In general we can fix cuts and scratches, rips and tears, seam separation, scuff marks, cat claw damage, dog chews, holes, burns, stains, discoloration, color fading and surface cracking.

The tannery processes leather in many different ways, giving different finish, feel and durability characteristics.  This can make it very confusing to the end user when trying to describe exactly what type of leather they own.

Some common terms for the different leathers are—Aniline; Semi-Aniline; Pigmented; Protected; Nubuck; Bicast / Bycast; Bonded; Top Grain; Split Hide; Corrected; Oil Pull-Up; Wax Pull-Up.

Each one of these terms indicates the level of ease or difficulty in maintaining or REPAIRING.

We don’t expect you to have all the answers, so we will try to guide and inform you.

How good a repair looks and how long it will last depends on several factors.  When speaking to one of our technicians we will ask you a series of questions to determine if your leather is a good candidate for repair.

We will want to know

(A)The nature and physical size of damage eg.—scratch—3’’ or burn mark—the size of a golf ball

(B) How old is the leather –5, 10, 15 years old

(C) What is the color—is it a solid color or does it appear to have different tones

(D) Absorption Test---If a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol goes on to the healthy leather, does that area become temporarily darker (i.e. Is this an aniline finish / type “A”leather)

(E) Scratch Test--Does the surface of the leather scratch extremely easily (i.e. Is this a pigmented or painted finish / type “P” leather)

(F) Does the leather look very shiny and feel thick (i.e. Is this a bi-cast leather)

(G) Does the leather have a naturally distressed look (is it an oil or wax pull up finish)

(I) Does the leather have a nap to it, does it look a bit like suede /  Does it look a little lighter or darker in areas like you would see in a velour, velvet/microfiber fabric (i.e. Is it nu buck finish / type “N”leather

Usually,

1) The smaller the area of damage the better the end result of repair is . i.e. A ¼’’ hole is easier than a 15” scratch

2) Areas away from the seams are easier to repair.

3) Type “P” leather is easier than type “A or N” or bi cast or bonded leather

4) A localized area with lots of small damage is easier than small damage scattered all over the furniture

5) New or healthier leather is a better candidate for repair than old or unhealthy leather.

The size of the damage, the location of the damage, the cause of the damage, the type of finish of the leather, the color, the texture, the age of the leather are all factors that may affect the outcome of a leather repair.

Here is an outline of various LEATHER DAMAGE TYPES

Minor Scratches and Scuff

If the leather is a ‘’P’’ type or has a protective coating from the tannery, this type of repair can have good results.

If the leather is a ‘A’ aniline leather we can use aniline dye to try and add colour back into the damaged area, or if the damaged area is on a low traffic spot than we may use a heavier dye system to hide the damage completely.

If the leather is a bi-cast or bonded leather, we can often improve on the damage but texture and sheen may differ.

Cuts, Rips, and Tears--- If not fixed may get bigger.

Most damage can be repaired regardless of the type of leather or size of damage.  But the end result in durability and presentation and cost will vary greatly dependent on circumstance.

In general, a pigmented or type ‘’P’’ leather is the best candidate for this repair.  Also damage ¼’’ or further away from a seam or stitching will give better results.  Smoother leather will give better result than heavily textured (bumpy) leather.

For repairs 1’’ or larger we often will strengthen the underside of the leather with new material before repair to the top surface.

The stronger we make the repair the more likelihood of the repair showing, as we may alter and strengthen the surrounding leather.  We usually aim for a balance between strength and cosmetics.

For damage longer than 5’’ we would usually suggest replacing the leather panel with new leather.  However, we have done a leather repair as long as 20’’ under the right circumstances.

Holes and Dog Chews

As with the description of the other already listed repair types, a ‘’P’’ or pigmented leather would be the easiest to work on.  Damage up to the size of a golf ball can often be repaired with synthetic leather fillers and have near unnoticeable results.  Larger repairs are possible, but the repairs become more noticeable.  If it is a high stress area like a seat or top of an armrest, we would suggest replacing the panel with new leather.  We can do this for you as well.

Burns

Heat damages leather in a few ways—

1---discolors it or turns it darker

2---shrinks it and creates a sun burst effect with puckers and lines radiating out from the centre of the burn

3---turns the leather hard and unplayable

4---creates a hole.

Our repairs will certainly improve on your damage.  If the leather has been badly shrunk by the heat it will be difficult to remove all of the puckers and lines, but the rest of the damage can be repaired.

