Repair Scratched Leather

Leather is a material used in numerous items. It has a unique charm that makes the items made from it stand out of the crowd. Be it a leather furniture, an ultimate piece of home decor that enhances the interiors or a leather handbag that completes your attire, its look is unmatchable to that of any other material. But your favorite leather goods might accidentally get scratched! What you do in these cases? Well, you can't ignore it as it can damage the entire appearance of the couch. Ignoring the scratch might further lead to widening of the same, so it is essential to restore scratched leather on time.

Fix Scratches on Leather Furniture

Before you start, it is best to examine the entire piece and check if there are any more scratches.

For Minor Scratches
Orange oil, is one of the essential oils that can be used. All you need to do is take orange oil on a soft cloth and apply it on the scratch. Let it soak for a few minutes and wipe off with a clean soft cloth. In the same way, you can use olive oil for repairing the tear. You can use these remedies in case it has minor scratches.

For Large Scratches
Take the following materials and start working on that piece for perfect repair. Clean soft cloths, fine sandpaper, rubbing alcohol, colorant, sponge, airbrush and a sealant. Colorant must be chosen so as to match with the existing leather color.

1. Clean the area around the scratch properly. Take a fine sandpaper and rub it over this scratch and the surrounding area. This step will fade the color of this area, but no need to worry, we will work on it later.
2. Use a soft cloth, dampen it with rubbing alcohol and rub it over the sanded surface.
3. Start the procedure of applying the colorant over the scratch. Take it on a sponge and dab it over the scratch to form a thin layer. Make sure it covers the open leather that is visible inside the scratch as well.
4. Once this dries off, apply next coat of same colorant using an airbrush. Airbrushing will help it blend well with the neighboring fabric. Let it dry and apply one more coat if required.
5. Now here's the important step of entire exercise. Apply the sealant over the repaired leather. Most of the sealants will have directions for use written over it. Best to follow them to get the right protection layer over the damaged piece.

While you can use these to repair minor or long scratches, for those major, deep scratches, here's a smart idea. Got an extra piece of leather? May be that of your old purse or bag which matches the color of your sofa. You can also get such pieces in craft stores as well. So get one such matching piece, larger than the scratch and repair deeper scratches. Stitch it over the leather item to cover the scratch. For those stylish leather bags or purses, you can opt for a contrast colored leather piece and stitch it to give a trendy look along with fixing the scratch. You can also put large visible stitches to make it more fancier. Following regular care will help maintain the elegant look of all the leather goods you use.