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How to restore 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.

Leather Restoration Tips - Revive Aging Leather

Leather is a versatile and durable material, which is widely used for accessories, clothing, and furniture, among other things. However, just like any other material, leather is also prone to wear and tear. It may fade in color or dry out and crack over time. This is due to lack of proper leather care and environmental influences such as dust, sunlight, oils and rain damage, oils, and other things. 

Are these signs of wear and tear showing up on your leather? Here are six tips to help with the restoration of leather.  

1. Clean Leather Regularly

Leather restoration starts with cleaning the surface of the leather on a regular basis. We’re often asked how often you should clean leather, and the answer is twofold: Generally, it makes sense to clean frequently used leather items, especially furniture and car seats, at least once a month to remove dirt, dust and oil build up. You’ll also want to clean as needed to remove spills and prevent stains. You can remove any dirt, debris, or surface stains with a leather cleaning product, like Leather Honey Leather Cleaner.

Apply the cleaning product to the surface of the leather using a circular and steady motion, making thin, even strokes. Then, wipe it off with a clean, lint-free towel with the same motion.

2. Remove Scratches From Leather

Scratches are one of the primary reasons you might decide your leather needs to be restored. Finished leather, which is commonly used in furniture, may become scratched with pet claws, jewelry, and other sharp items. To properly repair your leather couch or restore scratched leather, use a moisturizing leather conditioner like Leather Honey to recondition the area, restore lost moisture, and camouflage scratches or marks.

We advise testing in a discreet area first and applying leather conditioner to the entire piece – instead of spot treating – as conditioning can darken some leather. (The original color often returns over time, as the conditioner dries, but the scratches should remain repaired and hidden by the leather conditioner.) 

Read More: How to Remove Scratches From Leather

3. Learn How To Fix Cracked Leather

Many leather owners don’t know how to fix cracked leather, so they often end up getting rid of cracked leather items, like couches and shoes, assuming the damage is beyond repair. While that can sometimes be the case, there are many instances where you can fix cracked leather seats, shoes and sofas, and you can certainly prevent leather from cracking in the first place with care.  

Leather that is very dry and hasn’t been properly maintained is likely to start cracking over time. Cracking is common on all types of leather, including leather car seats, leather furniture and couches, leather shoes and jackets. 

The best way to deal with cracks in your leather is to prevent them from happening in the first place. To prevent cracked leather, keep the leather hydrated with a leather conditioner — you should begin conditioning even new leather every six months to make sure you’re maintaining proper hydration. Preventing cracks is much easier than repairing them once they’ve formed. 

If your leather is showing only minor cracks, like fine lines in the surface of the leather, leather conditioner will restore the finish of the leather and prevent the cracks from worsening. Again, to prevent new cracks and fix existing cracks, be sure to adequately condition the leather every six months. If the leather absorbs the conditioner quickly, that’s a good sign that the leather is very dry and additional conditioner may be needed.  

Unfortunately, once cracks are deep and have formed significant groves or separations in the leather, you can’t repair them with a topical product like a leather conditioner. You will likely need to work with a local leather restoration specialist who can help repair the cracks. Patches or fillers are used by professionals to fix deep cracks in the leather’s surface, especially on leather couches, chairs or car seats.

One side note: leather car seats often harden and crack over time, especially if the leather was coated, which is common with some mass car manufacturers and older vehicles. You can’t condition coated leather, as a conditioner won’t penetrate that thick, synthetic coating. But the coating does typically wear off with use, so it’s important to regularly test whether a conditioner can penetrate the leather. Once it can, start conditioning immediately to prevent cracking. Fixing cracked leather car seats is extremely difficult, so protecting them from the start is key.  

4. Condition Your Leather

Aside from leather conditioning to repair damage, leather needs to be conditioned regularly to restore lost moisture and keep the fibers flexible, preventing damage. To start leather restoration and conditioning, apply our all-natural leather conditioner to the leather surface in thin coats, using a lint-free cloth. Allow the conditioner to absorb for at least two hours (preferably 24). Then, wipe off any excess conditioner using a clean lint-free cloth.

5. Fix or Repair Faded Leather

Due to exposure to sunlight or just a general wear over time, the original color of leather may fade. Leather fades as it becomes dry. To restore faded leather, apply Leather Honey which will bring back the lost color. Again, we recommend applying to the entire piece rather than spot treating. If you need to add additional color, leather color balm is available in a wide variety of colors and shades, which match every original color of the leather. You can apply leather color balm or even leather dye after conditioning.

