Liquid leather or how to restore a leather sofa on your own

Leather furniture in the interior is a sign of luxury and material well-being. They look impressive in an expensive design and add bright accents to a familiar interior. But this is not all of their advantages. Leather models are also the most durable. Thanks to the wear resistance of the upholstery, they can be placed in any room: living room, hallway, corridor, office, loggia and even kitchen. Leather sofas are designed more for mass use and are not very comfortable to use for sleeping, so placing them in a bedroom or nursery is not relevant.

To preserve the appearance of any upholstery, careful and timely care is required, as well as the creation of all conditions for proper operation. But in some situations, the appearance of defects even on the most wear-resistant upholstery cannot be avoided. Therefore, today’s tips for restoring leather upholstery couldn’t come at a better time.

What is “liquid skin”? The most used types from manufacturers

With the help of modern technologies, you can carry out minor repairs to leather products right at home.

“Liquid skin” is a polymer mixture based on alcohol and water. The sticky adhesive base and rubber resin included in the product when repairing leather products help the mixture to firmly adhere to the top layer, forming an elastic consistency.

Liquid leather is a paint that imperceptibly seals holes in the skin; it is a heavy-duty polymer based on water and alcohol.

After hardening, the restored area is practically no different from the general surface. In addition, “liquid leather” retains the properties inherent in natural material.

“Liquid skin” is very easily absorbed into the material, and within a day a scratch or any other damage will become invisible

Another component of this unique product is dye. Today, manufacturers offer a wide range of colors, which allows you to choose the desired shade to match the color of the furniture. When working with complex colors, mixtures can be mixed to achieve the desired result.

Liquid leather is produced in the form of sets with jars of different colors

The main direction of use of the product is the repair of leather products. At the same time, “liquid leather” can be used for products made of leatherette, artificial leather or vinyl. However, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the material and only small defects can be treated with the product.

Liquid Leather from the manufacturer Liquid Leather

The most popular brands are: Liquid leather (Russia), Saphir (France) and Bradex (Israel). The distinctive features of each brand are clearly presented in the table.

BrandMin. volume Complete drying time Number of colors Product advantages Cons of the product Liquid leather tubes of 125 ml or a set (7 tubes of 20 ml) 2-8 hours depending on the thickness of the layer 7 hardens quickly, easy to apply, repairs through damage scanty color palette Saphir tubes of 25 ml up to 24 hours, depending on the quantity and thickness of layers 50 fluorocarbon resin content ensures long-lasting color, the widest selection of colors high cost Bradex set (7 jars of 8 grams each) 8-12 hours 7 repair kit contains all the necessary tools and materials for repairs small selection of colors

Liquid Saphir leather has a large number of colors to choose from

Repair kit for leather goods “Liquid Leather” from Bradex

When choosing “liquid leather” for repairing leather products, you only need to focus on the availability of the required colors. Otherwise, the composition and quality characteristics of the product of any brand are practically the same.

Liquid leather Flüssigleder is a special putty for repairing small holes, scratches, large cracks on the surface of the leather

Repair and restoration methods

For leather furniture, stains are not as critical as physical defects such as cuts or scratches. There are several main methods for restoring such furniture, aimed at both full or partial restoration of the material and 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;
2. The scratch is painted over with varnish or paint matched to the color of the upholstery. Here we are talking only about camouflage;
3. An applique is applied to the damaged area or a patch is sewn on if this does not affect the appearance of the product;
4. The most difficult and time-consuming process is the complete re-upholstery of the material. You should resort to it only when repairs with liquid leather no longer help;
5. Replacement of accessories. In some situations, it is not the upholstery itself that needs repair, but decorative elements or fittings.

Liquid skin

If you have to work with major damage, you will need to fill the void with foam rubber or cotton wool. This area is glued from the inside of the upholstery. Using the table supplied with the liquid leather, you should select the most suitable color.

The damaged surface is cleaned, degreased, after which the leather furniture is repaired with your own hands. There are no special rules for applying “Liquid Skin” to the surface. The liquid can be applied either with a brush or with a spatula. There is a trick that allows you to give the area restored using the specified product the texture of the original material - you need to attach a sample from the sofa to the damaged area.

Choosing the right shade

Clean the coating and apply the composition

Result

Painting

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

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 hairdryer.

Choosing paint

Treat with acetone

Applying the composition

Painting is finished

Padding

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

The pattern for the new upholstery should be made with a margin of 10 cm, while focusing on the old upholstery. After all the parts are cut out, you can start sewing. If you lack the necessary skills, this process can be entrusted to a specialist.

The constriction looks like this:

1. The cut out element is placed on the upholstery of the sofa. The material must be placed in the center of the furniture;
2. The fabric is wrapped around the edges, and at the same time tension in the material occurs;
3. The upholstery is secured using staples, which should be located at least 4 cm apart from each other.

You need to start working from the middle and move towards the edges. This will ensure even tension.

