Leather car seat renovation tutorial

Below you will find the different stages of leather renovation for car seats. Generally speaking, these steps are essentially the same as you would for restoring a leather sofa, with the difference that many people want a change of colour. Also, do not hesitate to consult our tutorial renovation leather sofa  to glean other useful information.

Before you start, make sure you work in a well-ventilated area that is not too humid. For more comfort, ideally remove the elements to be restored. Renovating the leather is very simple to do, but it is imperative to work meticulously and carefully (it is within everyone's reach), in order to obtain an optimal result.

A good renovation also requires a good use of the products.
Observe the order of application of the products and the drying times!

1. If your leather is really very dry or "cardboard", you should first soften it with our Nourishing Oil or Leather Softener. Two or three applications will be enough to restore your leather to its original softness. Wait at least 2 to 3 weeks before going further in your renovation, the time to let the product infiltrate into the cuur of the fibers of your leather.
   
   
2. Leather cleaning is a particularly important phase of the renovation.
   The purpose of this operation is to "break" the original protective varnish of your leather and degrease it. If this operation is not carried out properly, the re-colouring agent will not be able to penetrate properly into the leather fibres, and will become sticky to the touch, even when dry.
   
   Start by sanding with fine sandpaper (240 grain bodywork). Then degrease with acetone (which you will find advantageously in any large surface), to remove sanding residue, varnish, silicone and dirt.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Repair of scratches, cracks, peels, etc.
   
   First apply CicaCuir on large cracks and porous or worn areas. CicaCuir does not only act on the surface, it also makes it possible to densify and consolidate weakened leather. The CicaCuir will also allow you to glue the raised parts of the leather flower without blisters, if this situation occurs.
   
   Once the CicaCuir has dried to the touch, apply the RepaCuir with a spatula. To fill the leather gaps, several applications will be necessary because the RepaCuir retracts as it dries. RepaCuir dries quickly (a few minutes), so avoid oversizes, prefer several successive thin coats and apply the product only where required.
   If your leather is "peeled" in places, you will need to apply a little RepaCuir to waterproof and smooth it out so that you can re-colour it properly.
   To repair a tear or an open hole, slide a piece of leather between the foam and the back of the leather, then glue and fill with RepaCuir. Wait one hour before re-colouring.
   
   Warning: The RepaCuir has a limited stretching rate, the pulls exerted on seats where the foam is soft can cause breaks. To avoid this problem, overload with CICACUIR to limit the stretching of the leather, change the foam or laminate with a piece of leather if the cushion is removable.
   
   Apply the Leather Repair Paste with a spatula or the right edge of a cardboard box. To fill the leather gaps, you will need several applications as the paste shrinks as it dries. Sand after each application to level and obtain a homogeneous surface.




4. Recolouring is carried out with a high-density foam roller or a spray gun (1 mm nozzle).
   Apply one, two or three coats of Pigment Colourant. Allow a maximum of one hour at room temperature (15 to 25) for drying between each coat. Note that it is possible to speed up the drying process with a hair dryer, starting hot and then cold at the end.
   For corners that are difficult to reach with a brush, small surfaces can be recoloured with a damp sponge.
   
   Caution: Do not put two treated surfaces in contact until they are dry. For surfaces that touch, activate the hair dryer, hot at first and then cold at the end or slide a parchment paper. If the pigment recolouring agent never seems to dry, please refer to our FAQ.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. The protection of your work is essential.
   
   Silky Varnish protects the colouring first, then the grain of the leather and then from repeated rubbing. It prevents fouling while waterproofing and gives the final colour to your renovation.
   Apply two coats of varnish with the foam roller 48 hours after re-colouring, and one coat 15 days later.
   
   
   
6. Feeding the leather
   The Nourishing Oil that we are the only ones to recommend is essential to restore the leather's suppleness, its resistance to stretching and tearing.
   Wait a fortnight after applying the varnish to spread the Nourishing Oil by massaging the leather, the Oil, once infiltrated into the fibres of the leather, never comes out, but it can take time to penetrate after a recoloration.
   

Maintenance after renovation is decisive in the lifetime of the renovation

An application of Oil at least once a quarter in the most stressed areas and Varnish at least twice a year in these same areas.

Other examples of renovations carried out by our clients:

• Renovate your leather interior (by 205 magazines)
• Renovation of leather upholstery 607 (by philou6871)
• Renovation of 205 rolland garros seats (by Chrisfun)
• Test of our leather car seat renovation kit (by Katoki)