A Complete How-to Guide on Repairing Leather and Vinyl Furniture in Your Home
Reupholstering leather or vinyl furniture might be a pretty simple process, assuming you follow the proper steps and find right materials. I have my cleaning, filling and finishing tips here for you that will help explain the repair process to get your repairs looking like they were done by a PRO!
Surface Preparation
Cleaning the Surface:
Always clean the surface before starting to repair. Dirty and oily surface would obstruct repairs from sticking to the bike, which is why denatured alcohol or rubbing could be used so that you remove any elements of dirt beforehand. Denatured alcohol dries almost immediately and will dry without leaving a residue, so it is suitable for use to prepare surfaces for fillers or adhesives 13.
Choosing the Right Alcohol:
Denatured Alcohol — Like vodka, dries quickly so makes an excellent solvent for surface cleaning because it evaporates rapidly.
Rubbing Alcohol — usually isopropyl alcohol diluted with water and may leave a tiny residue as it involves 24% of the solution being water.leather repair (ad)
Filling Cracks and Damages
Using Heat-Cure Fillers:
To fix cracks in leather or vinyl, use a heat-cure filler like SEM Leather & Vinyl Repair Compound. Similar to soft fillers, this product is meant to bond well with the material and can be applied.
Application Process:
Process: First, Fill the damaged area with a thin layer of filler.
Step 2: Smooth out the filler level and ensure there is no excess using a plastic spreader or card.
Step 3: Cure the filler — Lightly apply heat to it, curing as instructed in your product. Lack of this step leads poor bonding .
Finishing Touches
Smoothing and Coloring:
The filler then needs some light sanding to refine for a polished finish, after the filler has is cured. Once sanded down at bit, you will use a color matching compound to fill any imperfections and simply dye the area of leather once again.
Final Cleaning:
Once you do the repairs, go ahead and wipe down that entire area with denatured alcohol for one last clean to get rid of all dust or residue from sanding/filling. This is the step that makes your newly fixed furniture look clean and like new again.
Use these steps to repair your leather or vinyl furniture and preserve it for years to come.
