The Art of Design, The Science of Leather...

THE TANNERY – Pelle Arte is proud to boast of our long history in leather tanning and finishing.  Now a second generation business located in Upstate New York, our tannery produces leather for many different applications.  Our tannery customers produce leather products ranging from furniture upholstery, aircraft and automobile interiors, footwear, clothing, gloves and leather accessories.  We proudly manufacture many leathers types for several branches of our U.S. Armed Services to the exact specifications demanded by the U.S. Department of Defense.   With an eye on the future of the leather industry and a passion rooted in it's tradition and history, we continuously seek out new markets and applications for leather.

THE TANNING PROCESS – Leather making is quite a complicated chemical and mechanical process. The “Tanner”, who is responsible for creating the formulations and overseeing the production, is perhaps the most important and valuable element in the leather making process.  The process of chemically tanning the leather is followed by numerous mechanical processes including drying, splitting and shaving (where the leather is cut and then shaved to uniform thickness), rolling (where the leather is rolled smooth and flat – this process also hardens the leather much like forging hardens steel) and measuring (where the hide surface is measured for size).  At this point, the leather is ready to be processed into tiles.

MAKING LEATHER TILES – Starting with only the best quality leather available; the hides are specially selected for use as floor tiles.  Once selected, the hides are carefully cut into tiles.  Each individual tile is hand inspected to ensure uniformity in color and thickness and to make sure every tile meets Pelle Arte's strict grade requirements.  Each tile is then “squared” on a special machine that ensures each tile is exactly the same shape and size.  Because of this special process, Pelle Arte can claim that our tiles offer the best "fit and finish" of any leather tile on the market.  Also, installation is greatly simplified due to the accuracy of our cutting. 

COLORING THE TILES – At this point, the tiles are ready to be colored.  Pelle Arte uses only pure aniline dyes to color our leather tiles.  This "staining" process enhances the natural beauty of the leather grain, much like staining brings out the natural character of wood grain.  Although the finishing process is the same for all of Pelle Arte's leather tile collections, the mechanical process can vary.  Each process is carefully monitored and controlled by specially trained and highly skilled leather craftsmen and women. 

Making leather tiles of unmatched beauty, quality and durability is Pelle Arte's  top priority.