How To Repair A Leather Sofa: 5 Steps

Leather sofas are very durable but they are not unbreakable. Even though genuine leather does not get torn easily, it is still not indestructible. So, if you have torn the leather upholstery on your gorgeous living room  sofa, no need to despair – it is totally repairable. There are special leather repair kits that are usually sold in furniture stores  or in separate specialized stores. You can easily order one online. The kits are not made for sofas exclusively, they are simply leather repair kits, and they can be used on a wide range of furniture items and clothes.

The kit normally includes special leather glue and a spatula to apply it to your furniture piece. Plus, it will include the colouring. So, if your leather sofa is of unusual colour, you might have to search for a matching kit and it might take you a while. If it is neutral colour, like white, black and beige, you will most likely find it without any difficulty.

1. Carefully clean the leather

The first thing you will have to do is to carefully clean the area around the damage. There are special leather cleaners and you might already have them at home. Make sure that there is no dust and grease around the cut – otherwise, the glue will not stick.

2. Even the edges around the tear

To even the edges around the tear, you can use small sharp scissors or a small sharp knife. Carefully remove every fiber to make your cut surgically even. Do not worry if the cut gets bigger – this is the only way, so you will have to do it.

3. Put paper under the tear

Place a paper under the tear. Most leather repair kits will already have some material. Sure, you will have to cut it to make it size-appropriate for your tear. If there is no paper in your kit, find something that would be relatively solid, thick.

4. Apply glue from the kit

Apply glue to the cut. Basically, glue the paper you have underneath to the sofa. Let the glue air dry or use a hairdryer to make the process quicker. Repeat the step at least three times and remove glue remains from the non-damaged parts.

5. Apply coloring

Apply colouring at least 8 times. Only apply a new layer when the previous one is dry.

This should be enough to repair a leather sofa completely. As it was already mentioned, the only problem you might face is that it might be difficult to find suitable colour to make the repair completely invisible. If this is the case, you might have to change the colour of your sofa completely. It is possible to do that on your own, but it would be better if you called the professionals. While repairing a cut is relatively easy, dyeing the sofa might require some skill. Do not forget that a leather sofa is an expensive furniture piece and hire someone to do the job for you – otherwise, you risk damaging your sofa even more. And, be more careful with sharp objects next time!