I wanted to talk about a Volvo S70 that I worked on. This was a definite cracked leather repair. The drivers seat was the worst as usual, but this one I also did the passenger seat and the rear seat base where someone decided to dye it the wrong color. Gotta love the people that think they can cover up dirty seat with a rattle can of dye, what they don’t take into consideration is the customers that buy these cars, it’s pretty sad.

This car was one that I looked at last week. I had my customer take it to the upholstery shop first to have the side of the lean back replaced, due to some pretty large holes and cracks in the vinyl. I would have done a vinyl repair on it but the cracks were into the seam and where they were positioned I felt a vinyl repair would probably not hold or look good.

Thats one thing I’m not real keen on, doing a vinyl repair over a seam. If your looking for a repair to really stand out, then cover up a seam. It looks awful and just looks repaired. I’m into making leather seats look new not repaired. But I must say there are those customers that just don’t care what it looks like, they just don’t want a hole. Those are customers that will come back to haunt you, believe me. If you think your repair is going to show make sure you make it clear to them that it will, and try to recommend an upholstery shop. Bad repairs reflect on you.

The seat bottom on the drivers seat was pretty cracked where your legs go and the bolster. I took a heavy grit sandpaper, a 120 grit and my prepping solution and wet sanded the cracked areas. This not only leveled off the cracks, but also filled the cracks with the dye from my wet sanding with my prep solution.

If you’ve read some of my other stuff, you know what I’m talking about with the prep solution, but if not here it is again. Use rubbing alcohol, TSP substitute, acetone, ammonia, and water, mixed in fifths in a spray bottle. This is my prep solution, this stuff not only cleans but helps to soften up the existing dye and also opens the pores to the leather to accept the new dye. I have found this works as a great wet sanding solution with water based dye. It works a lot like Sem Sand Free, it melts the dye hence removing the edge.

I sprayed the cracks with the solution then sanded with the heavy grit sandpaper, the cracks were virtually gone after I was done. I then sealed off the cracks with my leather glue then filled them with a soft fill leather fill. After dry, with a little help from my hair dryer, I sanded them smooth with a finer grit sandpaper (240 grit) to smooth things out. Applied the grip base then dyed the leather seats.

I also had to dye the side pieces that had been replaced, they were a shade off, so to make the seats look right I dyed them too.

One thing to keep in mind is to make the cracks look like a natural crease. Don’t goop the compound on and make them totally smooth, it seems when you do the repaired areas stand out from the rest of the leather seat. There are some instances where you will need a totally smooth surface, but in this case it looked better to make them look like a natural crease.

Well hope this helps out on your next cracked leather repair. Try the wet sanding method and let me know how it goes.

Later – Mike “TIG”

There are so many different ways that a leather seat gets worn, the usual spots are the bolster on the lean-back and the outer panel or center panel of the seat bottom. Some of which have had sizable holes that depending on where they are positioned can be fixed with a low heat leather repair compound and an under-patch.

Now before I start any leather repair project I mix my water based leather dye. I look around the seat side for a clean spot to get a good match, if there isn’t a clean spot then I make one. Two reasons I mix my leather dye prior to starting and that is for one to make sure that I have the leather dye on board with me, which I always stock every night so I know I will, but you never know, and for second I want to make sure I get the color right before I start. Color match is a big thing to me, nothing looks worse then a bad color match. In fact you can ruin a seat if the color isn’t right, by not getting your color exact you won’t achieve the natural look of the leather seat and the interior of the vehicle. When mixing I always look around the vehicle to see the color scheme and make sure that I have a good match. Test your leather dye on the seat side, put a dab, dry it, if it disappears then your good, if not tint.

Once we have our leather dye mixed the right color with the appropriate amount of cross-linker, flex additive, and flat additive if needed, it’s time to clean and prep the leather seat. This is a very crucial part in the process and should not be taken lightly. If the area is not clean, prepped, cracks filled and leather primer applied then the leather dye will not adhere properly and you have a mess. So clean like mad.

First you take a spray bottle with a mild de-greaser mixed with water, a scrub brush, a scotch brite pad, and a towel and get to scrubbing. Spray the top portion of the seat first, scrub with the brush, then the scotch brite pad, and wipe it down. Pay close attention to the creases and the upper and outer edges of the seat, it has to be clean. Now move to the seat bottom, clean the front and the sides too, scrub it good, you don’t want to be putting leather dye over dirt.