Cat Scratches

There are 2 typical types of cat scratch damage. 

1---Damage caused when using your furniture as a scratching post.  This damage is normally on corners and can usually result in the leather being badly shredded.  Very often this damage can be repaired without having to replace the panel.

2---Damage caused when the cat digs the claws in for traction.  This shows up as pick or puncture marks, small tufts of leather and long scratch lines.  In this case damage has to be repaired independently, one by one.  If the damage is all over it may not be cost effective to have all of the repairs done.

We suggest you select the damage that most bothers you and we can limit our repairs to these areas.    The longer we can spend on each scratch the better the end result.

LEATHER TYPES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Most leather used in home furniture and the automotive industry comes from cattle.  This leather can be processed and treated in many different ways and different terminology will refer to various types.  It is important to understand some of the basic differences as they are often indicators of price, durability and feel (or hand as it is know in the trade).

Too often uneducated consumers will regret their purchase because it did not meet their expectation.  I urge you to become informed so that you can make the right decisions about leather and leather care.

The leather hide can be split into two layers—TOP GRAN AND SPLIT HIDE.

BONDED LEATHER is completely different in that it is generally plastic material (polyurethane or vinyl) mixed with ground up leather particles to produce a sheet of leather like product.

TOP GRAIN is the upper most layer of the leather hide.  After the hair has been removed, the top side of the leather shows the natural grain on texture markings.  The underside is rough and fibrous.  This leather is the strongest.  The top side of this leather better resists surface damage than SPLIT HIDE.

This TOP GRAIN can now go through various processes to change the presentation and durability.

TOP GRAIN leather is usually more expensive than SPLIT HIDE.

TOP GRAIN leather is used for making,

--FULL GRAIN leather

--ANALINE DYED leather

--SEMI; ANALINE DYED leather

--OIL PULL –UP leather

--WAY PULL-UP leather

--NU-BUCK leather

--PIGMENTED leather

--SEMI-CORRECTED leather

--FULL-CORRECTED leather

SPLIT HIDE is the lower portion of the leather hide and has no natural grain or texture markings (markings can be chemically and mechanically created).  This leather starts off by being rough and fibrous on both sides.  The physical make-up is such that the natural fibrous content is not as tightly woven together, resulting in weaker leather.  Unless chemically treated, this leather damages easily.

This SPLIT HIDE leather can go through various processes to change the presentation and durability.

SPLIT HIDE leather is used for making SUEDE leather.

BI- CAST or BY- CAST leather

SPLIT HIDE CORRECTED leather.

FULL GRAIN refers to TOP GRAIN leather that has no processing to alter the natural grain or texture markings.  After the hair is removed from the leather hide, no mechanical process is used and this leaves the leather to show all the natural markings and imperfections—stretch marks, scars, bug bites, spots showing a natural change in grain pattern etc.  This is leather in its most natural state.  Because this leather shows all natural imperfections, manufacturers select the best hides with the least imperfections to be sold as FULL GRAIN leather.  The remaining rejected leather hides are processed further to minimize the imperfections (semi-aniline leather) or to completely correct imperfections (corrected leather).

FULL GRAIN (uncorrected) leather is stronger than SPLIT HYDE leather.

FULL GRAIN leather can be ANILINE DYED, SEMI ANILINE DYED or PIGMENTED DYED.

ANILINE DYED is the most expensive followed by SEMI-ANALINE followed by PIGMENTED FULL GRAIN LEATHER.

ANILINE DYED leather is FULL GRAINED leather that has been immersed in a vat of transparent ANILINE DYE stuff. This is normally colored dye but can be colorless or clear.  I describe this to be more like a stain that you can see through, as apposed to a paint that is opaque.  Because ANALINE DYE is transparent it will not hide any original markings or imperfections and may be absorbed unevenly into the hide making each hide unique.  It is possible for 2 different hides immersed in the same vat of ANALINE DYE to present with different depth of color (one may look lighter than the other).  Similarly some areas the same hide may have lighter and darker areas.---as you could expect if you were staining a hardwood.

ANILINE DYED leather is stronger than SPLIT HIDE leather.  ANALINE DYED leather has a delicate surface that damages easily—scratches and stains.  To check if the leather is ANILINE DYED place 2 drops of rubbing alcohol (IPA alcohol) on the surface and then wipe it away.  If you can see a darker stained area where the alcohol got absorbed then the leather is ANILINE DYED.  If there appears no color change it is probably not ANILINE DYED.  A second test would be to lightly tickle the surface with your fingernail (don’t dig your nails in) if you can see a slight mark, it possibly is ANILINE DYED.

