How to color leather couch

How to Dye a Leather Couch

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a DIY expert and writer with over five years of hands-on experience cooking, crafting, and making home decor projects. She has a degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University and continues to be passionate about environmentally friendly DIY projects. Lauren has also written for Earth 911, Forbes Advisor, and HuffPost.

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Published on 05/21/21

KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

Project Overview

If your favorite leather couch could use a makeover, consider dyeing it to change or revamp its color. Maybe the color of the leather has faded over time, or maybe you’re just looking to refresh your living room without getting rid of furniture. Either way, this is the DIY for you. Dyeing your sofa a new color can transform a room, opening up a whole new world of home decor and giving your space a brand new vibe.

The color of your leather doesn’t matter much here. Whether you want to transform a black sofa to a white one or vice versa, you’ll find success with our guide to dyeing leather couches. The best part is that this project requires just a few easy-to-find supplies and a few hours of work (along with some elbow grease). Just be sure to wear gloves and follow other important safety guidelines along the way.

Before You Begin

Applying dye to a dirty couch will cause uneven coloring. Additionally, waxes and oils on the couch surface will cause adhesion problems when the dye is applied. So before you dive into this project, make sure your couch is squeaky clean and adequately prepped for the process.

If your couch isn't pristine or brand new, clean the leather gently with warm, soapy water and a microfiber cloth or, alternatively, use a special leather cleaning solution. You can find leather cleaning solutions at most home improvement or home goods stores. Follow the product’s instructions to get the best results.

When cleaning, prioritize the cushions. Those typically see the most use and likely contain more dirt and oils than the back or sides of the couch.

Once you’ve wiped the couch down with soap and water to get rid of excess dirt, go over it again with an alcohol wipe. The alcohol will further remove excess oils as well as any silicones and waxes that aren’t soluble in solvents. Wait for the alcohol to dry before dyeing the leather—about half an hour.

Safety Considerations

Wear latex or plastic protective gloves whenever you come into contact with dye or other chemicals involved in this DIY to protect your hands. You should also avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and other sensitive areas to prevent chemical-related injuries.

If you’re working near kids or pets, keep chemical containers closed at all times. Kids and pets love to get up close and personal with everything, especially if it has a scent (as dyes do), so keeping the containers closed will prevent any accidents from happening.

Work in a well ventilated area during this project. The chemicals involved will release fumes, which could cause dizziness when breathed in. Working outside or in a room with open windows and doors to the outside will prevent fumes from accumulating and keep chemical concentrations low.

Warning

Wear gloves and avoid touching sensitive body parts when working with chemicals, like leather dye and sealant. If you accidentally get chemicals on you, wash them off as quickly as possible and seek medical attention if needed.

Equipment / Tools

Cloth or applicator sponge
Spray gun or airbrush
Hair dryer (optional)

Materials

Gloves
Sandpaper or wool dauber
Leather dye
Leather oil
Leather sealant

Sand Leather Down

This step is important for worn leather or leather that you’re dyeing from a dark color to a light color. Use sandpaper or a wool dauber and gently rub the leather to remove any old dye. Sanding it down will better allow the dye to absorb and color the leather.

This step isn’t absolutely necessary if you’re working with a light-colored leather couch that’s in relatively good condition with little to no cracks or otherwise damaged spots.
Apply Leather Oil

Use your clean applicator cloth or sponge to apply a thin layer of leather oil to the surface of your couch, making sure each nook and cranny is coated. Covering the leather with a small layer of oil will allow it to evenly absorb the dye.

Tip
Apply oil and dye in small sections. Covering everything at once could stain or warp the leather. Plus, the project will feel much more manageable if you work in sections.
Apply One Layer of Dye

Put on your gloves to protect your hands and shake your dye bottle to make sure everything is mixed properly. Then, use your cloth or applicator sponge to apply the first layer of dye to the leather. Pour a small amount of the dye onto your applicator and gently apply it to a small area to test it before covering large sections of the couch.

Testing it on a small spot first allows you to see if the color matches what you had in mind and lets you decide if you want to move forward or switch to a different dye color. If everything looks good, keep applying the dye. Apply light pressure to the surface with your dye and applicator, being careful not to leave streaks of excess dye. You can remove the cushions and do those separately to make the process easier.
Dry the Dye

Once you’ve finished applying one coat of dye to the entire leather couch, it’s time to let it dry. The dye will dry naturally in a few hours, but you can use a hair dryer to speed things up. Using the hair dryer to quickly spot dry areas of the dyed leather will also prevent the dye from pooling up or streaking, which can cause unsightly stains.

