Vinyl, unlike leather, is a completely artificial substance made from chemical processes. Leather is a product made from a natural organic source (animal hide) and chemically treated. The crucial difference between the two is their makeup. Leather, a treated natural substance, lasts longer than vinyl, a chemically manufactured artificial substance, because vinyl is not treated like leather is. The leather, during the tanning process, is treated with chemical agents designed to preserve and protect the leather. Vinyl undergoes no such treatment during the manufacturing process. That is the reason why vinyl wears out faster than leather.
Vinyl can, however, be made to look very similar to leather. That being so, simply making vinyl look like leather does not make it leather. If your leather furniture has vinyl along with leather, when the vinyl starts wearing out, the furniture will look blotchy, as if it has large scabs all over it. This can be very bad, especially if the vinyl was poorly applied to the furniture piece in question.
Do not stand for this. Demand to know whether the furniture you want to buy is made from pure one hundred percent leather or if the leather mixed with vinyl. Manufacturers sometimes do this to cut corners on their bottom line. The store where you are shopping may or may not know about it. It is your responsibility to make sure that you do know for certain.
