How to paint a leather chair or sofa at home

Even leather furniture is subject to aging. Over time, sofas and armchairs wear out on the seats and armrests, the furniture loses its appearance and is no longer a decoration of the room.

Therefore, here we will look at a way on how you can paint old leather furniture so that it again takes on a new look and continues to serve as a cozy corner for relaxation.

How to paint a leather chair or sofa at home?

Leather furniture wears out over time and loses its respectable appearance. If you don’t want to part with your favorite chair or sofa forever, you can update it by painting it. Fortunately, paint for leather furniture is sold in a huge assortment today in many hardware and shoe stores. All that remains is to choose a composition that matches the color, find a convenient place for painting - and you can get to work.

Painting leather furniture

Over time, leather furniture ages, wears out, and acquires a repulsive appearance. Usually they replace it with a new one, but sometimes it’s a pity to part with an old, comfortable sofa, and then the owners try to repair it. If the material is severely damaged and cannot be repaired, they try to replace it. If there are minor scratches or abrasions that spoil the appearance, then in this case you can get by with painting.

List of tools, devices, materials

1. A flat brush with fluffy soft bristles. It is useful for painting hard-to-reach places (joints between the seat, backrest, armrest).
2. Paint tray. An ordinary plastic trough will do.
3. Sprinkler. Use a garden sprayer screwed to a 0.5-1 liter plastic bottle.
4. Stencil. Cut from durable cardboard. Choose any shape to your liking. This will help you make even, neat patterns and decorate upholstered furniture to suit any style.

Tools for painting a chair

You can use acrylic paint. If you find a latex one, it will be great! They fit perfectly onto the fabric, saturating it, penetrating deep into the structure of the fibers. This way the coloring will be much better.

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.

Types of stains and methods for removing them

To remove stains from the surface of the upholstery, you can try a universal home method that is suitable for absolutely all types of materials. This is soap suds or a solution of detergent for cleaning carpets. It is necessary to apply the foam to dirty areas, let it work for 15-20 minutes, and then wash the coating clean, removing excess water with a rag. If the stain still remains, try to remove it using the following compounds:

• 2 tbsp. l 9% vinegar per 1 liter of water;
• a solution of shampoo in water with the addition of 10–11 drops of ammonia.

In most problematic situations, these simple operations are quite enough to free the upholstery from stains of tea or coffee, chocolate or white wine, as well as beer, jam, cola, etc.

Preparing for painting

When starting to paint a sofa or other leather furniture, you should prepare the following items and materials:

• leather paint;
• alcohol or acetone to remove stains;
• soap;
• rags;
• water sprinkler;
• finishing coating;
• respirator and rubber gloves.

When everything necessary is ready, you need to take care of the location of the work. It is best to take the object to be painted into fresh air: into the yard or onto the veranda. If this is not possible, then you need to move the furniture away from the walls and other interior items, cover the floor with plastic film or paper, open windows and doors for better ventilation.

When painting, tiny aerosol particles can get onto neighboring objects. This must be anticipated and nearby things must be protected by covering them with film or cloth.

Now you can experiment with color. Light leather upholstery is easier to dye than dark leather. If the paint color does not match the intended one, you can mix the two compositions. True, this option is only possible if the paint is in a can.

Before starting work, it would be useful to check how the paint will lay down and what color you will get in the end. To do this, paint a small area of ​​skin in an inconspicuous place and wait until it dries completely. Only after this will it be possible to draw the right conclusions.

The sofa or chair also needs to be prepared for painting:

1. Using alcohol or acetone, remove various contaminants from the leather surface: felt-tip pen marks, grease and glue stains.
2. Then the furniture is thoroughly vacuumed and wiped with a cloth soaked in soapy water.
3. Use tape to protect those places and parts that need to be protected from paint.
4. If the product has cuts or small tears, they are repaired with “liquid leather”.
5. To complete the preparation of the sofa for painting, wipe the entire surface with a cloth lightly moistened with acetone.

Having equipped the place of work and prepared the object to be painted, it’s time to think about personal safety. The respiratory organs should be protected with a gauze bandage or a respirator. To prevent the aerosol from getting into your eyes, you need glasses. A work apron and gloves complete the outfit.

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.