Allowing the couch to dry in a well-ventilated area will also make the process go faster. Plus, working in a ventilated area, like a garage or open-air room, will prevent you from breathing in hazardous fumes.
Repeat

Apply another coat of dye to the entire leather surface, following the process outlined in step three. You don’t need to apply any more leather oil at this point, but try to avoid streaks of excess dye, which can cause inconsistent coloring and lengthen the drying time.

As you did in step four, allow the dye you just applied to completely dry before moving forward. Again, you can either allow it to dry on its own or use a blow dryer (or a combination of both techniques).

You can even leave it to dry overnight if preferred. That method may cause the project to take longer, but it might work better for you and your lifestyle. If you go that route, just be sure to keep the drying area off-limits from others and where it can’t be ruined by the elements. Rain will cause damage.

Repeat the process of applying dye and letting it dry as many as five times. The more layers you add, the longer the dye will last and the more enhanced the color will be.

When dyeing dark leather a lighter color, more layers may be necessary to get the look just right. Additionally, more layers may hide any issues that occurred earlier on in the dyeing process, like accidental dye streaks or stains.
Apply Leather Sealant

Clean and dry your applicator cloth or sponge before pouring a small amount of leather sealant solution onto it. Then, gently use the applicator to spread a layer of sealant over the dyed leather, being careful to evenly coat every area of leather. The sealant essentially finishes the dyeing process, preventing the transfer of the dye onto your clothes and protecting the leather from fading. Once you finish applying the sealant to the entire couch, allow it to dry for about an hour.

The project is done when the sealant dries. Feel free to move the piece back into your living room (or wherever it belongs) and voila! It looks as good as new.

The 5 Best Leather Repair Kits of 2022 to Restore Your Items

How to Change the Color of a Leather Sofa

This guide will show you how to change the color of a leather sofa. We will be changing of a small seat from a light beige color to maroon to demonstrate the correct procedure of changing the color of leather.

A color change can be made from any color to another, i.e. black to white, or white to black, with just as successful results.

The Leather Colorant Kit used in this guide can be used to change the color of all leather, vinyl, plastic, PVC & leather cloth car interiors.

This photo shows a seat cushion we will be changing from beige to maroon.

PRODUCTS REQUIRED

Leather Colorant Kit - Used to change the color of leather

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STEP 1. PREP THE LEATHER

The first step is preparing the leather ready for applications of color. We do this to remove any waxes, oils or silicones that may be present on the leather, not removing these could cause adhesion problems. Prepping the leather also removes the manufactured finish. If the leather is very dirty, clean it first with the leather ultra clean or warm soapy water.

Do the back & sides first. A lot of furniture these days have finished splits on the back & sides and using a strong cleaner like the leather prep would strip the color off so we won't be using it on the sides. For the sides all you need to do is wipe them down with some alcohol cleaner on a cloth. Not prepping the back and sides as thoroughly as the rest of the leather won't affect the end results, this is because the back and sides aren't really used and so come under no, or very little stress

Because the seating cushions and other areas come under more stress (wear & tear) it is more important to prepare them. To do this it is best to rub them with the leather prep and an abrasive pad, this application removes the leather finish. A good way to apply this is to place two cotton wool balls on the abrasive pad and then wet them in prep, fold the abrasive pad over the balls and then use it to rub the leather. This way applies the prep in the correct and sparing way making the product last longer.

Prepping the leather in this manner will remove any creased and cracked areas on the leather. So it not only makes the leather ready for coloring but it greatly improves its appearance. Any severe cracks can be filled using heavy filler.

The leather is correctly prepped when you start to see color transfer from the leather onto the abrasive pad or cloth. This indicates that the finish has been removed exposing the color beneath. Any distinctive creases in the leather may wear through quicker than other areas once color is applied (this would only happen on a color change job, and is just a maybe). To reduce the chance of this happening wet some fine grade sandpaper (320+) in leather prep and rub along the crease to reduce it. Then proceed to the next step.

STEP 2. WIPE THE LEATHER DOWN WITH ALCOHOL CLEANER

The previous step will have removed the manufacturers finish and any silicones that are soluble in solvents. There are however some silicones like spray on polish and waxes that aren't soluble in solvents, and so to remove these we need to use the alcohol cleaner. After using the leather prep wipe the leather down with a cloth dampened in the alcohol cleaner and for ease of use you could also spray the alcohol cleaner directly onto the leather. Now wait 30 minutes for the cleaners to evaporate.

STEP 3. APPLY THE FIRST LAYER OF COLORANT

Shake the bottle of colorant for about 3 minutes to make sure it is well mixed. Pour a small amount onto a sponge and rub into the leather. The idea is to sponge on a thin coat of color working it into any gaps, creases and hard to reach areas. Apply light pressure here to work the colorant into the grain. If you apply too much pressure you may get a foam of color on the surface, this is not a problem, just wipe it away with the sponge (gently).

