonded leather or a polyurethane product.
- Protected Leather
- This is simply another way of saying “corrected” leather, except it may not be limited to top-grain. It refers to the fact that enough paint or other finish was applied to make the surface more durable than a more natural and less-processed leather.
- Pull-up
- Describes the behavior of leather that has been treated with oils, waxes, and dyes in such a way that when the leather is pulled or stretched (i.e. on upholstery), the finish becomes lighter in the stretched areas. Considered a mark of high quality.
- Pure Aniline
- Leather which receives all its color from dyes only and exhibits natural markings and characteristics.