Requirements for leather paint

There is no paint specifically designed for dyeing leather products. Compositions that are applied to a smooth leather surface are intended for coloring various types of materials. Types of paints have their advantages and disadvantages. The compositions are classified according to the type of coating.

Painting a leather sofa

Before you start painting leather furniture, you should prepare the paint in the color you would like your sofa to be. You can purchase leather dye in a specialty store or on websites that sell similar products.

Important! If you cannot find the desired shade, it can be obtained by mixing others, for example, if you want to get a dark brown color, but your dye seems too light to you, then you can add a little black paint to it, and vice versa - for a lighter tone , use white paint.

What you will need:

• Polyethylene or waste fabric.
• Leather paint.
• A bottle of water with a spray bottle.
• Acetone.
• Rags or clothing.
• Gloves.
• Finishing coating for leather.

Sequencing:

• Take the sofa to a well-ventilated area - a garage, basement will do, and an outdoor yard will be an ideal place to work.

Important! Before painting, remove all cushions to paint separately.

• Place the sofa on plastic or scrap fabric to protect the floor you are working on.
• Wipe away any dirt and dust on the leather using soap and water – don’t get too carried away by completely soaking the sofa in water; simply wiping it with a cloth soaked in soapy water will suffice.
• To paint a sofa properly, apply acetone to the leather - this will help clean it more deeply and prepare it for painting. Soak a piece of clean cloth in acetone and rub it over the entire surface of the sofa.
• Spray the surface with water if you want the leather to be slightly damp so that it absorbs the paint well but is not saturated with it.
• After wetting the sofa with water, apply leather dye. Apply a little dye to a clean cloth or rag, and then gently rub it into the surface of the sofa. Paint small areas of the sofa at a time. This will be easier, and the leather will end up having a more uniform color that you dye it. Spray water on one part, then paint it. Next, wet the next part, apply paint to it and continue until you have painted the entire surface of the sofa.

Important! During work, your hands should be protected with rubber gloves.

• To wipe off any excess dye after thoroughly inspecting each part of the sofa, use a dry cloth.
• Leave the sofa to dry - the drying process usually takes approximately 1-2 hours.
• Apply another coat of paint - You need to apply as many coats of dye as it takes to paint your leather sofa at home the exact color you want. Most sofas require 3 to 6 layers.

Important! Before applying the next layer of paint, you must allow the previous one to dry completely.

• Apply a finishing coat to the surface of the furniture as soon as the last coat of dye has dried - you can usually buy it where you bought your leather dye. You can choose a matte or glossy finish. Spray the product on the surface of the sofa and rub it in with a damp, clean cloth.

How to choose paint for leather furniture?

When you decide to paint an old leather sofa, you first need to take care of choosing a coloring agent. You can not only buy paint at a leather or shoe store, but also order it online.

It is necessary to choose a less toxic composition with a minimum drying time. The main thing is to accurately determine the color and method of applying the product to the surface of the furniture and not confuse the paint with the impregnation or spray that is used to care for leather products.

Today, leather paint is produced in different types:

• in aerosol;
• in a container with a soft tip made of foam rubber or other porous material;
• in a jar with an airtight lid. WITH

Experts in painting furniture say that the sprayer option is the most convenient. The spray is distributed evenly and does not form smudges. If necessary, you can easily apply another layer of product and carefully paint over problem areas.

The can with a foam nozzle is also easy and convenient to use. It is enough to unscrew the cap and squeeze a small amount of coloring composition onto the foam rubber. Using such a device, it is better to paint small areas of the surface rather than the entire product.

Paint packaged in a tin can is cheaper than an aerosol or a spray can with a nozzle, but it is also much more difficult to use. When getting started, you need to stock up on a brush or foam sponge to apply the product to the leather surface.

Further care

To avoid such global cleaning, you need to follow the basic rules of caring for your sofa. First, purchase a case or cover it with a blanket. Washing the cover once or twice a week is easier than cleaning the entire sofa, right? If you don’t want to hide your beauty under cover, vacuum the sofa 2-3 times a week to remove dust and brush off pet hair. It is allowed to lightly walk with a damp cloth. But do not overdo it with humidity, otherwise streaks will remain.

Thus, cleaning your favorite sofa is not difficult. Moreover, it is not difficult to care for it every week. This way, your favorite piece of furniture will last longer, and you won’t have to do a lot of cleaning.