After you have scrubbed the seat with the de-greaser, grab your spray bottle of prep solution which is a mixer of alcohol, acetone, ammonia, TSP substitute, and water mixed equally, and scrub the seat again with your scotch brite pad, this will remove any more goo left behind and prepare the leather for dye.

Once your leather seat is clean you can now get a little better picture of what kind of damage you have to the seat, the dirt gives you a false idea to the real damage, most of the time it’s not as bad as you first thought. The dirt makes it look worse.

Wet sand the damaged areas with 240 grit sandpaper and your prep solution, this will remove any ruff edges and you will notice the dye will lift and start to mix with the solution and fill and seal some of the cracks and worn areas on the leather seat, this is a good thing, use it. This gives you a smoother area to work with which means less filler to be applied, always remember less is better. So get the leather as smooth as possible. In the cracked areas if you fold your sandpaper and use the edge to sand the cracks and make them look more like a natural crease it helps. Now sanding with the solution, spray and sand until dry, the dye will start to kinda ball up a little, just keep sanding lightly until smooth, you want to use this dye as a filler too.

Once sanded apply a thin coat of grip base, or sticky primer to the seat with a wet paper towel and wiping it over the entire leather seat. Basically where your going to dye is where you need to prime. This will seal off the worn and cracked areas and give you good adhesion promotion for your leather dye.

Let’s chat a bit about the areas needing leather repair. The cracked areas depending on how deep they are will depend on the type of leather repair compounds to use. If the areas are pretty bad then I usually go for the low heat compound, but if not then I will use an air dry leather repair compounds. I have so many different types of compounds I use depending on the severity of the damage, it would be impossible for me to go into each. But one thing I try to keep in mind and that is to keep the repair area as small as possible and as smooth as possible, don’t glob your compounds on, thin layers curing between. Sanding in between the coats will help to keep things smooth and prepare for the second coat. Try using in some cases a 400 grit or even an 800 grit, this helps from lifting the compounds you just put on. When sanding low heat cured leather repair compound cool with your chill bar first, otherwise it will lift it. Cleaning as you go, always prep between coats of compounds, even a little bit of grip base between coats too and always after your compounds before dye is applied. Never hurts to dye as you go to see where your at in your leather repair, if you look good then finish the seat off and blend your leather dye over the rest of the seat. If not keep going, never just settle for ok, always go for perfection nothing less. Patience is a must, don’t get in a hurry or it will show, and in some cases hurrying your compounds will only cause you to take more time fixing your screw ups, so take your time.

Dyeing the leather seat takes finesse, start by dyeing the upper portion then work your way to the bottom and then out. This keeps from dragging your hoses across the fresh dye. Remember to dye lightly, drying in between coats with a hair dryer. Light thin coats, makes for a better job in the end trust me. When dyeing, a little hint use a plastic license plate or a piece of card board to slide down between the seat belt latch and the seat and use another one for a blocking card to cut down on your over spray.

Once dyed, it’s time for your topcoat. Top coating is a must to finish your repair off, that’s the way it’s done at the factory, dye then topcoat. This seals it all off and gives you more wear in the end, and thats what you want is a repair that lasts. I like to add a little slip additive to my topcoat to give the leather seat a softer and more natural feel. Check for over spray spots, and wipe them off by spraying a little prep solution on a towel and wipe it off, don’t leave a mess of over spray with your nicely repaired leather seat.

The seat should look new. If you did your job right, if the right dye was used, and the right steps were followed in your process to repair worn or cracked leather you should have a leather repair that will last for years to come and a happy owner of that leather seat.

So, with that said I’m going to give you what I call the “quick fix”. A temporary fix to get you by until the car is sold or you get enough money to do it right. Now I’m not going to give you some substandard way of fixing your leather seat, remember I do this for a living and from time to time I have been asked to do the “quick fix” to get someone by. Although I don’t like doing that for the people I do work for. To me thats my name and reputation that is on that repair, but when someones in a pinch you got to help them out.

This is a seat in a 2003 Ford F-350 from a customer of mine that I fixed. If your seat looks like this it’s not gonna take much to make it look a lot better then that.

Supplies…. you will need some stuff before you start this project and most of them you can get from your automotive paint store.

