Discussion
See here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=130...
Furniture Clinic sell a kit that seems to do a very good job at refreshing / re-colouring leather seats. I'll be doing the same job in the next couple of weeks. If they are just worn rather than damaged then you should be able to get some good results, there are various threads on here that show what can be achieved, I've been trawling through them myself recently!
Good luck
Furniture Clinic sell a kit that seems to do a very good job at refreshing / re-colouring leather seats. I'll be doing the same job in the next couple of weeks. If they are just worn rather than damaged then you should be able to get some good results, there are various threads on here that show what can be achieved, I've been trawling through them myself recently!
Good luck
Just done mine using the Furniture Clinic kit. I did the seats, headrests, door cards & centre console using the larger (£85?) kit. I also hired one of their mini-compressors (well worth doing).
A few tips:
Take the seats apart (i.e. separate the squab from the backrest).
Preparation is very important.
Take your time!
Support/suspend everything so that once the items are cleaned you can spray everything you need to without touching the items. I fixed a ladder across the garage and hung things from it.
Use the Crosslinker-X to improve adhesion (essential for any non-leather items). Try to keep the area as dust/fluff-free as possible. This drove me mad, as I'd just finish spraying a coat onto clean surfaces and yet when I checked again, they were covered in tiny bits of airborne fluff.
They recommend using a hairdryer to dry the various coats quickly. This works, but I think it also tends to blow any dust/fluff around too, so I used it sparingly.
You will need to apply quite a few coats at each stage - it took me two weekends to do the whole job.
If it helps, I did a quick "idiots guide" for me to refer to while I was doing it:
1. Clean with warm soapy water.
2. Put cotton wool balls on abrasive pad.
3. Soak cotton wool balls in Leather Prep.
4. Fold abrasive pad over cotton wool balls.
5. Rub leather to remove original finish (you’ll see the colour being transferred onto the pad). Pay extra attention to creases.
6. Wipe leather with Leather Prep to remove any residue.
7. Dampen a cotton cloth with Alcohol Cleaner and wipe over entire item.
8. If leather feels rough, sand down with 1200 grit sandpaper.
9. Wait 1 hour.
10. Mix 10% of Cross Linker into Adhesion Promoter.
11. Apply Adhesion Promoter using a sponge. Any mixed/unused fluid will harden in 3 hours.
12. Wait until dry (noting that it will always stay tacky).
13. Shake colourant bottle for 3 minutes.
14. Pour small amount of colourant onto sponge.
15. Rub colourant into leather, to apply a THIN coat of colour, working it into any gaps, cracks, creases, etc. Apply light pressure to work it into the grain. USE SPARINGLY.
16. Wait 15 minutes.
17. Set-up airbrush & compressor as per instructions.
18. Conduct test spray on cardboard.
19. Spray leather in thin layers.
20. Continue spraying until all base colour is hidden.
21. Wait 1 hour.
22. Gently wipe down with cotton cloth.
23. Sand & respray any rough areas.
24. Flush airbrush with warm water and dry thoroughly.
25. Mix 10% of Cross Linker into the Gloss Super Seal.
26. Spray Gloss Super Seal finish onto all areas of high use. Spray at least one coat onto all areas. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next coat. Keep spraying until it runs out. Note: This coating is runny, so spray less to avoid runs.
27. Wait 1 hour.
28. Wipe down with cotton cloth.
29. Mix 10% Cross Linker into Satin Leather Finish.
30. Spray Satin Leather Finish onto the leather as per the Gloss Super Seal finish.
31. Wait 1 hour.
32. Wipe down with cotton cloth.
33. Apply Leather Protection Cream after 7 days.
The Crosslinker-X supplied was enough to do stage 10, but not 25 & 29, so I used a lower percentage for those stages (around 5%).
I haven't put all my interior back together yet (probably a job for this weekend), but I'm pleased with the finish I've achieved. It'll be interesting to see how wear & scuff-resistant it is.
A few tips:
Take the seats apart (i.e. separate the squab from the backrest).
Preparation is very important.
Take your time!
Support/suspend everything so that once the items are cleaned you can spray everything you need to without touching the items. I fixed a ladder across the garage and hung things from it.
Use the Crosslinker-X to improve adhesion (essential for any non-leather items). Try to keep the area as dust/fluff-free as possible. This drove me mad, as I'd just finish spraying a coat onto clean surfaces and yet when I checked again, they were covered in tiny bits of airborne fluff.
They recommend using a hairdryer to dry the various coats quickly. This works, but I think it also tends to blow any dust/fluff around too, so I used it sparingly.
You will need to apply quite a few coats at each stage - it took me two weekends to do the whole job.
If it helps, I did a quick "idiots guide" for me to refer to while I was doing it:
1. Clean with warm soapy water.
2. Put cotton wool balls on abrasive pad.
3. Soak cotton wool balls in Leather Prep.
4. Fold abrasive pad over cotton wool balls.
5. Rub leather to remove original finish (you’ll see the colour being transferred onto the pad). Pay extra attention to creases.
6. Wipe leather with Leather Prep to remove any residue.
7. Dampen a cotton cloth with Alcohol Cleaner and wipe over entire item.
8. If leather feels rough, sand down with 1200 grit sandpaper.
9. Wait 1 hour.
10. Mix 10% of Cross Linker into Adhesion Promoter.
11. Apply Adhesion Promoter using a sponge. Any mixed/unused fluid will harden in 3 hours.
12. Wait until dry (noting that it will always stay tacky).
13. Shake colourant bottle for 3 minutes.
14. Pour small amount of colourant onto sponge.
15. Rub colourant into leather, to apply a THIN coat of colour, working it into any gaps, cracks, creases, etc. Apply light pressure to work it into the grain. USE SPARINGLY.
