How to paint leather furniture: instructions with photos and steps

Is it possible to paint furniture yourself?

Leather furniture is a high-quality, comfortable and stylish interior frame. But even the highest quality leather changes color and wears over time, various cracks and obvious abrasions appear. The best way to refresh old furniture is to paint it a new color. Therefore, you can paint leather furniture yourself.

Scuff marks on leather upholstery can be repaired by painting.

The main thing in the process is to follow the stages of work and basic safety rules. Painting furniture will give it a new life, so if you want to update the interior in this way, you can safely get down to business after familiarizing yourself with some of the nuances.

If you follow all the recommendations, you can return the product to its original appearance.

Cleaning stains

Sooner or later, stains appear on the upholstery. To eliminate them, various means are used, which are selected for each type of contamination separately. For example, to get rid of greasy stains, talc, starch and salt are used. All ingredients are mixed and sprinkled on the contaminated area. Wipe the area to be cleaned with a damp cloth.

It is important to get rid of stains as soon as they form. Some of them will be difficult or even impossible to remove in the future. Do-it-yourself traces of fresh blood from leather furniture with a rag moistened with cold water. If the stains are already old, use a different method. An aspirin tablet is dissolved in a glass of water. The contaminated area is wiped with a cloth soaked in this solution. A soap solution will do a great job of solving the problem.

For best results, it is recommended to use laundry soap. To prepare the product for 200 g of water you will need 1 tablespoon of soap shavings.

Stains from pens, markers and paints will be removed with ordinary citric acid. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of the product in a glass of water. After this, wash the stain and wipe with a dry cloth. If drinks are spilled on the furniture upholstery, it’s no problem. A detergent will help you easily remove traces of tea, juice, and coffee. To avoid damaging the upholstery, it is better to use a substance that does not contain chlorine. The liquid is foamed and applied to the stain with a cloth or sponge.

Which paint to choose

There are many options for how to paint a leather sofa at home. There are more than thousands of paints in stores, but not all of them are suitable for leather upholstery. One of the most important factors of choice is the minimum value of toxins in the composition and the speed of drying. There are two proven means for updating the design of a sofa or chair.

Special paint

Special paint is sold in leather or shoe stores. Impregnations or sprays can be passed off as paint, so you need to be careful. They will not be able to paint the skin well, as they are intended for care.

Special paint for leather can be bought in stores.

There are many forms of paint release. These can be: aerosols, balloons with a foam tip (any other soft and porous materials), jars with sealed lids.

A specialist and someone who has ever done painting says that options with sprayers are much more convenient. Sprays and aerosols are distributed more evenly without drips. If desired, you can easily apply a second and even a third layer. This way, problem areas are painted over more thoroughly.

Aerosol is the most convenient form of paint release,

The spray can with a foam nozzle is easy to use. But it is more suitable for finishing small areas. It will be difficult for them to paint the entire product. The cost of this option is less than that of aerosol ones. But operation is much more difficult and longer.

A spray bottle with a tip is suitable for painting small areas.

Paint in a jar with an airtight lid is the most affordable option. But in the process of work it will cause many problems. You will have to paint with a brush. It will leave traces and stains. Therefore, this option is suitable only for those who are absolutely sure that they can handle it. It’s easy to ruin the upholstery of a sofa, but it’s difficult to return it to its original state.

Paint in a can is the most budget-friendly option, but it will be more difficult to work with.

Folk dyes

Folk dyes are also sometimes used, but this is the most unreliable method. They take a long time to dry and can quickly wear off during use of the sofa. If you want to paint leather furniture with high quality, then it is better to give preference to ready-made special paints. This way the result will definitely not disappoint and you will be able to save the sofa or chair.

Experts recommend painting over even small cracks with specialized paint, and not with folk dyes. Leather upholstery is very fancy and requires proper care, and if you smear it with various decoctions, it will not last long.

Should you punish your pet?

