Before beginning, make sure your piece of furniture is genuine leather. Genuine leather is the whole skin of an animal. Bonded leather is created by bonding together scraps of leather to form a seamless piece of material. These repair techniques won’t work on bonded leather.
How to tell if your furniture is genuine leather:
To fix a full-thickness hole or cut, gather the following materials (or purchase a complete leather repair kit):
Vinyl or fabric adhesive that dries flexible Soft leather filler Denatured alcohol Iron-on denim patch for substrate Palette knife Toothpick Smoothing card Tweezers Scissors Glove for texturing One sheet each 220-, 320-, 500-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper Cellulose sponge Scrap of cardboard to use as a palette Leather dye to match your piece
How to Repair Minor Scratches or Small Tears in a Leather Chair
How to Fix Punctures & Cuts in a Leather Chair
If the leather is cut all the way through, follow these steps to repair it:
For Leather That Is Worn-Out and Rough to Touch
If the leather is worn-out, follow these steps to repair it:
Final Leather Repair Results
When done, the repaired area should feel soft and flexible, and unnoticeable to the casual observer. Congratulations! You now can enjoy your genuine leather chair for years to come.
