How to Make Your Own Leather Repair Kit

There is a wide variety of ready-made leather repair kits available on the market. Generally, they consist of a leather repair compound, which in fact is PVA glue as well as a leather paint and leather finish. Since the leather binding compound is white, you will need special primer and an airbrush to properly and evenly apply the layers of colourant and finish to strengthen the leather.

You will also need some soft cloths, sponges, a scissor, fine sandpaper, and a mixing cup.

Normally, your leather upholstery comes with a silicone, wax or other oily finish to protect it from absorbing moisture and to help it stay moisturized and flexible for longer. Before proceeding to repair your leather upholstery, if it is cracked, peeling or flaking, you will need to remove this finish.

Proceed by cleaning the area with strong leather cleaner. Make sure you remove all dirt, grime, and other residues before using a leather preparation product. Apply the prep with an abrasive pad or a cloth to gently remove the finish. The colour of the leather will change on the treated spot.

Any longer peeled of fibers must be removed with scissors, but carefully so as not to cause further damage to the upholstery. If the damage is more serious, you may want to place some backing fabric into the tear of the upholstery to keep the leather repair compound in place, rather than soaking into the furniture. Apply the compound with a spatula or use a palette knife, and let it dry completely. Repeat the process until the tear is filled completely. If the tear is big, you can pour the repair compound in it, but carefully not to overfill it.

After the gap is filled, and the compound is dry, proceed to sand off and smoothen the area with fine sandpaper. Remove all of the residues from the sanding with the help of some alcohol and a cotton pad. Let the alcohol evaporate completely for about half an hour. Apply the leather sealer on top and leave it to dry once again.

After that, proceed to applying the colourant. Mix the appropriate dye in the mixing bowl – use the instructions of the manufacturer to mix a matching colour. Add the first layer with a sponge and let it dry. Then add the next several layers with the help of an airbrush. After you’ve done with the painting, you should apply leather finish – first the glossy one, and then the finish to make the leather more robust and to keep it from cracking and flaking again.

To make your own kit, you will need

• leather prep solution
• leather binding compound
• sealer
• colourants
• and finish.

Apart from that, you should have microfiber cloths, sponges, a spatula or palette knife, fine sandpaper, alcohol and a cotton pad, and a mixing bowl and an airbrush for the substance.

If you have any other questions regarding leather furniture cleaning and maintaining feel free to get in touch with our experts anytime!