Hi, my "Leather Getting Sticky Restoration Kit L7" will be arriving today, and I wanted some clarification regarding the instructions.
Background
I acquired this leather sofa second-hand about a year ago.
The production date is most likely late 80s - early 90s
The manufacturer is B&B Italia, model "Alanda"
The leather is most likely the original upholstery. I searched the B&B Italia material catalog to learn more about the leather that was used, but could not find an exact match.
The leather is full grain aniline, confirmed by unzipping the cushions and inspecting the suede side.
The finish of the leather was most likely originally matte. The surfaces such as frame, underside of arms, and covered portions of the cushions are all matte, however, the surfaces of the arm rests and back cushions are glossy, possibly due to wear, or some product used by the previous owner.
Issue
After acquiring the sofa, I noticed that the seating areas had a grippy, or tacky feel to them, as opposed to the other surfaces of the sofa which were smooth and allowed my hand to glide over them.
The problem is confined to the high traffic portions of the seating cushions, as in where butts make contact.
The tacky feel does not extend to portions of the affected panels that do not see high traffic, such as under the armrest. If I glide my hand over the panel of leather constituting the seating area, it will transition from tacky, on the top high traffic area, to smooth, on any portion of the panel that does not see traffic such as the front of the cushion and under the armrest.
The suede side of the affected areas also feels different than the suede side of the non-affected areas. The suede under the tacky areas feels almost damp, or possibly slightly oily, while the suede under the non-affected areas feels dry.
Attempted Fixes and Products Used
Upon acquiring the sofa, I vacuumed any debris and wiped all leather surfaces with Weiman leather wipes.
I had a local leather restoration technician, referred by B&B Italia, assess the sofa in-person, however the technician didn't know how to solve the issue, and recommended not attempting to fix it.
After research online, I could not find a satisfactory solution, but thought attempting to condition the leather wouldn't exacerbate the issue, so I performed one application of Bick 4 conditioner. The tacky surface remained unchanged.
Questions regarding use of "Leather Getting Sticky Restoration Kit L7"
Step 1 How to work with Cleaner 1.5 and Acidifier 2.0?
1* Dry soil removal before application.
2* Apply Cleaner 1.5 and work with horsehair Brush 1 and towel extract until the towel shows clean.
- When applying Cleaner 1.5, should I apply it directly to the leather, or apply it to the brush?
- Does "Towel Extract" mean to blot the leather after applying the cleaner?
- How much of the cleaner do I need to extract with the towel, as much as I possibly can?
- Does "shows clean" mean when there's no visible dirt on the towel, or until no more cleaner can be extracted?
3* Apply Acidifier 2.0 and work with horsehair Brush 1 to remove suspended residue and towel extract until the towel shows clean.
- Do I need to wash the brush before using it again in this step?
4* Repeat Acidifier 2.0 to saturate and dwell into the thickness of the leather to pH balance or neutralize, rinse, and towel extract until the sticky and tacky phenomenon diminishes. Proceed with Hydrator-3.3 while the leather is still wet and the sticky and tacky problem diminishes.
- Does this imply that after extracting Acidifier 2.0 with a towel, I then reapply it with the horsehair brush, or by "saturate" am I supposed to pour more of the Acidifier than used in the prior step onto the surface of the leather?
- By "dwell", am I supposed to leave the Acidifier on the leather for a certain time period?
- I'm not sure what "rinse" means in this context.
Step 2 How to work with Hydrator 3.3 and Fatliquor 5.0?
1* Apply Hydrator 3.3 and work with horsehair Brush 1 into the leather and towel extract until the towel shows clean. This deep rinsing with Hydrator 3.3 helps flush out foreign contamination that causes the sticky and tacky problem to improve further. This deep saturation also helps to redistribute the displaced tanning agents to increase the hydrogen bonding between the leather fiber and the tanning agents to preserve the leather from denaturing into sticky and tacky rawhide.
- Does "deep saturation" imply I should apply a larger amount than that of the Cleaner 1.5, for instance?
2* Apply Fatliquor 5.0 and work into the leather with the help of brushing while the leather is wet. Allow all the soak-in water content to evaporate as the fatliquor takes its place, leaving only the fat and oil content to remain in the leather structure. This application is repeated until the leather is absorbed no more. Any excess on the surface is rinsed off with Hydrator 3.3 and left for slow natural drying. Before fully dried the leather is flexed or massaged to produce a softer leather.
- How am I supposed to asses when the soak-in water has evaporated?
- How do I assess when "the leather is absorbed no more"
- By "rinsed off with Hydrator 3.3", does this imply brushing in the Hydrator with the horsehair brush, or does rinsing mean to apply the Hydrator in a different manner than in the previous step.
- How long, approximately, does the "slow natural drying" take?
Step 3 How to work with Protector B?
1* Apply Protector B or the leather scent version Protector B Plus and spread with a foam brush or towel, leave it dry, and is ready to use.
- About how long does this drying process take?
General questions for use of "Getting Sticky" kit
- Should I apply Cleaner 1.5, Acidifier 2.0, Hydrator 3.3, and Fatliquor 5.0 all in one continuous sequence? Or is there some step after-which I should wait before continuing?
- After seeing photos of the sofa, do you still recommend performing this entire procedure on a test spot before applying it to the full seating area? My issue with using a test spot is that all of the affected areas are visible, there aren't any non-visible areas I can test to see if the procedure fixes the tacky issue.
- Should I place any paper towels, or cloth towels between the leather and cushion material before performing the procedure?
Thanks
-Chris