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Cracked leather furniture


How to Restore a Cracked Leather Couch: 10 Secrets to Success

 

Turn your living room into a showplace and give your leather furniture a makeover by learning how to restore a cracked leather couch.

As the temperatures rise and the days get longer, Americans are arming themselves with buckets and mops to start the arduous process of spring cleaning. After a long winter spent hibernating at home watching the Olympics and playing Wordle, people are ready for a change of pace. Widespread vaccination rates and low COVID cases are inspiring Americans to ditch their masks and throw open their doors to visitors. Many people are choosing to avoid crowds and entertain at home rather than making a reservation at a local restaurant. If your leather couch is turning into an eyesore from too much wear and tear and making you hesitate to host a dinner party, Creative Colors International can help you get your home ready to entertain in style.

High-quality leather is valued for its durability and beauty. Leather furniture tends to get softer and more comfortable with age and is easy to clean. While fabric furniture has a lower price tag, it loses its shape faster, traps dust and dander, and is prone to fading. Leather furniture is easy to clean, which is especially important for pet owners.

CCI Specializes in Leather Couch Restoration

Like any furniture, leather pieces require proper care to withstand the test of time. If you’ve gone a long time between cleanings or obtained your sofa secondhand, you may notice cracks in the leather. Like our own skin, leather is porous and can trap oils and dirt. Over time, the oil and dirt can dry out the leather and cause it to crack. If you notice surface cracks in your leather furniture, it might be easy to fix it on your own if your schedule allows. CCI recommends taking the following steps to try and fix surface cracks.

  1. Clean leather sofa with a damp microfiber cloth.
  2. Use a fine-bristled brush and mild soap to clean the cracks.
  3. Apply a high-quality leather conditioner over the damaged area and let it dry. Never use silicone products, waxes, or other leather preparations that can impair your furniture’s ability to “breathe.” Using too much product can cause mildew or mold to grow beneath the surface of your furniture.

If the cracks are still visible after 24 hours, it’s time to call the experts. CCI is the leader in leather furniture repair. Our service technicians can come to your home or business to repair rips, tears, burns, scratches, fading, and cracking on all your leather and vinyl products.

Deep cracks in your leather furniture require more than just a leather conditioner. Our service technicians have the skills and experience to seamlessly repair deep damage to return your leather furniture to like-new condition on your schedule.

CCI a Leader in Customer Service

CCI has 42 years of experience in leather furniture repair at both homes and businesses. We make it a priority to get the job done right the first time. With an eye to safety, CCI only uses water-based products, and our quality control ensures that our products are safe and comply with all federal, state, and local regulations. We spend more on high-quality repair products to make sure our work is long-lasting. Our service technicians make it a priority to spend time helping our customers maintain their furniture. CCI service technicians can schedule routine maintenance, or we can provide you with a leather cleaner and conditioner kit so you can protect your leather furniture on a routine basis on your own.

“Our nationwide network of skilled technicians can come to your home or business to make repairs at your convenience. We provide ongoing training to our technicians to ensure they have the latest technology and innovations available,” said Mark J. Bollman, CCI’s president and co-owner.

CCI Provides B2B Leather Repairs

In addition to making residential repairs, CCI’s mobile technicians provide services to businesses in a variety of industries. We regularly make repairs for manufacturers, furniture stores, warranty companies, business owners, and movers. Our furniture restorations can save up to 90% of replacement costs.

Request a Free Quote

Before you plan the menu for your next dinner party or host overnight guests, learn how to restore a cracked leather couch to make sure you are ready for company. Click here to request a free quote from a CCI location in your area.

How to prevent cracked leather

Cracked leather

To be totally honest, if aniline or semi-aniline upholstery leather cracks, it’s often too far gone to be worth repairing. Now, this is not always the case, but when these leathers crack, it’s usually the result of problems that have been neglected or unnoticed for a long, long time. Fully-finished leather is different, though. Check out another of our blog posts for explanations of the most common types of upholstery leather.

Cracking of fully-finished leather is actually a very common problem that leather restoration experts can easily fix, but like most things with leather furniture, it’s easier (and cheaper) to take care of the problem before it really becomes a problem.

Why does leather crack?

Our estimate is that 95% of cracking in fully-finished leather starts with one of these two culprits:

1. A manufacturer problem – To make fully-finished leather, manufacturers put a layer of dye and a protective top coating on the hide almost like paint goes on drywall.  Leather has a lot of give and will stretch and move as people sit and slide around on it.  If the manufacturer doesn’t stretch the leather properly before they put on the dye and protective top coating, the leather will quickly stretch more than the dye can handle, and the coating will crack.

