How to restore a leather chair?

How to restore a leather chair?
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A leather armchair is a long-lasting piece of furniture, but it requires proper care. A piece of furniture made of high quality leather becomes more and more beautiful over the years, but for this to happen, you need to take good care of it and maintain it regularly.

Pets and leather furniture – a bad idea

Pet owners are advised against buying leather armchairs for the house, because dogs and cats are very fond of scratching the lounge furniture, and changing the habits of your beloved pet is often unfeasible. You can cover the leather furniture with a blanket, but then you cannot fully enjoy it.

Taking care of a leather chair on a daily basis

Leather armchair upholstery needs to be cared for. Once a week it should be wiped with a product designed for leather upholstery and applied to a soft cloth. It is best to use preparations recommended by furniture manufacturers. Do not wipe leather furniture with ordinary detergents or moisturizing wipes, because they dry the leather and take away its elasticity.

Leather furniture is also harmed by excessive moisture, which can cause the furniture to mold. Excessive sunlight also does harm – it causes them to fade. Leather armchair should be located at least 1.5 meters from the heater.

Restoring a leather armchair

If the armchair has been heavily damaged or stained, it is best to put it in the hands of professionals. Unfortunately, the cost of such restoration is high, but the effect is very good. Everyone can cope with minor changes on a leather piece of furniture.

Removal of human sweat stains

Dark stains on the backrest and armrests are caused by leather absorption of human sweat and sebum – such stains can be found on every intensively used armchair. To get rid of these stains, you should wipe the upholstery with petrol and then with a leather degreaser. This procedure should be repeated several times until a satisfactory effect is obtained. Unfortunately, it often happens that after this procedure, in the place of a dark stain there is a light discoloration which should be darkened.

If the chair has been splashed with water or other liquid, it should be immediately cleaned by collecting the liquid with a paper towel, which should be applied very gently.

Removing scratches

Delicate scratches can be masked using a special leather marker or a tampon soaked in leather paint.

Deeper scratches should be removed with a so-called liquid skin. When it dries, it should be dyed to the color of the chair.

Stains on light leather

Stains on a light leather armchair can be removed with a bread eraser.

Grandma’s ways to remove stains

Old manuals advised to use the white of a hen’s egg to remove stains on leather chairs. The egg white should be beaten into a stiff foam and a few drops of turpentine should be added to it. Next, you should rub this foam into the armchair and leave it for about 3 hours. After that time, remove the foam and polish the furniture.

Removing cuts and cracks in several steps

  1. Glue a wide patch on the underside along the entire length of the cut or crack.
  2. Wipe the crack or cut with leather primer.
  3. When the primer dries, then apply liquid leather to the damaged area.
  4. Once it dries, then the next step is to apply color.

Renovation of a leather chair step by step

1. Upholstery dismantling

The upholstery of the armchair should be separated from other elements, being careful not to damage the leather.

2. Checking the condition of the leather

If the leather is badly damaged, the entire upholstery should be replaced. Therefore, it is best to go to an upholsterer then.

If the leather looks unsightly, it can be restored to its former shine using, for example, the grandma’s way mentioned above.

3. Frame renewal

Renovating a wooden frame in a few steps:

  1. Sanding all the wood.
  2. Remove dust.
  3. Fill in any cracks or scratches.
  4. Sanding the filler-covered elements.
  5. Varnishing or painting.

Restoring a metal frame

If it is not rusted, it is enough only to:

  1. Scrape off the old paint with a wire brush, for example.
  2. Degrease it.
  3. Paint with new paint.

4. Checking the filling

If there is not enough filling, you can add more. Then stretch the upholstery over the part to be filled.

5. Changing the seat color

Changing the upholstery color in two steps:

  1. Apply a degreaser to the prepared leather (free of scratches and stains). Most often, the leather is very oily and you should repeat the operation.
  2. The paint should be applied with a brush.

6. Assembling all elements

When assembling the chair, do it very slowly so as not to damage any of the elements.

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