The term Pull-Up is used to describe leathers which, when pulled and stretched, exhibit a colour change, or BURST, which can be tonal or atonal.
The effect is created by using a crust of one colour, say light brown, and a finish made of various oils or waxes, in a darker brown.
The flexibility of the top coat allows it to stretch, and consequently thin, thus becoming more translucent and allowing the crust colour to shine through.
The soft and more stretchy the leather, the greater this burst will appear.
The thickness of the leather only affects the burst if the stretch of the leather is reduced. Consequently, most pull-up leathers are lighter weight (1.0-1.2mm) rather than heavyweight.
The natural markings of the leather can become more apparent as the burst appears, with scars in particular taking on a richness which adds to the patina of the leather.
The whole idea of the burst is to artificially give the leather an aged characteristic.
Because of the nature of the finish or “top-coat” the leather will scratch and show use marks very readily. These can be polished out to some degree by a rub with a warm hand which will help re-disperse the oils in the finish.
Every time one sits in upholstered leather furniture made in pull-up, the heat of the body and the use will have changed the patina and will give the appearance of an ever adapting piece of furniture which “lives” with and in the home or office.