Patches

Stripes can solve the problem of scratches. The essence of the method is to cut and paste a piece of skin 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 choose a patch that will not differ greatly from the main material, but even if you manage to find such material, the difference will be visible. In this situation, it is worth using additional paint. The repair is complete when the dye is dry.

Treating the surface

Seal the hole

Making a patch

Glue the patch

Overlays

You can repair leather furniture at home using overlays or appliqués. This method can be called unusual, because it radically changes the appearance of the furniture. An overlay differs from a 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 realizes that the sofa or chair will no longer have its original appearance. But this can be avoided with a little imagination. Using contrasting overlays, you can create an unusual pattern - it can be an abstract drawing or a specific image. It is better to place the pad itself on glue or sew it with thread.

Threads and needles should not be used because they leave marks, which eliminates the possibility of moving the lining to another place without consequences. Using glue leaves room for error. As with conventional crack sealing, the desired area should be degreased before installing the overlay.

Wipe the coating

Seal

There is a type of adhesive designed for working with leather. You need to look for a product called universal leather glue. The specificity of the process lies in its effectiveness only for small cuts and cracks. Restoring leather furniture requires careful application of glue. You can apply the glue with a toothpick, match or similar sized stick. After applying the glue, press the edges of the scratch firmly. These edges can also be tied together with synthetic thread. All excess glue must be removed. It is not always possible to carry out this procedure unnoticed, that is, the place of gluing will still be visible. Then the damaged area of ​​​​the material should be polished and painted.

Choosing a special glue

Filling the cracks

Removing remaining glue

Replacement of accessories

Furniture supports, ties, wooden armrests, decor - all these elements can also break due to chemical or physical influences. Repairing these components is, in most cases, impractical. It’s easier to immediately replace them with new ones.

Advantages and disadvantages of “liquid skin”

Repair of pressed leather products with liquid leather

The mixture has many advantages. Let's note some of them.

• Easily applied to damaged areas of leather furniture.
• Short drying times.

  
  Leather repair product available in different colors

• Polymerization of the mixture takes 15-20 minutes - sufficient time to select the required color scheme. In addition, in case of an error, this time is enough to easily wash off the applied product.
• It is characterized by high strength and elasticity. The skin is able to restore its shape after deformation.

  
  This product does not require heat treatment, has high strength and ductility

• The unique formula ensures complete penetration into the structure of the surface of leather furniture and eliminates the possibility of subsequent delamination.
• High resistance to temperature fluctuations allows the use of “liquid skin” in the range from – 35 C° to +70 C°.
• Does not require additional heat treatment.
• Durability – the natural aging period reaches 35 years.
• The product does not contain harmful substances and is absolutely safe for health.

Any repair will still not replace the smooth new surface of a leather sofa, but will extend the life of the product. The
disadvantages of the mixture include the small area of ​​​​the damaged surface, which can be repaired using “liquid leather”. However, this is the only drawback, according to consumer reviews.

We make an impression of the repaired part for a similar pattern on the entire surface

Required materials and tools

To choose the right materials, you should carefully evaluate 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.

If we are talking about simple contamination, then it will be enough to prepare a cloth and alcohol. Repairing cracks is a little more complicated. Before starting work, you will need to acquire construction tools - they will be used to dismantle furniture and remove old upholstery.

This is a set of screwdrivers, wrenches, screwdriver, pliers, staple removal tool. Changing the material involves using a staple gun. This is a basic set of tools.

There are repair options using paint, liquid leather and other improvised means. Therefore, it is worth purchasing them in advance. Don't forget about the sofa's filling - the material may also need to be fully or partially restored. Foam rubber is often used as a filler. You definitely need to get some thread and a needle. A sewing machine will do the job faster. If you plan to partially or completely replace the upholstery, then a large amount of new material will be required.

Cleaning stains on leather surfaces

While there may not be many serious defects on the surface of leather sofas, absolutely no one is immune from stains and they appear on the upholstery with enviable frequency. Fresh or old contamination must be cleaned in any case.

Using some tricks for cleaning leather surfaces will greatly facilitate the process and have a beneficial effect on the surface itself.

Here are some current examples from life:

It is worth noting that you can remove stains on a light leather sofa using milk and egg white. And if you need to remove heavy dirt from any leather surface, you can purchase specialized products. Of course, their price tag is often inflated due to the increased need, but it is clearly less than the amount for buying new furniture.

Advice:

To prevent pollutants from penetrating deep into the upholstery, fresh stains must be removed in a timely manner. If the contamination turns out to be ingrained, and the above remedies did not save the situation, repeat the procedure several more times after the surface has completely dried. This method is more effective than, for example, using abrasive or caustic chemicals. They can permanently ruin the surface, but never achieve results.

An effective way to remove contaminants is to call specialists from cleaning companies. The pleasure is not cheap, but the result is worth it. The furniture will look like new after their work.