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.

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.

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:

Using alcohol or acetone, remove various contaminants from the leather surface: felt-tip pen marks, grease and glue stains.
Then the furniture is thoroughly vacuumed and wiped with a cloth soaked in soapy water.
Use tape to protect those places and parts that need to be protected from paint.
If the product has cuts or small tears, they are repaired with “liquid leather”.
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 paint leather furniture?

If the interior item is large, it is better to paint it in parts. To do this, you need to conditionally divide the entire surface into several sections and process them one by one.

The process of dyeing leather furniture consists of the following steps:

Using a spray bottle, moisten the leather surface with water. This will help the dye absorb better into the upholstery.
A coloring composition is applied to damp skin. Hard-to-reach places can be touched up with a thin brush. During painting, it is necessary to avoid the formation of smudges and accumulation of paint, and if this happens, immediately remove them with a napkin. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that hair, threads or specks do not fall on the freshly painted surface. It will be very difficult to remove them after drying.
Wipe the leather surface with a dry cloth, removing excess dye. Don't be alarmed if you notice that the sofa looks spotty. This effect is explained by the uneven penetration of the dye in different parts of the upholstery. After drying, the color will be uniform.
Leave the furniture to dry for 2 hours, after which the next coat of paint is applied. A leather sofa can be dyed until the desired color is achieved, sometimes more than five times. Before applying the next layer, you need to take a break of 2-3 hours so that the paint is better absorbed and dried.
Apply the finishing coat. This is a special composition that is sold along with paint (it can be glossy or matte). The product is sprayed over the surface of the sofa and thoroughly rubbed into the upholstery with a soft cloth.

When restoring leather furniture, be aware that too many coats of paint can cause the upholstery to become dry and hard. Therefore, it is better to immediately select the optimal color and concentration of the dye, which will allow you to achieve the desired result after applying 1-2 layers.

Painting furniture with a leather surface at home will not be difficult. The main thing is to choose the right color and texture of the paint composition, properly prepare the upholstery for painting and carefully, following the instructions, carry out restoration work.