ANILINE DYED leather is more susceptible to sun fading.

ANILINE DYED leather is typically the more expensive leather.

Remember more expensive does not mean more durable or bullet proof. I feel this is not the best choice for kids of any age or pets of any sort.  This leather can not easily be repaired if damage occurs.

SEMI-ANILINE dyed leather is FULL GRAINED leather that has been immersed in a vat of transparent ANILINE DYE stuff and then has a thin protective coating added to the top surface to give some protection from wearing, stains and light scratches.

This top coating also adds more color to give a more even color presentation, and hides or diminishes some of the natural imperfections in the hide.

SEMI ANILINE leather is stronger than SPLIT HIDE leather.

SEMI ANILINE leather can be repaired easier than aniline leather.

OIL PULL-UP leather is ANILINE DYED leather that has an ‘’OIL’’ finish added to it for affect.  This OIL finish is designed to give a distressed or worn or cracked or aged look.  The more it is used the more distressed it becomes.  This leather is designed to scratch extremely easily.  When this leather is under stress or ‘’PULLED-UP’’ on, it goes lighter.  Because this is ANILINE dyed leather, all the characteristics of an ANILINE dyed leather apply.

WAX PULL-UP leather is ANILINE DYED leather that has a WAX coating applied for affect.  This wax finish is designed to give a distressed or worn or cracked or aged look.  The more it is used the more distressed it becomes.  This leather is designed to scratch extremely easily.  When this leather is under stress or ‘’PULLED-UP’’ on, it goes lighter.  Because this is ANILINE dyed leather all the characteristics of ANILINE dyed leather apply.

NUBUCK IS TOP GRAINED, ANILINE DYED leather that has had the top surface mechanically treated to create a fibrous nap similar to velvet or microfiber or suede.  The surface is sanded, brushed or carded to create the desired affect.  This leather looks and feels soft.. It is normal to see some areas of darker dye still left in the grain that was not sanded out during the process.  Because this is ANILINE dyed leather all the characteristics of ANILINE dyed leather apply.

This leather is even more porous than ‘’ANILINE’’ leather and stains more easily.  Nu buck is the top grain portion of the hide that has been altered unlike SUEDE which is the naturally fibrous fleshy side of leather.  NU BUCK can be a challenge to clean or repair.

PIGMENTED DYED leather refers to the heavy bodied opaque dye that is used to coat the top surface of leather.  I compare it to paint you would use on wood as opposed to a stain (aniline dye is like a stain).

Because this is an opaque finish it is often used on SEMI-CORRECTED or FULLY CORRECTED leather as the color coating can hide any man made corrections to an imperfect hide.  PIGMENTED DYE gives an even colorization and seals the leather making the surface more resistant to damage—liquid stains, scratches and sun fading. 

PIGMENTED DYE is used mostly on lesser quality TOP GRAIN leathers.  If the leather has been ‘’FULLY CORRECTED,’’ the top color coat will be embossed with a grain pattern to reproduce the grain markings of leather.  PIGMENTED leather can be easier to repair.

BICAST LEATHER

Bicast (bycast) leather is SPLIT HYDE leather that has been heavily processed with a chemical top coat.  The fiborous SPLIT HYDE is a weak layer of leather that is now covered with a layer of polyurethane and than mechanically embossed to give a leather like texture or grain.  The end result is usually a shiny uniformed surface with a thicker less flexible feel.  The original SPLITHYDE layer often has weak areas that eventually will end in a cracked or torn surface.  The polyurethane coating cal also come unattached from the leather layer resulting in bubbling or peeling of this top layer.  The advantages of bicast is its plastic top coat is easy to clean, no special care is needed and it is less expensive to purchase.  Bicast leather is usually shiny dark brown, (less common is red, white or black).  Bicast leather can be repaired but the end result is normally noticeable to some degree (sheen, colour and texture may vary).

BONDED LEATHER

BONDED leather is a man made product mixing up ground up leather with synthetic materials such as plastic, polyurethane or vinyl.  The actual leather content could be as little as 17%.  The underside of bonded leather is either fabric or or a uniformed synthetic feberous substance.  The top surface of BONDED LEATHER is very uniformed in texture and colour.  BONDED LEATHER is east to clean and requires no special maintenance.  Bonded leather is less expensive than real leather.  This material can be repaired but results may be slightly noticeable.