• Denatured alcohol – used for prep
• sandpaper – used for prep and sanding of cracks in leather 240 grit and 400 grit a couple of sheets of each will be good.
• 1 aerosol can of Sem Plastic and Leather Prep - if not available not really necessary but nice to have. helps to open the pores of the leather to help the adhesion of the dye.
• 1 aerosol can of Sem Classic Coat or Sem Sure Coat leather dyes (if you get the sure coat, it’s waterborne and is a lot more flexible and more like the finish already on the leather and will not dry the leather out). But most auto stores only carry the Classic Coat which will work, just don’t load the dye on, the more chance for it crack later. Now take the vehicle with you or something to match the color, if you ask the guys at the auto paint store they can probably find the right color for you.
• A sealer of some sort is needed to seal the raw leather before you dye it but not always necessary. If available Thompson Water Seal will work, or a leather sealer like Leather Tac this will help the dye adhere to the raw leather and help to smooth out some of the rough leather. Another trick is glue, but it needs to be a flexible glue and one that does not contain silicone. If you can get leather glue from your local craft store that would be perfect. Glue will seal the leather and lay down the rough leather.
• 1 can of a plastic adhesion promoter, I like Bulldog easy to use and it works
• terry cloth towels
• paper towels
• soft scrub brush
• Scotch Brite pad – green one is fine
• latex gloves
• hair dryer – helps speed things up a little

Clean the seat thoroughly before you start. Mix a small amount of mild soap ( Dawn dish soap ) and warm water in a small bucket. Dip your scrub brush in the solution of cleaner and scrub the seat from top to bottom, making sure to get down in all the crevices of the seat, wipe the seat clean with the terry cloth towel. Now take the Scotch Brite pad and dip it in the solution and scrub the seat again, this time scrub in small circular motions, this step not only finalizes the cleaning process it also scuffs the dye on the seat to give the new dye something to adhere to. In some instance dye will come up when this step is done, don’t worry because your going to dye it anyway. Wipe the seat clean with a towel. Next, wipe the seat down with the denatured alcohol on a paper towel, while the alcohol is wet wipe behind it with a clean paper towel, to remove all the goo and silicon that will keep the dye from sticking to the seat,

Once you have cleaned the seat thoroughly, it’s time to work on the cracked or worn area. Take a strip of your 240 grit sand paper and dip in the cleaning solution and wet sand the area where the cracks are, you will see the dye start to lift and move around while you are sanding this is a good thing, move that dye into the cracks and use it as a filler. Wipe the area with your towel and see if the area is smoother, in cases where there are cracks is where I use leather fillers to fill in the cracks, but this is the “quick fix”. Now dry the area with a hair dryer if available. Getting the cracked area as smooth as you can get it will help to hide the worn area and make your repair look better.

Now if you the Sems Leather Prep use it now, follow the directions on the back, pretty simple, wipe on wipe off. If the area is still a little rough use the glue with your figure and rub it onto the rough area and smooth it out, let dry and sand it smooth. Seal the area if you can by wiping the sealer with a paper towel on the area.

Time to dye. Use a small piece of cardboard to use as a blocking card for the over spray. You will have some over spray so cover the areas with an old sheet, like the console and seat belts. Spray the seat with the dye holding the can 12 to 18 inches from the seat, using short swooping burst, don’t just start spraying away. Spray light coats, letting them dry between (use the hair dryer). You can sand between coats, if there are still some rough areas. In some cases if the cracks aren’t filling in, you can spray a heavier coat over the cracked area and rub it into the cracks with you hand. Two to three coats of dye should be sufficient. Spray the whole face of the seat to blend the color and make it look more uniform, remember short bursts and light coats. Now hopefully at this point you should be seeing a good looking seat.

This is what your seat should look when your done, granted I am a professional and I use all of the top of the line products, so yours may not look this good but it should be close.

Let dry for a few hours before you drive, but be careful, only sit on them if you have to. Optimal drying time is 8-10 hours for the dye to cure out totally.

The last step is to condition, I can’t stress this enough. Leather needs to be conditioned to keep it soft and flexible. There are several types of conditioners that are great to use, one I recommend to all my customers is Lexol, it’s created by a company that deals in just leather products. Just pick a good one and make sure you put it on, it will finish your job and make your seats feel and look great.

Hopefully this helps you in you leather repair adventure. If you have any questions about your leather repairs don’t hesitate to contact me, there are so many different situations that have so many different ways to fix them. It’s really hard to put it all in one article. So join my forum or email me with your questions on how to fix cracked leather.