Wipe-On Leather Restoration Kits

wipe-on leather colour

Here's some examples of leather damage which are ideal for the wipe-on restoration products ...

examples of leather damage

IMPORTANT Things You Should Know ...

  1. Suitable For: To be use on sealed, single coloured leathers.
    NOT suitable for nubuck, waxed oil, aniline or 2-tone mottled leathers. Custom kits can be made for these leathers. If you are not sure what type of leather you have, leather type this page will help.
  2. Colour Options: These are not your standard off-the-shelf colour ... I personally custom match to a leather sample you'll need to provide. If, however, you would like black, this I can make in a standard satin sheen ... and no sample is needed. You'll see these options listed below.
  3. Changing Colour?: These products are for restoring leather back to its original colour and not recommended for colour changes.
  4. How To Order Custom Matched Colour: Here's how to order custom matched leather colour
  5. Need Help?: If you are not sure about anything, send me some pictures and I'm more than happy to take a look for you.
leather restoration products - 1litre custom matched

1 Litre
Leather Colour Kit

Contents:

  • 1 x 1 litre Leather Colour (custom colour matched or black)
  • 1 x 250 ml Leather Primer
  • 1 x 250 ml Leather Cleaner
  • 1 x 250 ml Leather Protector
  • 1 x spray applicator
  • 2 x foam pads
  • 2 x cloths (not shown)
  • 300mm scouring pad (not shown)

The 1 litre is usually enough to recolour the traffic areas (arms, seats and inside backs) of a lounge suite: eg: couch and 2 chairs.

1 litre Colour Matched Kit:
$285

Buy MATCHED

1 litre Black Kit:
$208

Buy BLACK
leather-restoration-kit- 250mls

250 mls
Leather Colour Kit

Contents:

  • 1 x 250 mls Leather Colour (custom matched or black)
  • 1 x 125 ml Leather Primer
  • 1 x 250 ml Leather Cleaner
  • 1 x 250 ml Leather Protector
  • 1 x spray applicator
  • 2 x foam pads
  • 2 x cloths (not shown)
  • 100mm scouring pad (not shown)

If you have a chair you want to transform, this should be enough to do the traffic areas.

250 ml Colour Matched Kit:
$215

Buy MATCHED

250 ml Black Colour Kit:
$138

Buy BLACK

Here's How The Process Works ...

Equipment You'll Need To Get From Your Local:

  1. Sandpaper: All you really need is 2 or 3 sheets of 800 grit or similar, wet and dry sandpaper.
  2. Paper Towels: Unless you have a good supply of clean, lint-free rags, I recommend disposable, paper towels. For an average lounge suite or set of car seats, you'll need 6 to 8 rolls.
  3. Kitchen Gloves: To protect your hands
  4. Pantyhose or stocking: Ideal for applying the colour
  5. Methylated Spirits: Meths, is a good universal solvent, readily available, worldwide, from most hardware stores or supermarkets. For the average lounge suite, 1 or 2 litres should be enough. The good thing about Meths is, if you happen to run out, you can simply run down to your local and grab another.

You'll Need To Order:

  1. Leather Restoration Kit: Select one of the above kits.

Step-By-Step Instructions ...

STEP 1: Clean The Leather

spray cleaner onto leather

You can either spray the leather cleaner or pour some into the foam pad and spread over the leather (work on one panel at a time).

NOTE: Here's a recent change I've made that will get superior results ... quicker! While still wet, give it a good scrub with the scouring pad. This will not only strip away all the ingrained soiling but will also remove some of the leather colour, which is what we want to do.

NOTE: The scouring pad is only used in restoration work ... not general maintenance! I thought I'd better point that out! For general leather cleaning instructions here.

wipe away soiling

While still wet, wipe off residue with a clean damp towel or paper towel

Repeat this process until you have cleaned the entire project.

For best results, I would do this again over the traffic areas, such as arms, seat cushions etc.

Leave to dry.

STEP 2: Prepping

Here is the prepping procedure in a nutshell: Scrub on ... wipe off. Simple. Here's how it's done ...

scrub the leather with the meths

Pour some "methylated spirits"into a clean container and soak the scourer in the meths.

Lightly scrub the leather, making sure you get into all the creases and around the edges. In most cases, you will almost instantly see the leather color dissolve.

wipe away leather finish with paper towel

While the leather is still wet, wipe off the excess with a clean paper towel. Don't reuse dirty towels. Each time you wipe off the excess, discard the towel and continue with a fresh one.

Repeat this process over the entire project and allow to dry. I highly recommend you carry out this process at least TWICE to make sure your preparation is thorough.

Allow the project to dry thoroughly. Remember, don't put wet leather in direct sunlight or in front of strong heat.

Once your leather has been thoroughly prepped, and dried, give the entire surface a light sand with sandpaper to de-nib the leather so that it feels smooth when you rub your bare hand over it.

STEP 3: Apply Leather Primer

The Leather Primer is made up with a solvent and new resin and its purpose is to activate your old leather finish to make the new resin bond to it.

Wipe on evenly over the entire job and leave for about 1 hour.

STEP 4: Applying The Colour

applying the leather colour

The first step in applying the leather color is to pour a small amount into a clean container, with stocking or pantyhose folded into a pad, small pad, dip into the colour and wipe evenly over the surface of the leather . . . one panel at a time.

the leather colour drying

The idea here, is to push the color into the pores of the leather. As you can see in the first photo, you can apply the product rather liberally, but make sure you don't leave any ridges or excess color.

rubbing the colour into the leather pores

Pay particular attention to piping and stitching, making sure you push the product into those areas. If you have areas of cracking, make sure you thoroughly rub the color into the cracks. This will go a long way to disguising them.

finishing off the leather colour process

Once you have applied the pigment top coat, leave to dry for about an hour.

You may need to apply 3 or 4 more times to get the desired results, but make sure you wait at least one hour between coats.

STEP 5: Leather Conditioner

When using the leather conditioner, make sure you wait for at least 4 weeks before applying as this will give the finished time to fully cure.

If your leather has lost its suppleness, this will help to recondition and replace the lost moisture content.

STEP 6: Leather Protector

The leather colour should be left to cure for at least 24 hours before applying the leather protector.

This not only seals the leather but will also improve the durability of the finish and leave a warm, natural waxy feel.

Video Demonstration

Here's a video I've taken from my archives demonstrating a previous restoration product. I'll make a new video shortly but this will give you an idea of how simiple leather restoration is.