Leather Furniture Repair -- Use Caution!



Posted: Wednesday, November 24, 2010

by Pamela Garner
http://cleaningsecretsinfo.com

Leather is a great addition to any home, but can also be difficult to maintain and repair. You may also find scratches, tears, holes, cracks, and/or cigarette burns in your leather over time. Thankfully all of these things are usually fixable! I have fortunately not had to repair leather in my own home yet, so this article is a compilation of all my research on the matter of leather furniture repair.

First let me say that most people, myself included, recommend letting a professional repair your leather if you want to keep it looking new and fresh. There is a lot of room for mistakes in any at-home care solution, and taking leather with a poorly done repair on it to a professional can actually cost you more money. But if you are not concerned with a perfect repair, or you simply really want to try it yourself, here are your options.

Natural leathers cannot be repaired at home because they are not usually coated with a finishing protective coat therefore they are more porous and require different cleaning and repair strategies. If you have this kind of leather contact a leather professional.

You can use at-home repair solutions on protected or topcoat leathers, which is what 90% of leather furniture is made of. Some identifying characteristics of protected leathers are uniform color and grain patterns; failure to scratch easily; and water drops failing to change color. Always clean and condition your leather before beginning the repair process, especially if it is dry.

Small scratches or cracks:

These can often be fixed by simply conditioning the leather with a store bought leather conditioner.

A snag:

Apply clear nail polish.

The seam:

You can use super glue to repair seams that are coming apart if you are quick and careful. You are going to apply a line of super glue to one side of the seam and then press the other side of the seam to it. You will then hold the seams together while the super glue dries. You should practice the process before actually applying the super glue, because the glue dries quickly so you need to be fast and accurate. The complete drying process should take 10-15 minutes.

Large tears or holes:

These can be fixed by buying and using an at home leather repair kit. The kits come with specific instructions and it is important to follow those exactly. Magic Mender and Leather Magic are two of the most popular. Leather repair kits run anywhere from $10-$70 depending on the brand you choose and you often "get what you pay for."

When choosing a repair kit make sure it satisfies these requirements:

  1. It is durable and flexible when dry; and
  2. It is water based, not solvent based (solvent based repair kits are known to crack on leather repairs).


If your damage is large, your patience is thin, or you do not feel capable of repairing the leather yourself, there are many professionals specializing in leather repair that are just an Internet search and a phone call away.

Pamela Garner hates to clean. Her answer? Develop a "Speed Cleaning Secrets" system to make it as painless as possible. You can see more tips on leather furniture at her site www.cleaningsecretsinfo.com. While you are there, check out her free email minicourse on speed cleaning.

Original Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pamela_Garner
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