The image to the left shows what the leather should look like after one application of color. DO NOT try to achieve a perfect finish with the first coat.

The colorant dries naturally or you can speed it up with a hair drier. After applying one base coat, apply two more coats of colorant in the same way as before. You can actually achieve a good finish without even spraying any color on! However, it is best to spray some on as well.

STEP 4. SPRAY ON THE COLORANT AND LEATHER FINISH

Wait 30 minutes for the colorant to thoroughly dry and then proceed to spray the colorant onto the leather. Set up your spray gun or airbrush and then spray the leather at a comfortable distance, being careful not to over apply the color. It is best to practice a bit on a piece of paper to get the hang of spraying first. Spray the colorant on in thin layers. This avoids runs and so makes for a nicer finish.

Because the colorant we're using is water based it takes a few minutes to dry. We, therefore, advise you to spray one area and then dry it using a hair drier. Doing it this way reduces the chance of runs. If you do see a run, just wipe it off with a cloth or sponge and then re-spray the area.

There is no right number of coats that should be applied to the leather. Spray on one coat and dry it off, then just keep spraying on a coat at a time until all the base color is hidden. When you are happy that sufficient colorant has been applied, the Leather Finish should be sprayed on to the leather. First apply the glossy Super-Seal, in three-five coats, this forms the base of an incredibly flexible and durable finish. The glossy appearance, if unintended, will be altered to the desired finish with the application of the Leather Finish.

After the super-seal has been given sufficient time to dry, the remaining leather finish should be applied, again using the entire contents of the bottle provided to cover the entire area in between three to five coats. Always remember to leave sufficient time for each coat to dry before applying the next.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The above two images are of the seat thoroughly colored. As standard, the leather has a slight shine to it. This can be either increased using a gloss finish, matted down using a matt finish or kept the same using a satin finish. Our customer required a matt finish for this item, which is shown in the pictures below.

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Paint a leather sofa

restored the paint on a brown leather sofa after its unsuccessful dry cleaning according to a recipe from a women's forum

In short:
Sometimes it seems that women's forums and crowds of "Internet advisers" work for us. People read all sorts of rubbish and absurdities on the topic of how to paint or repair leather furniture on their own, and without hesitation they try.

Here are cotton pads soaked in alcohol, and nail polish remover, and solutions of soda with vinegar, and hairspray, and Feri and Vanish mixed on a hard sponge . .. we have seen a lot.
This sofa fell victim to "do-it-yourself dry cleaning" using a recipe from the Internet, like many others.

Vlad Ostroumov

Head of Lewood Studio

details

terms and cost of repairs and a new reason for the restoration of leather furniture at home.

Healthy and soft leather sofa turns any place in the apartment into a "rookery" or lounge area. If there is no billiard table in the same room with the sofa, then there will definitely be a TV. If there is no pool table or TV, then the sofa is in the store.

A leather sofa is a meeting place for guests and a general meeting of the family council. And if the meeting place cannot be changed, then the appearance of the sofa is as easy as shelling pears. Even a child coped with this...

A three-year-old son suddenly wanted to draw and left huge doodles on the leather sofa. The story could have ended with a happy ending if the kid had painted with watercolors. The sofa would be wiped with a damp cloth and brought back to its original state. But the child was using a ballpoint pen, which does not just rub off the skin.

At first, the parents wanted to accept and leave their son's "painting" untouched. The ink is dark, it doesn't catch your eye, you can sit... But it's still a shame to invite guests. We googled how to remove the handle from the sofa and did our own dry cleaning. The super-recipe from the women's forum burned through the paint and the sofa "covered with rust" ... It was already useless to fight this and the owners called us.

More about the restoration technology

sequential restoration algorithm without taking into account organizational issues with arrival and departure

There are two options to restore such damage: paint it as it was or “finish it off” to an antique effect, when the leather upholstery is artificially given the look of antiquity and noble wear.

"As it was" - more popular and more budget.
"Antik" - unusual, bold, long and expensive. Needless to say, 99.9% of all customers choose the first option.

The master covered everything around the sofa so as not to inadvertently spray paint on the walls and floor. He cleaned the skin of the remnants of a "self-made" cleaner, with which the owner diligently wiped off the ink along with his native paint. I tinted the necessary amount of polyurethane paint so that it did not differ from the “factory”, brown color of the upholstery and applied it to the surface in two stages. The first layer is toning. The second finish with simultaneous blow-drying.

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Repair of scuffs, bumps and scratches on leather furniture

from 3500 ₽ | from 45 minutes we eliminate kotska, scratches and hooks from the claws and teeth of cats, dogs on sofas and armchairs; we repair superficial and deep scratches on office furniture, chairs in cafes, restaurants, bars; We work outside.