First of all, what not to do. Do not scold, and especially do not hit your pet. Firstly, the animal will not understand why it is being punished, and secondly, it does this instinctively, since it marks its territory in this way. And thirdly, if this method of dividing the territory into spheres of influence is not allowed to the cat, then he can try other methods of demarcating living space. And at the same time, owners, hide your slippers away! And an even better way to fix it is to just spend a little time and follow our master classes to make a scratching post for a cat from the materials that you have on hand.

Important! Remember that your pet needs proper care. Surely in the spring-summer period you will need information on how to remove fleas from a cat

How to paint leather furniture yourself

Initially, you should set yourself up to paint the entire surface. You won't be able to match the color of the upholstery exactly. Therefore, partial painting of individual imperfections will stand out greatly. It will look as if the furniture was stained with paint during renovation and it was not possible to wipe it off. Before work, it is necessary to carry out the preparation stages. You can lay out for yourself in advance all the tools necessary for the painting process.

Preparing for painting

At the initial stage, it is checked whether the paint will adhere to the leather upholstery. This can be done by dropping a drop of water onto an inconspicuous area and rubbing in; if it is absorbed, you can safely prepare the sofa or chair for work.

The surface of the leather product is thoroughly cleaned. There are two ways to organize this: take it to a professional dry cleaner or do it yourself. The second option will take longer. You should clean it yourself using steam, a vacuum cleaner, a brush or any other methods that will not harm the upholstery. Afterwards disinfection is carried out with acetone. All parts of the sofa, including armrests and legs, are brought into proper condition.
After preparing the product, the workplace is put in order. Any type of paint can end up on floors and other surfaces. Therefore, it is advisable to cover them, and place the sofa itself on rags, paper or cellophane. The quality of ventilation in the room must be checked. The smell of paint is strong and can cause a headache or dizziness.
Having prepared your workplace, it is important to take care of your safety. To prevent airborne poisoning, it is better to purchase a respirator.

Selection of tools and paint

Before painting, you should once again make sure that the chosen color matches the interior. It is necessary to take into account that it is much easier to repaint a light sofa into a dark one than a dark one into a light one. Painting with several types of paint will not work. It is important to decide which one to prefer: aerosol, regular in a jar or with a foam tip. The tools that will be useful depend on the paint.

Before starting work, you need to decide on the choice of paint.

List of required tools:

Selected paint type.
Disposable gloves made of thick rubber.
Solvent, acetone is possible.
Unnecessary rags or any other fabric products without lint.
Brushes (only for paint in sealed cans).
Sponges
Brush
Water container for spraying
Cleanser (soap).
Emulsion with a protective effect for leather upholstery.

Stock up on the necessary materials and tools.

Painting process

Before the main painting, it is important to do a test painting. It is more convenient and practical to do this in inconspicuous places: below, on the side or on the back. If the paint is absorbed evenly after rubbing and no peeling has formed, you can safely paint the entire surface.

Test staining is carried out on inconspicuous areas.

Important! When painting with several colors, it is better to cover individual areas with paper or film. This will help prevent colors from mixing and creating dirt.

Painting stages:

The leather product is sprayed with water from a spray bottle to soften it. Visually divided into several zones. This way the work will be better organized and go faster. Processing occurs first in one zone, then in another, and painting is done in the same way. The first coat of paint may appear patchy. This is normal and nothing to worry about. With subsequent layers the color will even out.
It is important to monitor for smudges; they should not appear. If the first applications were sloppy and it was not possible to avoid smudges and unevenness, you can blot the area with a sponge. To paint over folds, it is important to apply a little pressure to the surface to make them disappear. Do not allow dust or hairs to come into contact with painted leather upholstery. They should be removed immediately, since after drying this will not be possible.
Don't get carried away with layering. Excessive use of dye may cause leather to become hard. The upholstery will dry out and subsequently crack even worse than it was before the restoration. Excess dye is removed with a damp, lint-free cloth.

Drying

It should be taken into account that subsequent layers are applied only after the previous ones have dried. After completing the last layer, the furniture must be left alone for 1 hour. Then gently dry it with a hairdryer at low temperature for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size and number of layers.

