Tips for Buying Cowhides

When you are looking to buy a cowhide product, you might not know exactly what to look for. What makes a good cowhide? How can you be sure that it is going to work in your home? How can you be sure that it actually a high quality cowhide? Most people make their decision based solely on the color of cowhide that they want. This is usually not the best way to buy a high quality cowhide. There are many other factors that should be taken into consideration when you are purchasing a product that is made from cowhide. Here are some tips and tricks so you know what to look for.

Color Scheme

The color of the cowhide is one of the most important aspects of any cowhide product you are going to buy. You will want to make sure that the color and pattern you are purchasing will mesh well with the items in your home. Luckily, most cowhides are fairly neutral colors, ranging from black and brown to tan and white. This makes it very easy for you to find a cowhide that will work in your home, whether you are looking for something very light or a more traditional combination of white and black or white and brown.

In order to make sure that the color of your cowhide is going to work in your room, look at the colors in your room. Is there a gray, brown, or tan color that is likely going to clash with the color of your cowhide? If so, you might want to pick another color. Keep in mind that two colors do not have to match in order to go together. A dark tan cowhide with brow patterning can be a great addition to a room that has other brown and cream elements, even if they are not exactly the same. Take the color of your walls, other furniture, and perhaps most importantly in the case of cowhide rugs, the floor before making your purchase.

It is also important to remember that there are a range of different patterns available to you. In some rooms, the large, more traditional spotting of a cowhide might look best. A more unique brindle or smaller spattering pattern might be more modern and better in more contemporary spaces. Some colors will only be available with certain patterns, simply because different breeds of cows will have certain types of patterns and certain splotch patterns naturally.

Origin of the Hide

If you want a very high quality cowhide, you want to look for hides that are from Brazil. These are widely considered to be the very best cowhides. This is for a range of different reasons, including that the cows are raised differently and the cowhides are treated better in that country. You can find cowhides produced in just about every country where cattle is a big industry, but not all of these come close to the quality of the cowhides that Brazil produces. Especially in America, you can often find cowhides made in Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina. None of these are going to provide you with as high a quality product as what you get with Brazilian cowhides.

What makes them better? The tanning process is what really sets cowhides made in Brazil apart from cowhides produced in just about any other country. This is why we sell only the very best Brazilian cowhides, made from cows that were born, raised, and tanned in this country before coming to our store. If you really care about buying a quality product, especially when it comes to cowhides, you should pay attention to where it is made.

The Backing

What the back of the cowhide feels like is going to be a good indicator of quality. With some products, such as couches, you may not be able to feel the back of the cowhide in order to determine whether or not it has been properly produced. You can, however, feel the back of the rugs or placemats. If the back is very soft and supple, if it feels like it is very high quality, it is going to be higher quality.

You can often tell when a cowhide is cheaply produced, simply by feeling the back. Cheap hide or one that has been processed using a low quality or cheap tanning process is going to feel very stiff. It might even feel like sandpaper against your hand. This is not what you want to feel and it certainly is not what you want against your floors if you are buying cowhide rugs.

Thickness

When buying hides, remember that the thinner a hide is, the faster it is going to wear out. Only very cheap hides are going to be thin. This is going to cause you a number of problems, including curling up on the edges, which is going to look bad and which is going to be very difficult to fix. These curling edges could also cause you to trip. If the hide looks flimsy, this is a good indication that it was cheaply produced and is not going to last you very long.

On the other hand, a thick hide is going to last you a very long time. A good thickness for cowhide is generally in between an eighth and a quarter of an inch, depending on what the hide is being used for.

When buying your cowhide product, using this guide will make it much, much easier to identify high quality products that will be durable and will look great in your home. Checking for color, production location, softness, and thickness will help you determine whether or not you should buy that cowhide.