Patches or fillers are used to rectify minor damages on the leather’s surface. Apply the filler to the leather using a palette knife in a thin layer continuously until the hole levels up to the leather surface, then let it dry. If the leather damage needs a patch, apply a considerable amount of adhesive to the edges of the patch, and stick it to the leather canvas.

Make sure that the patch is fitted tightly into the leather and fill the edges with the filler. Sound intimidating? We admit, this is no easy fix. It may be best to consult a professional!

6. Restore Water-Damaged Leather

Restoring water-damaged leather can be a tough job but manageable. If the leather is soaked in water, the best way to keep it dry is to wipe the water using a dry cloth. Avoid using heat to dry the wet surface as it will only cause further damage. Time is the best remedy, followed by Leather Honey. Water damage can leave leather dry and brittle, so you’ll want to restore lost moisture by conditioning. If the water damage has left water marks on the leather, you should clean the leather thoroughly before conditioning.

Leather Couch Restoration

If you're looking to specifically restore your leather couch, we have some tips and tricks to soften, renew and repair your leather sofa. View our guide on how to clean and restore your leather couch and learn how to prevent damage in our guide on how to protect your leather couch from scratches. Our leather furniture restorer products help clean and condition your sofa and chairs so your living room can remain in pristine condition.

Whether you need to restore a leather couch or want to elongate the life of your leather goods with proper leather care, Leather Honey leather care products can help.

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Restoration of leather furniture with improvised means, the necessary recommendations

Leather furniture gives the room a luxurious and rich look. Interior items made of leather require special care. Over time, the furniture loses its original appearance and requires repair. You can contact the salon, where the specialists will update it. Restoration of leather furniture is also possible at home. In order to update interior items with your own hands, different methods and means are used. Recommendations and advice will help to properly restore. nineOl000 scuffs appear, and the color becomes not as saturated as it was originally. It is possible to restore the original beauty of interior items with the help of their full or partial painting. nine0024 For these purposes, manufacturers produce paint in the form of a liquid or spray. The latter are more convenient to use and allow you to restore the color of the furniture in a short period of time. Spray paints an upholstery, without soiling clothes and a human body. Liquid paint is cheaper, but the process takes longer.

In order to carry out the process correctly and update the color of the furniture, it is recommended to follow the instructions:

  1. First clean the surface of dirt and dust. Dry the upholstery thoroughly; nine0008
  2. In order not to stain decorative elements and furniture inserts, cover them with masking tape;
  3. If there are other objects nearby, it is better to cover them with a cloth or film. This will prevent paint from getting in while updating the color of the furniture;
  4. Take a can of paint and spray at a distance of 20 cm from the repair site;
  5. After that, leave the product for a while until the paint dries;
  6. To make the color brighter, the surface is painted again. nine0008

It is recommended that you first check that the color of the furniture and the paint match by shade. To do this, paint a small area in an inconspicuous place. Wait for the paint to dry, as the color may change by half a tone. If the shades match, you can start painting all the furniture.

Move the sofa outdoors Lay a floor protection cloth on the floor Remove dust and dirt from the covering Spray the upholstery with water Apply dye Remove paint residue

Stain cleaning

Sooner or later stains appear on the upholstery. To eliminate them, various means are used, which are selected for each type of pollution separately. For example, to get rid of greasy stains, talc, starch and salt are used. All ingredients are mixed, sprinkled on the contaminated area. Wipe the area to be cleaned with a damp cloth.

It is important to get rid of stains as soon as they form. Some of them will be difficult or even impossible to withdraw in the future. Do-it-yourself traces of fresh blood from leather furniture are cleaned with a rag soaked in cold water. If the spots are already old, use a different method. An aspirin tablet is dissolved in a glass of water. The contaminated area is wiped with a cloth soaked in this solution. Soap solution will perfectly cope with the problem. nine0003

For best results, it is recommended to use laundry soap. To prepare the product for 200 g of water, you need 1 tablespoon of soap shavings.

