Fixing cracked or broken leather furniture is at best a process involving complicated epoxies, unmatched colors and sticky gooey messes. With so many leather home repair kits available, it’s hard to choose one that does the job correctly. Choosing a good leather repair kit is crucial for success. In this article, I’ll explain what processes work best and which don’t.
When selecting a leather repair kit, it’s a good idea to pass over those small bottles of so called quick repair. These little bottles of epoxy usually don’t match the color of your leather. Countless times I have seen leather couches and chairs filled with an inferior epoxy that is a mismatch color and cracking. These little bottles look like fingernail polish and probably work just as well.
For holes and deep pits in leather furniture, you’ll also need fabric filler. Purchase a kit that comes with a mender or filler paste for large rips, tears and pits. Cigarette and cigar burns are best repaired with fabric filler prior to repairing the leather.
Colors samples from the leather furniture repair kit should be available to take home before you buy. This way you’re sure to get a true color match. Purchase a leather furniture kit that has a spray paint versus a brushed on type. Sprays tend to match and blend in better than a conspicuous brush.
Once you’ve found the right kit for you, its time prep the leather furniture. Use soap and water to clean the damaged area. Use a ph cleaner for stubborn stains and a more efficient cleaner.
Next, wipe the damaged leather area with an alcohol pad or cotton ball with alcohol on it. This will ensure the area clean and dry.
Apply fabric filler at this time for severely damaged leather furniture. Holes, cracks and crevices should be filled in as smoothly as possible. A small flexible rubber putty knife works well on this type of project. Allow it to dry overnight.
Now use another alcohol pad to wipe the area and to also smooth out any bumps or ridges that may have formed from the fabric filler.
Now you’ll need to mask off the areas of the leather furniture from overspray. Use some blue painters tape and newspaper to cover all areas that aren’t going to be painted. Don’t over do it. Allow for a wide as possible area to be painted.
Once your ready, begin spraying the color coat in a sweeping motion over the leather, about 3-4″ from the surface. Keep a continuous spray and sweeping motion as you evenly distribute the leather paint over the entire damaged area. Allow it to dry for 24 hours before use. With any luck, you should have a newly repaired leather couch with a matching repair.
Reference:
- Helpful Handyman Hints Homepage sites.google.com/site/helpfulhandymanhints/
- Helpful Handyman Hints Group groups.yahoo.com/group/the_helpful_handyman/
- Helpful Handyman Hints Newsletter helpfulhandymanhintsnewletter.blogspot.com/
