Did I ruin my semi-aniline armchair? Help!!

Good morning! I am desperate for some leather advice. I bought this Semi Analine sofa, armchair, and ottoman, used for $175. It was made in '98 and is still an amazing couch and chair to sit on. It just needed a little love in the care department.

I’m new to leather and I thought that it would be fun to clean up and restore. Well, I am afraid I destroyed the leather. I did research and I decided to use honey leather cleaner and conditioner. I tested a small portion on the bottom and it went beautifully, so I did the armchair first, and some spots were fine, but others turned horribly dark and sticky. It’s hard to describe the texture, but it is not soft, supple, and buttery at all like it should. It’s definitely worse.

I then decided to use Blackrock leather n’rich, thinking that it just needed major hydration. But it’s even stickier.

Guys, I’m lost. Did I totally destroy the chair? Can I still do something to fix it? I haven’t touched the couch so how should I proceed to restore it?

Help!!

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>>> and some spots were fine, but others turned horribly dark and sticky. It’s hard to describe the texture,

It is the alkalinity of the products used that have compounded the already unknown alkaline overexposure leather. Leather has a low pH value of 3 to 5. Any pH value above 7 will denature the leather with side effects such as dark and sticky. The stickiness resembles a wet rawhide, where the tanning agents have broken the ionic hydrogen bonds. To rectify the stickiness is to neutralize your pH balance the leather structure with a low pH cleaner such as LeatherProCleaner-1.5 with a pH value of 1.5. This low pH value will control the stickiness of the leather. Use Acidifier-2.0 with a pH value of 2.0 to further strengthen the amphoteric leather fiber with a stronger ionic attraction for the fugitive tanning agents.

The next continuous wet process to restore the leather structure is to redistribute the tanning agents, dyestuff and fatliquor within the leather structure with Hydrator-3.3, and flushing out contaminations to the surface to be extracted with a white cotton terry towel.

While the leather structure is relaxed and the fibers separated, fatliquor (fat and oil) that has diminished is replenished with Fatliquor-5.0 to the original 14% tannery average.

So this four product system LeatherProCleaner-1.5 > Acidifier-2.0 > Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 will improve the darkening and sticky issue.

When considering a refinishing, surface preparation with a degreaser is highly recommended in this repeated procedure and can be combined as: Degreaser-2.2 > LeatherProCleaner-1.5 > Acidifier-2.0 > Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 will improve the darkening and sticky issue and prepare for refinishing at the same time.

Leather cleaning and conditioning is based on the principles of science practice in a modern tannery by leather chemists. We practice the same principle and logic in this forum to be biochemistry correct.

Not to worry about the working of science as long as you follow instruction, science is logically working on the background.

Let me know your continuous interest.

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Roger Koh
Leather, Skin, Hair, Eye & Acne Care System Formulator
Consultant / Practitioner / Instructor / Coach
web: www.leatherdoctor.com
forum: www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com
email: [email protected]