Stains from pens, markers and paints can be removed with ordinary citric acid. 1 tablespoon of the product is dissolved in a glass of water. After that, the stain is washed and wiped with a dry cloth. If drinks are spilled on the furniture upholstery, it doesn’t matter. A detergent will help to easily remove traces of tea, juice, coffee. In order not to spoil the upholstery, it is better to use a substance that does not contain chlorine. The liquid is foamed and applied with a cloth or sponge to the stain. nine0003 Wipe down with a soft clothRemove excess residueApply special cleanerLet the furniture dry

Remove scuffs and scratches

Leather sofas and armchairs scratch easily. If the upholstery is not cut through, it will not be difficult to basically get rid of the scratches. To restore leather furniture at home, you will need olive oil and cotton swabs. To get rid of scratches, do the following:

  1. Pour oil on the scratch and the area around it; nine0008
  2. Gently wipe the area with a cotton swab in a circular motion;
  3. Leave for 1 hour to dry;
  4. If the scratch remains, repeat the procedure 2-3 more times;

In some cases, damage may remain, then resort to another method. The scratch is again oiled, a cotton cloth is applied. Then, with a warm iron, iron the upholstery area directly on the fabric. The thermal effect leads to a better penetration of the oil into the fabric. If necessary, repeat the procedure. Apply only a warm iron to the damaged area. 10 seconds will be enough. nine0003

Another product that eliminates scratches is shoe polish. Apply the cream to the damaged area with a cotton swab. It will become invisible. This method does not remove scratches, but merely masks them. The best result will be obtained if the shades of the cream and the upholstery of the furniture are completely the same. Deeper scratches or abrasions can be repaired with a special leather filler as follows:

  1. Clean the damaged area with rubbing alcohol; nine0008
  2. Allow furniture to dry within 10 minutes;
  3. Apply a special filler to the scratch;
  4. Paint the damaged area.
Wipe the finish with alcohol Treat with sandpaper Rub the finish Cover with paint

Repairing holes and cracks

Repairing holes in furniture will require a patch and crack filler. The restoration of a leather sofa in this case looks like this:

  1. Clean the surface with medical alcohol;
    2. nine0007 Apply leather glue or superglue to the inside of the damaged area with a toothpick;
  2. Gently press down on the hold and straighten it out. Quickly wipe off excess glue with a cloth or napkin;
  3. Sand the bonding area with sandpaper. It should become soft to the touch. This item is only needed if superglue is used;
  4. If the color of the leather has changed, paint the area and apply a top coat.
    5. nine0019

    Repair cracks with Liquid Leather. It is a coloring and adhesive plastic substance. The set contains 7 liquid leather colors. To find the right shade, mix several colors.

    Before use, the surface of the furniture is treated with alcohol to clean and degrease. The agent is applied to the damaged areas with a brush, leveled. When everything is dry, repeat the steps again.

    Treat with alcohol Apply glue to the hole Press down the holds Paint the coating Treat with sandpaper

    Household and folk remedies

    Shops offer a wide range of leather care products. When using them, be sure to follow the instructions. Restoration of interior items from leather is possible using folk remedies. Restoration by folk methods is carried out at peril and risk, since the described examples are personal experience and the initiative of people, and the consequences can be unpredictable.

    Grease stains are sprinkled with cornstarch, which will absorb all the grease from the upholstery. Stains from a marker or felt-tip pens are removed with nail polish remover without acetone. For these purposes, you can use hairspray. Wine spilled on furniture is removed with medical alcohol. Also, stains are removed with lemon juice. Light dirt can be removed with make-up remover milk. With a cotton pad dipped in this product, wipe the surface and remove excess. This method is not suitable for frequent use. nine0003

    Do not use harsh chemicals when cleaning leather furniture. Spots should be removed as soon as they appear. The surface of the furniture must not be subjected to intense mechanical stress.

    Video

    Do-it-yourself leather furniture repair, upholstery restoration

    Leather furniture upholstery is considered one of the best materials. It combines durability and presentable appearance. But in the process of use, spots and scratches will still appear. It is realistic to do minor repairs to leather furniture on your own, although a lot depends on the nature of the damage. If the pollution or defect is not eliminated in time, the furniture will lose its value and color saturation of the upholstery. With scratches and cracks, the situation is even worse - if repairs are not started in time, then the crack can grow to such a size that it will be easier to buy a new sofa. nineOl000

    In order to correctly select materials, you should carefully assess the condition of the furniture. This is necessary to understand the nature of the problem and determine how to fix it. To repair leather furniture, you may need professional tools that are not advisable to buy for one-time home use. nine0003

    If we are talking about simple dirt, it will be enough to prepare a cloth and alcohol. With the repair of cracks, everything is somewhat more complicated. Before starting work, you will need to acquire construction tools - they will be used to disassemble furniture and remove old upholstery. This is a set of screwdrivers, wrenches, screwdriver, pliers, staple remover. Replacing material involves using a staple gun. This is the basic set of tools.