16. Wait 15 minutes.
17. Set-up airbrush & compressor as per instructions.
18. Conduct test spray on cardboard.
19. Spray leather in thin layers.
20. Continue spraying until all base colour is hidden.
21. Wait 1 hour.
22. Gently wipe down with cotton cloth.
23. Sand & respray any rough areas.
24. Flush airbrush with warm water and dry thoroughly.
25. Mix 10% of Cross Linker into the Gloss Super Seal.
26. Spray Gloss Super Seal finish onto all areas of high use. Spray at least one coat onto all areas. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next coat. Keep spraying until it runs out. Note: This coating is runny, so spray less to avoid runs.
27. Wait 1 hour.
28. Wipe down with cotton cloth.
29. Mix 10% Cross Linker into Satin Leather Finish.
30. Spray Satin Leather Finish onto the leather as per the Gloss Super Seal finish.
31. Wait 1 hour.
32. Wipe down with cotton cloth.
33. Apply Leather Protection Cream after 7 days.
The Crosslinker-X supplied was enough to do stage 10, but not 25 & 29, so I used a lower percentage for those stages (around 5%).
I haven't put all my interior back together yet (probably a job for this weekend), but I'm pleased with the finish I've achieved. It'll be interesting to see how wear & scuff-resistant it is.
What is the Spray Gloss Super Seal finish? and are you spraying on top of this with the standard satin finish ?
What is Adhesion Promoter because these two items did not come in a kit i bought .
There are two types of filler and some other stuff you can put on to very worn leather to build the surface up.
What is Adhesion Promoter because these two items did not come in a kit i bought .
There are two types of filler and some other stuff you can put on to very worn leather to build the surface up.
vaurien said:
Nice carpet ,seems like good quality ,whats the damage ? what pile is it ?SILICONEKID345HP said:
What is the Spray Gloss Super Seal finish? and are you spraying on top of this with the standard satin finish ?
What is Adhesion Promoter because these two items did not come in a kit i bought .
There are two types of filler and some other stuff you can put on to very worn leather to build the surface up.
Daz, You can buy these seperately, The 2 types of filler are a Heavy filler and a flexi filler. The heavy is for holes etc and the flexi for cracking. but when you put it on you hav to remove most of it as it builds very quickly and is awkward to sand back.What is Adhesion Promoter because these two items did not come in a kit i bought .
There are two types of filler and some other stuff you can put on to very worn leather to build the surface up.
you can use leather binder to help with cracking and helps prevent further cracking.
Also if the leather is/was quite dirty and greasy/oily, if you use adhesion promoter it will help prevent the oils etc that are inground in the leather coming back through your nice new colour (something I wish i had known when i did mine)
If you go on to the Furniture Clinic site all the products and uses are on there.
good luck and pics
jamienshelly said:
Daz, You can buy these seperately, The 2 types of filler are a Heavy filler and a flexi filler. The heavy is for holes etc and the flexi for cracking. but when you put it on you hav to remove most of it as it builds very quickly and is awkward to sand back.
you can use leather binder to help with cracking and helps prevent further cracking.
Also if the leather is/was quite dirty and greasy/oily, if you use adhesion promoter it will help prevent the oils etc that are inground in the leather coming back through your nice new colour (something I wish i had known when i did mine)
If you go on to the Furniture Clinic site all the products and uses are on there.
good luck and pics
Its a mine field ,I tried that degreaser stuff but it does not work . you can use leather binder to help with cracking and helps prevent further cracking.
Also if the leather is/was quite dirty and greasy/oily, if you use adhesion promoter it will help prevent the oils etc that are inground in the leather coming back through your nice new colour (something I wish i had known when i did mine)
If you go on to the Furniture Clinic site all the products and uses are on there.
good luck and pics
SILICONEKID345HP said:
Its a mine field ,I tried that degreaser stuff but it does not work .
It doesn't act as a degreaser, it seals the leather and prevents the contaminants from raising to the surface and through the new colouring.And yes it is a mine field, but the guys at F/C are really helpfull and will advise you what you need but more importantly what you don't.
jamienshelly said:
It doesn't act as a degreaser, it seals the leather and prevents the contaminants from raising to the surface and through the new colouring.
And yes it is a mine field, but the guys at F/C are really helpfull and will advise you what you need but more importantly what you don't.
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Leather_Degreaser.php?gclid=Cj0KEQiAp4yjBRCE_enjmpug944BEiQATCpLvbfAVuVkuwdZXAg3IyA_D-uyu4iOtSGZUqbW0kRgdeoaAv3B8P8HAQAnd yes it is a mine field, but the guys at F/C are really helpfull and will advise you what you need but more importantly what you don't.
SILICONEKID345HP said:
What is the Spray Gloss Super Seal finish? and are you spraying on top of this with the standard satin finish ?
What is Adhesion Promoter because these two items did not come in a kit i bought .
The Gloss Super Seal goes on after the colourant, to seal it in (especially important on high-wear areas). If you want a gloss finish you could leave it at that. The Satin Super Seal goes on after the gloss, and you can build-up coats of satin that gradually dull the shine to whatever level you want.What is Adhesion Promoter because these two items did not come in a kit i bought .
The Adhesion Promoter is (I was told) essential if you want the colourant to stick to the non-leather (i.e. Ambla in our case) parts, as their surfaces are non-porous.
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