This guide will show you how to fix a tear in leather. The same procedure applies to tears in all type of leather: furniture, car interior, clothes and all other leathers.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE: REPAIRING A TEAR ON A LEATHER SOFA
This photo shows a tear in a panel from a leather sofa. To fix the tear you will need the Complete Leather Repair Kit.
STEP 1. ASSESS DAMAGE & CHOOSE SUITABLE PRODUCT
The tear we are fixing is no larger than a tennis ball, so we have chosen the Complete Leather Repair Kit. For
STEP 2. TRIM/PREP THE AREA
The next step is to take a scalpel or a pair of sharp sciscors and trim the worn edges off the tear, making for a cleaner edge and smarter repair.
STEP 3. INSERT SUB-PATCH BEHIND THE LEATHER
Using tweezers and the canvas cloth supplied in the complete leather repair kit, insert the cloth behind the tear.
STEP 4. APPLY GLUE TO SECURE SUB-PATCH
Once the cloth is behind the leather, use a spatula to apply the Leather Glue onto the underside of the leather. Basically - put the glue inbetween the cloth and the leather.
Press the leather down onto the cloth once the glue has been applied to all the edges and leave it to dry.
This technique re-creates the backing of the leather making for a very strong repair.
STEP 5. APPLY HEAVY FILLER TO THE TEAR
The next step is to apply the heavy filler into the tear. This will fill the gap in the leather making it level with the rest of the leather.
The filler is applied in several thin layers and a grain pattern can be embossed into the final layer to further blend the tear in with the rest of the leather.
STEP 5. BUILD UP HEAVY FILLER, DRYING EACH LAYER
Apply one thin layer to start with and then dry it off with a hair drier for a few minutes. Repeat this process until the tear is about 3/4's full.
Then apply one last layer to the tear and smooth it off with the palette knife making it level with the leather.
For a perfect repair you can use a Grain Pad to emboss the grain pattern into the filler.
Alternatively, you can use Grain Repair to manually recreate the grain before applying color.
STEP 7. APPLY COLORANT
When the filler is dry, the next stage is to apply the color. To do this, simply take the colorant and apply a small amount to a sponge. Use this to apply the colorant to the repair, blending it with the surrounding leather.
Apply the colorant in multiple thin coats, allowing time for each to dry before moving on to the next. Apply as many coats as it takes to conceal the repair.
STEP 8. APPLY LEATHER FINISH
When the repair has been colored sufficiently and the colorant has been left to dry, the final stage is to applly the finish.
If using the small area bundle, this can simply be applied using a sponge, again in multiple thin layers, allowing time for each to properly dry before moving on to the next.
Around 8-10 coats of finish should be sufficient to ensure a good, robust repair.
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