Tips and examples of painting

And now, for inspiration, we suggest looking at photographs of leather products before and after painting.

For example, you have a leather sofa like this, worn out from time to time:

And with the help of paint you can turn it into this:

• Moreover, if you choose a paint that is very different from the previous one, you will get a completely different sofa.
• You also need to pay attention to detail, also painting non-leather parts of furniture, such as handles.

Paint a bag or suitcase

Have you been wanting to update your bag or suitcase? Don't delay, but start making your desires come true!

Prepare the necessary materials:

• Paint (we recommend using acrylic).
• Acetone for dilution.
• Items for applying dye (brush, sponge).
• Items for working with paint (palette).
• Gloves for work.

Advice! If you don't have a special palette (or a palette from a children's painting kit), you can replace it with regular aluminum baking foil.

Carefully read the instructions for painting leatherette items. Doing the job according to these tips will help you get a good result.

• Prepare the bag for painting by thoroughly cleaning and drying its surface.
• Prepare the paint. Apply some paint to the palette or foil. It shouldn't be thick. To dilute, use acetone.

Important! Please note that acrylic dries quickly. Do not squeeze a large amount of paint onto the palette at once; it is better to add it as needed.

• Mix the squeezed out paint with a brush or sponge.
• Start painting. Try to apply the dye evenly, in long strokes.
• Once completely dyed, leave the bag to dry. This will take 15 to 20 minutes.
• Apply 2nd coat. If you are not completely satisfied with the result, after the 2nd layer has dried, you can paint it again.
• Let the bag dry on its own; do not place it near heating appliances.

Cleaning stains on leather surfaces

While there may not be many serious defects on the surface of leather sofas, absolutely no one is immune from stains and they appear on the upholstery with enviable frequency. Fresh or old contamination must be cleaned in any case.

Using some tricks for cleaning leather surfaces will greatly facilitate the process and have a beneficial effect on the surface itself.

Here are some current examples from life:

It is worth noting that you can remove stains on a light leather sofa using milk and egg white. And if you need to remove heavy dirt from any leather surface, you can purchase specialized products. Of course, their price tag is often inflated due to the increased need, but it is clearly less than the amount for buying new furniture.

Advice:

To prevent pollutants from penetrating deep into the upholstery, fresh stains must be removed in a timely manner. If the contamination turns out to be ingrained, and the above remedies did not save the situation, repeat the procedure several more times after the surface has completely dried. This method is more effective than, for example, using abrasive or caustic chemicals. They can permanently ruin the surface, but never achieve results.

An effective way to remove contaminants is to call specialists from cleaning companies. The pleasure is not cheap, but the result is worth it. The furniture will look like new after their work.

Choosing paint for leatherette

Buying a product for coloring artificial leather is easy. This can be done at different retail outlets.

Hardware stores

In hardware stores you can purchase professional paints intended for artificial leather, as well as acrylic dyes.

Handicraft stores

Products in small packages can be found in craft stores. They offer a variety of colors of acrylic paints, small containers with special dyes for natural and artificial leather. Handicraft salons also offer chalk paints. They will be of interest to those who want not only to paint the upholstery of leatherette furniture, but also to make it stylish, specially giving it an aged look.

Shoe stores

In stores or departments that sell shoes, you can choose an impregnation for shoes, which is also suitable for updating other leatherette items.

All these products will ensure high-quality painting of artificial leather.

Repairing holes and cracks

Repairing holes in furniture will require a patch and crack filler. The restoration of a leather sofa in this case looks like this:

1. Clean the surface with rubbing alcohol;
2. Apply special glue for leather products or superglue to the damaged area from the inside using a toothpick;
3. Gently press down on the hook and straighten it out. Quickly wipe off excess glue with a cloth or napkin;
4. Use sandpaper to sand the gluing area. It should become soft to the touch. This item is only necessary if superglue is used;
5. If the skin color becomes different, paint the area and apply a topcoat.

Eliminate cracks using liquid leather. It is a coloring and adhesive plastic substance. The set contains 7 colors of liquid leather. To select the desired shade, mix several colors.

Before use, the surface of the furniture is treated with alcohol to clean and degrease. Apply the product to the damaged areas with a brush and smooth it out. When everything is dry, repeat the steps again.