Aniline Leathercraft sofa and sectional- is restoring worth it?

Hi-

I have a secondhand sofa and loveseat set in what I assume is unprotected Aniline leather. It was in pretty much this condition when we got it, though I have attempted to clean and protect it a couple times unsuccessfully.

It has quite a bit of staining, grey blotches etc. I was able to remove some ink and a few other stains. I did a bunch of research and found what i thought was a good leather repair company with lots of videos and products. Unfortunately, their stuff did very little to my sofa, it left a bunch of light blotches in some areas but didn't do much in others- and my attempt to repair the cracking didn't work hardly at all, it only adhered in a few spots and the rest started peeling up as soon as i used their super fine sandpaper to brush over it even without pressure.
It does have scratches as well, and the test area i attempted to use some dye on just made the scratches more noticeable so i have a feeling the dye isn't a good choice either. Decided to do more research instead of continuing, and came across this forum.

Mainly the loveseat cushions (one in particular) are in bad shape. I am wondering if this set is repairable at all, or if even that cushion in particular is? I haven't yet looked into replacing the top of that one but maybe that's all I'll be able to do?
Anyway- I'd like to know if you think this set is worth restoring, and if so, what products do i need and how many steps am I looking at? I am a bit trepidatious because i do much better with watching something being done vs following written instructions but I am willing to try since i like this set and think it has good bones.

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>>> Anyway- I'd like to know if you think this set is worth restoring, and if so, what products do i need and how many steps am I looking at?

Your challenge is to restore this worse piece of cushion and if you are happy with the result the rest is easy.

Steps to restore it is as follows:

1- All unknown finishes will need to be removed till the leather crust - use Stripper-2.3 and all related tools for a safe removal - flaps of leather sticking out should be save for the bonding repairs.

2- The leather is now too dry and will need to be hydrated until all the mud cracking subside down and the gaps reduced if possible - with Hydrator-3.3.

3- When the surface dimension look satisfactorily lost fat and oil will need to be replenished - with Fatliquor-5.0

4- Bonding repairs will be needs to bond the loose leather with - Bond-3D and with some donor suede to fill up gaps.

5- The smooth touch of the leather is further repair with - Adhesor-73.

6- Color refinishing begins with - “opaque” Micro-54 to block off the unwanted repaired based color.

7- “Transparent” Aniline-76 brings it back closed to aniline to have a now “semi-aniline” effect.

8- Topcoating with AnilineTop-76S to have a “semi-aniline” satin finish.

9- Protector-B/B+ is a rub-resistance protector with a buttery-feel with an option for the classic leather-scent.

If you like my recommendation we can continue with more details . . .

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

OK, thank you so much for your response. That makes sense. Luckily I contacted the previous company that I ordered some restoration products from and they explained why the filler didn’t adhere and how much soiling was probably trapped in the fibers. I wish they would have told me that when I originally sent him pictures and a swatch to have recommendations for products, otherwise I would not have ordered it if it wasn’t going to work. Luckily I think they’re going to give me at least a partial refund.

I guess I will try and move ahead and restore this cushion based on your suggestions and see what happens. Worst case scenario I suppose I could have the top of the cushion replaced by a local upholstery shop I think. Really the rest of the set is not nearly this bad, So if I could tackle this I would probably feel confident in the rest.

Is there a specific kit that does all the things you mentioned or do I just purchase each product a la carte?

>>> they explained why the filler didn’t adhere and how much soiling was probably trapped in the fibers.

Here are issues why the filler didn’t adhere to the fibers.

1- Accumulated soiling especially body oil, grease and sweat need to be remove with Degreaser-2.2 > Acidifier-2.0 > Hydrator-3.3 system.

2- When doing a refinishing the partial existing finishes need to be removed with Stripper-2.3.

3- The leather fiber need to be ionic positive (+ve) charged to increase its ionic attraction with the negative (-ve) charged Fatliquor-5.0 with Acidifier-2.0.

4- Aged fibers cells tends to exfoliate- thus a weak foundation for any fillers to adhere - it is this weakness of the deteriorated fibers that is the poor foundation for adhesion and strengthening it with Impregnator-26 is recommended.

5- The tensile fiber strength when dry of its original fatliquor also loose its tensile strength thus rejuvenating with Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 will increase its strength.

6- Fillers versus Bond, for repairs that will be subject to use, fillers cracks sooner then expected because it has poor flexibilities. Fillers is only for corners with no further stress from body weight. Thus Bond-3D is preferred over Stucco-90. When donors suede fibers is used in combination of Bond-3D, it becomes part of leather and the repair is stronger then surrounding areas.


>>> Is there a specific kit that does all the things you mentioned or do I just purchase each product a la carte?

This Kit-Sa7.cl is the closest for this project, any mentioned products no found in this kit are order individually and refills are also order as individual items. Recommend that you order in the “Fill” version to save on shipping weight.
Attachment 8427
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/kit-sa7...finishing-kit/

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

These are the photos of the sofa, and im adding two more of the underside (original color) that has not been faded. Attachment 10292

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Aniline-76 (antique) will need to be diluted with Aniline-76 (clear) to produce your desire result.

The best application is air-brushing.

Recommend that you spray on cardboard to get the right color prior to the actual application.

Note:
Aniline-76 is a transparent color, so darker marks are also visible unless the saturation is of the same shade to camouflage it.