2. Body oil and dirt – Leather is incredibly porous, and it soaks up oil whenever it touches it. Believe it or not, the most common source of these problems is you from your own bare arms, legs, neck and hair.  Dirt also gets soaked into the top coating on leather as it gets worn down.  As you sit, stand and move around, that dirt and oil becomes abrasive, and it breaks down surface dye which will eventually lead to visible cracks at the surface.

Prevent Leather from Cracking:

Couch half cleaned

There are two key things you can do to prevent cracking of fully-finished leather.

1. Clean and protect leather 3 to 4 times a year.  You get rid of the dirt and oil still sitting on the surface of your furniture when you clean it, preventing it from eventually soaking in.  A good protection cream will fill in the gaps and spaces in the original top coat of your leather as it gets worn down.  By filing those gaps with protection cream, you remove the possibility that they can be filled with dirt and oil later – sort of like putting out the fire before it starts.

2. Avoid exposure to excessive amounts of dirt and body oil.  The fact of the matter is that if you use your leather furniture at all, it is going to be exposed to some body oil and some dirt and dust that simply come with the territory.  But, you can limit the damage of normal wear and tear. You should avoid sleeping on your leather furniture regularly or sitting down if you come in sweaty and dirty from outside. Also, if you are wearing sunscreen or have greasy popcorn hands, use the less expensive seats in the house.  It’s a good idea to try to cover your leather in areas that see a lot of dirt and oil if you can. Try tossing a blanket over the headrest of a leather recliner you know you are going to rest your head on frequently or for extended periods of time.

Repair Cracked Leather:

Once leather has been cracked, there isn’t much you can do for it yourself, but a professional can either re-dye it or replace parts of the piece, depending on the extent of the damage, to eliminate the problem.

Additional Questions?

We’d be happy to answer any additional questions you have.  Please ask in the comments below!  If you want to show us a photo of a specific piece of leather, either post it on our Facebook page or contact your local franchisee.

Comments:

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Leatherette sofa cracked - tell you what to do if artificial leather cracks

Modern artificial leather is a high quality material. It not only looks beautiful, but also has good performance characteristics. But if the leatherette is cracked, what to do in this case? Is it possible to somehow solve the problem on my own or will I have to turn to professionals?

Much depends on how badly the artificial leather is damaged. If there are many cracks, or they are large and continue to expand, it is better to replace. And you can try to fix single minor defects yourself.

What and how to restore artificial leather?

So, for a single crack or scratch, you need special tools that you can buy in the store. It can be a dye, the so-called "liquid skin", as well as a special kit for leatherette repair. Such kits, in particular, are sold in automotive stores and are intended for repairing a car seat, but they are also suitable for eliminating defects on home furniture.

Always clean the upholstery before repairing it. It is also worth degreasing the surface that you are going to process.

Dye is a good option if the leatherette is not too badly damaged. It makes it easy to deal with minor scratches and other similar damage.

All you have to do is:

choose the color that matches your sofa upholstery;

gently, using a brush or cotton swab, apply the product to the damaged area;

wait until it dries.

This agent is applied to artificial leather in several layers. It is well absorbed into the upholstery, and after drying it is almost impossible to notice that there was once a defect here.

The dye may be an aerosol. In this case, it must be applied especially carefully to the upholstery of a sofa or chair so that ugly streaks do not occur during spraying.

Some dyes and other similar products may come with additional useful items. For example, lining fabric and embossed paper that can convincingly imitate a leather surface. Thanks to them, you can easily cope with the task before you, and the result is guaranteed to be excellent.

If the leatherette is cracked, but the defect is small, you can simply sew the edges of the cut or crack. But the edges of serious breaks are difficult to pull together and connect with each other. Here you need a patch. In this case, the car seat repair kit discussed above will come in handy. But, again, it is important to match the material to the color of the main upholstery so that the repaired area does not catch the eye. Most manufacturers of such products produce sets of seven jars, in which only the main colors are presented.

If the skin on the sofa is so cracked that many lesions of various sizes have formed, it is unlikely that you will be able to cope with the problem on your own. Here you need a professional. And, you may need a full constriction of leatherette. This work is carried out in special studios engaged in furniture repair.

How to protect artificial leather from damage?

Many problems could be avoided if they were prevented in advance. What causes even the most durable leatherette on furniture to crack? Firstly, four-legged pets sometimes sharpen their claws on the upholstery. Secondly, sitting people, especially small children, often fidget on the surface, and this also leads to abrasion and, eventually, to the appearance of tears. Thirdly, many damages arise due to sloppiness.