After painting is completed, the product must be dried with a hairdryer.

If cracks appear, too much paint has been applied. Nothing should appear on the furniture. With the correct technique, the surface after drying with a hairdryer remains smooth and evenly colored.

If too much paint has been applied, cracks may appear on the surface.

After the product has completely dried naturally, it must be wiped with a damp waffle towel. This will remove clumps and settled dust. The upholstery may stick together in some places. In this case, sandpaper will come to the rescue; the gluing areas are carefully processed with it.

It is important not to forget about the finishing touch – the sealing coating. It comes in two types: matte and glossy. The entire painted surface is treated with this emulsion with a protective effect. Afterwards it is wiped with a damp cloth.

After applying the finishing coat, wipe the surface with a damp cloth.

Wax

Wax pencils for removing scratches on furniture

This is a professional product. Special wax can be found in some furniture stores and hardware supermarkets.

Special wax for masking scratches on polished furniture, which is sold in stores and comes in different types.

Wax is universal. It can be used on any surface: laminated, wooden, varnish, etc.

The wax is applied to a soft wool or felt cloth and gently rubbed into the surface in a circular motion.

The wax is sold in two different variations:

Soft. Easy to use. This wax just needs to be rubbed into the desired location. Severe damage requires a large amount of material. It is easier to apply wax to wooden furniture with large cracks with a knife or a construction spatula. You should wait about fifteen minutes before removing the excess.
Solid. This is an expensive, effective remedy. It is not worth using it without certain skills. Hard wax needs to be melted, applied to the scratches in a thick layer, and the damaged area sanded.

Ultra-hard wax for the restoration of furniture surfaces that are in constant use

Apply melted wax to the damaged area in excess, cool, remove excess, sand the repair area

How to avoid mistakes

To prevent errors, you must strictly follow the instructions and observe all stages of work. Safety rules when painting must also be followed, otherwise furniture restoration may end badly. The most important aspects are briefly described to avoid mistakes:

Do not apply paint to an untreated surface. It must be perfectly clean.
Paint for coloring should not contain toxins, otherwise the product will be spoiled due to their excessive content and pose a health hazard.
Before decorating each area, the skin must be moistened with water from a spray bottle.
Do not start applying the first layer over the entire surface at once. It is more rational to do this in zones.
Try to apply the paint evenly.
Avoid entry of foreign particles. They can ruin the appearance, and it’s impossible to remove them without leaving traces.

It is possible and even necessary to breathe new life into old leather furniture. Leather products are strong and durable, so they can easily withstand more than one painting. The restoration process is a very painstaking work that requires attentiveness, perseverance and minimal skills in working with coloring agents.

By following the instructions for proper and high-quality painting, you can achieve an excellent result. The most important thing is to protect your respiratory and vision organs while working. You can paint only with thick gloves so that the paint does not get on your hands.

Faux leather

Artificial leather, which in our era of environmental materials has received the beautiful name “eco-leather,” wears out much faster than natural leather. And it is restored by approximately the same means. Special compositions for the restoration of artificial leather are usually based on non-woven material. Before you start using them, you should cut off all the threads sticking out around the break that this material contains.

Suitable formulations

Compositions that adhere well to leather surfaces can be purchased in stores. Each type of coating is suitable for working with smooth or porous leather items. The differences lie in the requirements for working conditions, as well as in the operating features.

Acrylic

A universal acrylic composition suitable for painting nubuck or vinyl. The basis of the acrylic composition is polyacrylate. It provides a “liquid skin” effect.

Cream

Cream leather dye is one of the most affordable and common options. Creams are produced in tubes, cylinders, and jars. The creams are squeezed into the center of the treated area and thoroughly rubbed with a sponge in one direction.

Aerosols

Spraying from a can is justified if it is necessary to give a leather product a rich shade. Experts call the process of aerosol spraying “revitalizing” things. Spraying is used in the repair of car interiors, to change the shade of leather furniture, and also for the restoration of certain items.