Cleaning the leather

Over time leather (especially worn leather) absorbs dirt, sweat, moisture and chemicals (creams etc.). The first step in any restoration is to deep clean the leather with a professional PH neutral leather cleaner. I provide professional leather cleaners and protection creams to customers if required.

Preparing the leather

Using Leather Prep (A stringent chemical solvent used to strip the finish from leather) an abrasive pad and absorbent material some of the surface colour is removed. The amount of colour that needs removing depends on the condition of the leather, the condition of the finish and the type of damage being restored.

Degreasing the leather

Some silicones and contaminants on the leather aren't soluble in the leather prep solvent so the whole seat now needs to be cleaned thoroughly using industrial alcohol. This is repeated several times until the surface is clean, prepared and fully degreased. It is then allowed to fully dry usually overnight.

Repairing the leather

Worn and weak leather can now be strengthened using leather binding fluid. Deep cracks can be filled using the appropriate grade of flexible leather filler. Once all repairs are completed the leather can be smoothed using very fine grade abrasive paper. The item is then finally prepared ready for the leather colourant.

Recolouring and colour matching

I now apply the colourant, the first layer by hand using a sponge then subsequent layers using a very fine spray pen. I often have to 'colour match' i.e. mix by hand the colour, as some vehicle manufacturers provide no leather colour information to the industry. Some exact original leather colours are available from my UK supplier.

The result

Once all the colourant layers are dry, 3 to 5 very fine sealant layers are applied. The finish can be full matt through to hi gloss. This provides a hard wearing and durable finish to the leather to ensure it lasts many years, if cared for. Finally, professional leather protection cream is applied to provide UV and friction protection.