Fake or not, we all treasure our leather furniture pieces. But for owners of faux leather sofa, it takes more effort to maintain and keep it to its best condition. With time and usage, a vinyl furniture tends to peel and flake off. When this happens, we are left with two options: say goodbye to our faux leather sofa or be daring and try to repair it. Of course, we suggest the latter. Here are the steps to save your favorite faux leather sofa!
FIRST, PREPARE THE DAMAGED AREA
Trim and cut off the flaking pieces. You may use your fingers, razor blade or cutter to trim any curling edges. Be careful not to cut off more faux leather than necessary. Then, clean the area with a cotton swab or a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol. WARNING: check first if the rubbing alcohol removes the color of your leather and proceed carefully.
SECOND, FIND YOUR COLOR
To make an almost invisible repair, you will have to match the color of your faux leather sofa. This is the best time to use the new and improved version of Coconix Professional Leather & Vinyl Repair Kit! This leather repair kit has 10 base colors you can use to mix and match the color of your vinyl sofa! A color chart is provided for you to see the exact colors to use and how to get the perfect shade. You may try your mixture first on a practice patch (also provided in the kit) just to check and compare the colors.
Once you have the perfect color match of your leather sofa, apply a thin layer first to the damaged area, feathering the repair slightly outward with each coat to prevent a ridge at the edges of the repair. Allow the compound to dry for several hours. You may need to apply multiple layers to rebuild the damaged area until it is level with the surrounding area. Remember to allow dry time between each layer. Between coat applications, wash and wipe the spatula clean to avoid hardened gummy buildup that may ruin your repair. Also, if you have allowed the repair to dry for hours or even days and it remains sticky, you can rub the repaired area with a cotton pad and 90% rubbing alcohol. Drying time depends on the thickness of the applied layer and the relative humidity of the environment but you can easily get rid of the stickiness by curing the compound with rubbing alcohol.This should get rid of the stickiness and smoothen the repaired surface. Again, check first if the rubbing alcohol removes the color of your leather and proceed carefully.
When you have finally applied the necessary layers of coating to the damaged area, and you have made sure the repair compound is leveled with its surrounding area, then you may now proceed with the finishing touches. However, please keep in my mind that you do not need to rush the steps. Jumping to this step immediately before making sure everything is done might mar the repair and you’ll have to start all over again. Worst case scenario? The damaged area might get bigger or there might be another damage in its surroundings. If you are 100% sure that the repair compound has dried out, finish it to the desired texture. Some people add texture to the repaired area by pressing their plastic-covered palm against it. Others use a piece of graining paper that contains a vinyl grain pattern by placing it over the repaired area, then using heated iron over the graining paper to emboss the pattern. But with Coconix Professional Leather & Vinyl Repair Kit, you don’t have to do all this as it dries to a leather-like texture. You can just modify its finish if you want. For a matte finish, carefully rub the repaired area with a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol, ideally 90%. This will reduce the shininess and match it better to your leather or vinyl. If you think that the only option your faux leather sofa left with is to be tossed out of your house or into the upholstery shop, then you’re missing the possibility of your vinyl furniture being saved. Try Coconix Professional Leather & Vinyl Repair Kit and see for yourself how your faux leather sofa that you have used for years can still be used in the years to come!