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examples of restoration, useful tips and tricks, reviews of furniture care products and detailed answers to frequently asked questions

how to paint an old sofa, armchair, chair seat

Leather furniture wears out over time and loses its respectable appearance. If there is no desire to part forever with your favorite armchair or sofa, it can be updated by staining. Fortunately, paint for leather furniture in a huge assortment is now sold in many hardware and shoe stores. It remains only to choose the composition that suits the color, find a convenient place for painting - and you can get to work.

How to choose paint for leather furniture?

Deciding to paint an old leather sofa, first of all, you need to take care of choosing a coloring agent. Paint can not only be bought at a leather or shoe store, but also ordered via the Internet.

It is necessary to choose a less toxic composition with a minimum drying time. The main thing is to accurately determine the color and method of applying the product to the surface of the furniture and not confuse the paint with impregnation or spray, which are used to care for leather products.

Today, leather paint is produced in different forms:

aerosol;
in a balloon with a soft tip made of foam rubber or other porous material;
in a jar with a sealed lid. C

Furniture painters say the spray option is the most convenient. The spray is distributed evenly, does not form smudges. If necessary, you can easily apply another layer of the product and carefully paint over problem areas.

The foam can is also easy and convenient to use. It is enough to unscrew the cap and squeeze a small amount of the coloring composition onto the foam rubber. Using such a device, it is better to paint small areas of the surface, and not the entire product.

Paint packaged in a tin is cheaper than an aerosol or can with a nozzle, but it is also much more difficult to use. Getting started, you need to stock up on a brush or foam rubber sponge to apply the product to the leather surface.

Preparation for painting

When painting a sofa or other leather furniture, prepare the following items and materials:

leather paint;
alcohol or acetone for stain removal;
soap;
rags;
water sprinkler;
top coat;
respirator and rubber gloves.

When everything you need is ready, you need to take care of the place of work. It is best to take the painted object to fresh air: to the yard or to the veranda. If this is not possible, then you need to move the furniture away from the walls and other interior items, cover the floor with plastic wrap or paper, open windows and doors for better ventilation.

When painting, the smallest particles of aerosol can get on nearby objects. This must be foreseen and protected by nearby things by covering with a film or cloth.

Now you can experiment with color. Light leather upholstery is easier to stain than dark leather. If the color of the paint does not match the intended one, you can mix the two compositions. True, this option is possible only if the paint is in a can.

Before starting work, it would be useful to check how the paint will lay down and what color the result will be. To do this, in an inconspicuous place, you need to paint a small area of \u200b\u200bthe skin and wait until it dries completely. Only after that it will be possible to draw the right conclusions.

Sofa or armchair also needs to be prepared for painting:

With the help of alcohol or acetone, various impurities are removed from the leather surface: traces of a felt-tip pen, grease and glue stains.
The furniture is then thoroughly vacuumed and wiped with a cloth soaked in soapy water.
Use adhesive tape to protect those places and parts that need to be protected from paint.
If there are cuts or small tears on the product, they are closed with “liquid skin”.
At the end of the preparation of the sofa for painting, the entire surface is wiped with a cloth slightly moistened with acetone.

Having equipped the place of work and prepared the object of painting, it's time to think about personal safety. Respiratory organs should be protected with a gauze bandage or a respirator. To prevent the aerosol from getting into the eyes, goggles are needed. A work apron and gloves complete the outfit.

How to paint leather furniture?

If the piece of furniture is large, it is better to paint it in parts. To do this, it is necessary to conditionally divide the entire surface into several sections and process them one by one.

The process of dyeing leather furniture consists of the following steps:

Spray the leather surface with water. This will help the dye soak into the upholstery better.
A coloring composition is applied to wet skin. Hard-to-reach places can be tinted with a thin brush. During staining, it is necessary to avoid the formation of smudges and accumulation of paint, and if this happens, immediately remove them with a napkin. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that hair, threads or motes do not fall on the freshly painted surface. It will be very difficult to remove them after drying.
Wipe the leather surface with a dry cloth to remove excess dye. Do not be alarmed by noticing that the sofa looks spotty. This effect is explained by the uneven penetration of the dye in different parts of the upholstery. After drying, the color will be uniform.
Leave the furniture to dry for 2 hours, after which the next coat of paint is applied. A leather sofa can be painted until the desired color is achieved, sometimes more than five times. Before applying the next layer, you need to take a break of 2-3 hours so that the paint is better absorbed and dried.
Apply the top coat. This is a special composition that is sold with paint (it can be glossy and matte). The agent is sprayed on the surface of the sofa and carefully rubbed into the upholstery with a soft cloth.

When refurbishing leather furniture, remember that too many coats of paint can cause the upholstery to become dry and hard. Therefore, it is better to immediately choose the optimal color and concentration of the dye, which will achieve the desired result after applying 1-2 layers.