How Can I Repair Leather Furniture?

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Learning to repair leather furniture is a great way to keep quality furniture for a long time. Leather furniture has many benefits when compared to cloth furniture. Leather is water repellent, long lasting, does not hold dust or smell, and generally looks better the older it is.

There are three different types of damage that will cause you to need to repair leather furniture: cuts, scuffs and holes. The type of repair that is necessary depends on the type of damage and where it occurs. You can learn to repair leather furniture damage at home, with a little effort and patience.

Cuts to leather furniture can happen as the result of an accident or a small hole that spreads. To repair a cut in leather furniture, purchase a leather repair kit as soon as possible. If the furniture is in use, the cut will expand.

Follow the instructions on the leather repair kit to stop the cut from spreading. This type of kit usually involves a chemical compound that is applied to the cut, filling the gap and securing the edges together. If you are going to repair leather furniture with a kit, purchase the best kit that you can find.

Scuff marks on leather furniture occur when pushing something with hard edges along the furniture. To repair a scuff mark, you can follow the same steps are repairing a cut, or you can inject the compound into the scuff mark. Since the leather is not actually cut, all you need to do is blend the color of the leather into the lining to repair leather furniture.

A puncture hole in leather furniture requires a leather repair kit with patches of leather. The leather patch is inserted underneath the hole and the repair compound is put on the top. This method gives the compound something to adhere to and improves the appearance.

When you repair leather furniture, it is very important to start with a clean surface. Use saddle soap or a leather cleaner to carefully clean the area in need of repair. Do not use harsh chemicals, as they will dry out the leather and may even change the color of the leather furniture.

When you are cleaning leather, don't just clean one spot, but rather the entire area, as the appearance of the leather will be greatly improved. Use two different sponges, the soap sponge to apply the soap and the rinsing sponge to remove the excess soap and residue.

Once the repair is completed, condition the leather with a leather conditioning cream to keep the leather supple and shining. Rub the leather conditioner in with your hands for the most effective conditioning. Create a schedule of cleaning and conditioning every six months after you repair leather furniture to keep it looking like new.

Allow a lot of time for the leather repair compound to dry properly before using the leather furniture. If you use a hair dryer to speed up the process you risk poor qua, causing cracks in the leather repair compound.

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3
I've called all of our local furniture stores in search of a leather repair kit, but none of the stores carries one. Does anyone have a good kit/brand to recommend? If so, where could I purchase and how much do they typically cost? Thanks!
- mjmgeek
2
The leather compound on its own would work, but might wear away over time, depending on the location of the hole. If the hole is in the seat and the hole small, apply the compound as thinly as possible. Once it has dried, apply a very thin coat of clear nail polish on top of the compound. This should keep it looking as good as new. Resist the temptation to use Superglue, as dirt and lint will stick to the edges.
- jeffreyc
1
Our dog's nails are apparently sharp and she poked a tiny hole in our leather couch. I read the suggestion to buy a leather repair kit and place a piece of leather underneath the tear, apply the compound, etc. Our couch, however, doesn't have removable cushions (they are attached/sewn to the couch and there's no opening/zipper where we could insert a piece of leather into the cushion). Although the hole is super small, I don't want it to tear further--wondering if I could use the leather repair compound without putting the piece of leather underneath. Any suggestions? Thanks!
- mjmgeek

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Written by Carol Francois


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