    Repair options are available using paint, liquid leather, and other handy tools. Therefore, it is worth buying them in advance. Do not forget about the filler of the sofa - the material may also need to be fully or partially restored. Foam rubber often acts as a filler. Be sure to get a thread and a needle. The sewing machine will do the job faster. If partial or complete upholstery replacement is planned, then a large amount of new material will be required. nine0003

    Repair and restoration methods

    For leather furniture, stains are not as critical as physical defects such as cuts or scratches. There are several main ways to restore such furniture, aimed at both the complete or partial restoration of the material, and at hiding defects. The upholstery will not look the same as before, but the scratches will be invisible. The following repair methods can be noted:

    1. The easiest way is to repair leather furniture using a product called “Liquid Leather” or its equivalent; nine0008
    2. The scratch can be repaired with varnish or paint to match the color of the upholstery. Here we are talking only about disguise;
    3. An application is applied or a patch is sewn on the damaged area, if the appearance of the product does not suffer from this;
    4. The most difficult and long process is the complete re-drawing of the material. It should be resorted to only when repairing with liquid skin no longer helps;
    5. Hardware replacement. In some situations, it is not the upholstery itself that needs repair, but decor elements or accessories. nine0008

    Liquid leather

    If you have to work with large damage, you will need to fill the void with foam or cotton. This area is glued from the inside of the upholstery. Use the table supplied with liquid leather to select the most suitable color. The damaged surface is cleaned, degreased, after which do-it-yourself leather furniture repair is carried out. There are no special rules for applying “Liquid Skin” to the surface. The liquid can be applied with a brush or spatula. There is a trick that allows you to give the place restored with the help of the specified tool, the texture from the source material - you need to attach a sample from the sofa to the damaged area. nine0003 Choosing the right shadeCleaning the coating and applying the compositionResult

    Painting

    Painting helps in situations where, after a long operation, the furniture has lost its appearance due to wear. In this case, minor cosmetic repairs should be carried out with the help of painting. The paint itself can be released both in the form of an aerosol and in the form of a spray, respectively, it will be easy to repair leather furniture. First you need to evaluate how the paint matches the color of the upholstery, and if necessary, mix several shades to obtain the desired color. nine0003

    The damaged surface is first cleaned of dirt and then degreased with acetone. It is better to use sprays, they are more convenient to use. The paint should be applied in several layers. It is important that the previous coat of paint is dry before the next coat is applied. To make the paint dry faster, you can use a regular hair dryer.

    Selecting the paint Treat with acetone Apply the composition Finished painting

    Upholstery

    The list of items that should be included in the repair kit is described above. To begin with, the sofa is inspected, after which the old upholstery is dismantled. The side, rear parts of the sofa, as well as the seat, are removed with a hexagon or a wrench. The staples holding the upholstery are removed with a special tool. The old filler, even if it is in good condition, is better to remove for a while to assess the condition of the frame. If necessary, the filler is replaced with new foam rubber, and the damaged parts of the frame are also changed. nine0003

    The pattern of the new upholstery should be made with a margin of 10 cm, while focusing on the old upholstery. After all the details are cut out, you can start sewing. In the absence of proper skills, this process can be entrusted to a specialist.

    The upholstery looks like this:

    1. The cut piece is placed on the sofa upholstery. It is necessary to arrange the material in the center of the furniture;
    2. The fabric is wrapped around the edges, in parallel with this, the tension of the material occurs; nine0008
    3. The upholstery is fastened with staples, which must be spaced at least 4 cm apart.

    Start in the middle and work towards the edges. This will give you even tension.

    Patches

    Patches can solve the problem of scratches. The essence of the method is to cut and paste a piece of leather larger than the scratch itself. The patch must be round, although other shapes are allowed. The cut-out patch is glued to the bottom of the crack. As for the glue, it must be water-based. It is very difficult to find a patch that does not differ much from the main material, but even if you manage to find such material, the difference will be visible. In this situation, it is worth additionally using paint. The repair is completed when the colorant dries. nine0003 Treat the surface Seal up the holeMake a patch Glue the patch

    Overlays

    You can repair leather furniture at home using overlays or applications. This method can be called unusual, because it radically changes the appearance of the furniture. The overlay differs from the patch in that it is placed on top of the upholstery. The overlay serves to prevent further crack growth. Accordingly, the owner of the furniture is aware that the sofa or armchair will no longer have its original appearance. But this can be avoided with a little imagination. With the help of contrasting overlays, you can depict an unusual pattern - it can be an abstract pattern or a specific image. The overlay itself is better to put on glue or sew on with threads. nine0003

    Threads and needles should not be used for the reason that they leave marks, which excludes the possibility of moving the lining to another place without consequences.

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