Leather Care, Leather Repair Advice | LALeatherRepair.com

2011-05-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

Abstract Art: What to do when your two year old turns your furniture into a canvas.

2010-06-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

It can happen to the best of us. Turn your head for a minute and... a new piece of artwork has magically appeared in some new, creative location.

In one case, a customers child had taken a sharpie to their leather furniture and the result was not quite museum worthy. Fortunately, they had the presence of mind to clean some of it off before it set, though a section of color was removed in the process. We were able to redye and refinish the area (yet another work of art) but for future reference to all you parents out there with young children in the home....

If a permanent marker or similar object is used on your leather, you may be able to remove most of it if you move fast enough. Take a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol and use it to remove the ink. Be sure to ONLY use it on the line of the marker, as you want to avoid removing the finish as much as possible. Pinching the leather into folds may help with this. Again, make sure you move fast, and may we suggest providing another artistic outlet for your young Monet? Crayola makes mess free markers that may be a good investment.

Summer Fun....and Leather Discoloration!

2010-06-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

We recently had a customer experiencing a discolored spot on the seat bottom cushion of their leather sofa. Their leather was very high quality and they didn't immediately know the cause of the damage. They did have children and we made an educated guess that this may have been the result of chlorine. As it turned out their children had been swimming several times at a neighbor's home and had apparently sat on the sofa in wet swimwear afterward, thereby causing the discoloration. We were able to redye and refinish their leather to the matching color, leaving it looking like new.

The moral of this story: As we move into the summer months, make sure your kids change before sitting down on your leather furniture if they've been swimming to avoid damage from pool chlorine. Or, at least keep the number of a leather repair company on hand...

HAND SANITIZER AND LEATHER FURNITURE DON'T MIX!

2010-04-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today, we're going to talk about how to avoid color loss on your leather. There are many products that pose a potential danger to your leather furniture. Generally, any product containing alcohol or acetone (found in nail polish remover) should be kept far away from your leather since they are solvents. One example of this is hand sanitizer. The best comparison is using nail polish remover to remove nail color. The sanitizer removes the color from your leather furniture. Unfortunately, the only solution is to have the area redyed by a professional. Usually the results are quite good. Another tip: if you have pets and use a flea product like Advantage, be sure the product is COMPLETELY DRY before allowing pets near your furniture. When the product is wet, it can pull the color from your leather furniture.

REMOVING CAT URINE ODOR FROM LEATHER

2010-03-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today, we're dealing with one of the worst smells around: Cat urine!
When a cat urinates on leather, it may or may not leave a stain/discoloration. The biggest concern is usually the accompanying, overwhelming odor! The smell of cat urine is definitely one of the most difficult to remove. I've been able to successfully remove the odor through the following series of steps. (This can also be used to remove urine odor from other pets or humans.)

STEP 1: Purchase a bottle of Nature's Miracle (available at most large Pet Stores)

STEP 2: Liberally apply product until leather is saturated.

STEP 3: Seal off leather from exposure to air. This can be done by putting single
cushions into trash bags. For attached cushions, use plastic sheeting to seal
in the product. NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP! The product has enzymes that
consume the odor-producing bacteria in the urine. The enzymes only activate
when they are WET.

STEP 4: Allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours.

STEP 5: Remove plastic sheeting and allow to dry thoroughly, preferably in the
open-air where a breeze can get to it.

This process should remove at least 90 to 95% of the odor. If necessary, you can repeat the process. NOTE: in some cases, this process, while removing the odor, can also affect the finish of your leather. This can be remedied with redying/refinishing by a leather professional.

SUN DAMAGE & FADING ON LEATHER

2010-01-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

If well maintained,a good quality top-grain leather should last 20 to 30 years. The biggest enemy of long life for your leather furniture and car interiors is sun damage.

The effect of sun damage varies depending on the grade of your leather. Full aniline leather(unfinished, natural) is most susceptible to fading. It can fade from dark to almost white in color if exposed to direct or indirect sunlight. Sun can also cause the leather to lose moisture, creating a rough, dry surface. Semi-aniline leather (finished surface) is not as susceptible to fading, but sun damage can result in cracking and peeling of the surface and, in extreme cases, the leather can shrink and pull away from the seams.

Thankfully, most of the damage on both types of leather are repairable. The cost of repair varies depending on the severity of the fading, cracking, or peeling. If the leather has shrunken to the point of pulling away from the seam, it is usually not repairable. (We see this a lot in convertible automobiles.) In this case, replacement of leather is your only option.

The bottom line: keep your leather furniture away from any windows with direct sunlight. With both furniture and auto interiors, UV tinting on windows is a good option to help protect your investment.

REPAIRING HOLES & TEARS IN LEATHER & VINYL

2010-01-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

The most common request for repairs is for holes or tears in a customer's leather furniture, leather auto/car/RV interior, leather jacket, leather aircraft upholstery, leather or vinyl restaurant booths, etc. We have been asked to repair holes in leather desktops, leather coffee tables, and leather conference tables.

The decision to either replace or repair the damaged spot is partly determined by the location of the damage. If the hole or tear is on a seat bottom cushion or any other high-wear area, it is not recommended to repair anything larger than a 3-4 inch hole or tear since over time, the weight of a person sitting on the spot could cause it to reopen. (Note: this is assuming that the leather is not missing ie: a dog chewed it completely off).

If a hole or tear is located on a non high-wear area of the leather (ie: seat back, sides, or back) then repairs can be made to larger holes or tears. Clean cuts (ie: razor cuts) up to 12 inches or more can be successfully repaired, though the larger the cut, the more difficult it is to make it cosmetically invisible.

A cut that falls along the seam of the leather may be able to be resewn, forming a new seam. But repairs cannot be successfully done over the top of an existing seam.