Consideration should therefore be given to avoiding the use of sharp objects, including cutlery, when sitting on faux-leather upholstered furniture, to offer the child a different place to play, and to give the cat some other object to sharpened her claws on him. This will help extend the life of the furniture and avoid upholstery repairs.

How can eco-leather be restored? Blog Ecokozha.ru

During operation, scuffs, scratches, cracks, tears may appear on the eco-leather. But this is not a reason to throw away damaged furniture or a cover. We will tell you how to independently restore the original appearance of the artificial material and repair the damage so that it is not conspicuous.

Eco-leather, like any other upholstery material, sooner or later wears out, various damages appear on it. Complete upholstery replacement is not always convenient and profitable, but there are many ways to fix a damaged surface. Further in the article - how to restore eco-leather with your own hands in order to restore its novelty and presentability.

Carefully consider the thing you are going to restore, determine the type and scale of the "catastrophe". There are many ways to repair a product made of eco-leather. Which one depends on the type of damage. Let's consider them in more detail.

Stains, abrasions, microcracks


If the upholstery has acquired a neglected, dull appearance over time, then it must be thoroughly cleaned of stubborn dirt and stains. For deep cleaning, use concentrated soapy water, then wipe dry and gently treat with 70% alcohol or wine vinegar.

Dishwashing gel effectively removes greasy stains: apply it on the stain and leave for 2-3 hours, then remove with a damp cloth.

Stubborn stains can be removed with gasoline: put a little of it on a soft sponge, lightly rub the stain and leave for 30-40 minutes. Remove with a sponge dipped in soapy water.

There are several ways to renew worn upholstery on a sofa, ottoman, armchair or car, as well as get rid of cracks:

Spots on eco-leather should be removed immediately. And so that scuffs and microcracks do not appear on it for as long as possible, regularly wipe it with care products - waxes, oils, polishes. This will not only protect the product, but also repel dust and dirt from it.

Scratches, punctures, snags


Scratches and snags are damage to the top layer of the material. Often they are left by cats. To get rid of scratches and punctures, you can use the following tools:

Another special tool for masking scratches is colored furniture pencil. It is effective, but does not last long - you need to constantly update it.

Cuts, cracks


Cuts and cracks are more complex damage than surface scratches, as they affect the entire structure of the material, right down to the filler of furniture or car seats. To fix the defect, you can use superglue or universal glue for the skin. Apply it to the crack with a toothpick or match. Then press the edges firmly for a few seconds. Wipe off excess glue immediately. If the bonding is noticeable, polish it and use paint.


If the defect is very large, then one glue will not be enough - you will have to put an internal patch. Use eco-leather that is identical in texture, and if you are going to dye the patch, it does not matter what color it is. Use tweezers to insert the patch under the incision, straighten it. Treat the wrong side with sandpaper "zero" - this will enhance bonding. With a thin stick, apply glue to the wrong side of the eco-leather around the cut and, aligning the edges, press firmly with your hand. To make sure everything sticks, put a load on the patch for 1 hour. If necessary, polish and paint.

Tears, holes

If the eco-leather upholstery is seriously damaged, for example, there is a hole from a cigarette, a tear with torn edges, then the optimal restoration is repair with the unique masking agent “liquid leather”. It contains glue, dye, rubber resin. It restores glossy and matte textures equally well.

Eliminate tears with a polymer mixture as follows:

Liquid leather. can be made independently. To do this, take a piece of leather that is close in shade to the item you are repairing. Put 1-2 drops of acetone thinner on the outside of the piece. Scrape off the peeling paint with a knife blade - this will be the substance you are looking for. Use it for its intended purpose.

When applying liquid special agents to large-scale areas, the most important thing is to recreate the relief “skin” pattern. To do this, we recommend treating small defects with a brush - it will help to give texture. And for fragments larger than 2 cm², use a template napkin. It is created as follows: a restoration agent is applied to an ordinary napkin, applied to a “healthy” surface with a clearly distinguishable pattern, and dried. Then, with this “template”, you can create natural irregularities during the subsequent repair of eco-leather.

There are defects that cannot be masked by any special composition: large “creeping” cracks, holes. You can repair such areas with the help of overlays or applications that are placed on top of the upholstery. You need to understand that they will greatly change the appearance of the furniture or car seat, but will help stop the further growth of gaps. When deciding on the shape and color of the stripes, show your imagination.

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