We all know how good the leather couches are. We will be short of words to describe the comfort they offer, the premium look they have and what not.
Although it is very easy to find the best leather sofas, they are a bit on the other side when it comes to money. The one way to get away from this is to buy an old leather sofa and dye it.
The situation is more or less the same even if you buy a new one also. The chances of your new leather furniture losing its charm is not that distant.
You need to dye your leather sofa to make it more appealing. Although it sounds a bit unpleasant, the best thing is that this task is not a hard one. It is very easy and anyone can do it. We will explain to you How to Dye a Leather Couch the best way in this article.
Materials required to dye a leather sofa
Although there are a lot of methods available to dyeing a leather furniture, We will explain the one using acetone. This method doesn’t require a lot of items and is one of the easiest ways to dye leather sofas.
The materials you require are given below:
- Acetone – This is required to deep clean the leather prior to dyeing
- Cloth/rag – To clean and wipe off dust and excess dye.
- Spray bottle – to spray water
- Water – to moist the leather before applying the dye.
- Leather Dye –To color the sofa
- Sponge – to apply the leather dye
- Leather finisher- for the final satin finish
How to Dye a Leather Couch: Step by Step Guide
Step 1: Prepare Sofa and Yourself for the Task
The first step is to prepare your sofa and yourself for the task. Finding an open area and placing your sofa will make the whole process very comfortable.
You must prepare the sofa for dyeing by cleaning the dirt, oil, and dust with soap and water. It is important to never soak the leather. So dip a cloth in soapy water and wipe off the whole sofa.
Moreover, the most important thing is to prepare yourself for the task.
If you’re are an enthusiast like me, you will love this one. Otherwise, just understand that this process will take a while and it might even get messy.
Step 2: Deep Cleaning the Leather Couch
The wiping process with water will not deep clean the sofa. It is very important to deep clean the leather sofa so that it will have a nice finishing at the end of dyeing.
We will do it with Acetone. You can use normal nail polish remover for the same. We normally use Mountain Fall, which does an excellent job.
Dip a cloth in acetone and rub it all over the sofa. This will deep clean the leather and prepare it for dyeing. The important thing is that you need to wait 30 minutes for the acetone to evaporate.
Step 3: Moist the Couch
After the deep cleaning, we need to moist the couch.
Why is this important?
Go back to school days and try to recollect your lessons on surface area and volume. The moist leather is better at absorbing the dye rather than a dry one.
So take water in a spray bottle and apply it to the leather making sure you don’t soak the sofa. Normal water is more than enough for this step.
Make sure that you don’t overdo it.
Step 4: Applying Leather Dye
Now comes the most important part- dyeing your leather couch. But, it is as easy as the above steps.
Its always recommended using some of the best leather dyes available. They don’t cost much. We recommend using Fiebing’s Leather Dye. We will discuss more on top leather dyes for couches later in the article. The thing is that if you use low-quality products, it might affect your skin and also will have a negative impact on the leather couch you are dyeing. You can use leather dye solvent to lighten the color of the dye.
Moreover, you can’t apply a lighter dye on a darker leather couch. That means you can’t apply a light green on a dark green leather sofa. Keep this in mind while selecting the dye for your leather sofa.
Its good to wear a pair of gloves to protect your hands before applying the dye on the leather with a sponge.
Now, how do you apply the dye?
Make it a point to apply the dye in small patches at a time. Spray water over a small patch and apply the leather dye over it. You can use the same spray bottle for misting the couch. Try to apply broad and long strokes.
You should check whether the dye is applied evenly. If you find any sparse areas, apply more dye.
It is important to continue this method for the entire sofa for a more consistent look.
Step 5: Removing Excess Dye and Applying More Coat
Rub off the excess dye with a dry piece of cloth and let the sofa dry for 1 to 2 hours. You should not wish to achieve the finished look with the first coat.
You can apply the next coat of dye once the first coat completely dry. Wait another 2 hours for this coat to dry before applying the next coat of dye. A minimum of 5 to 6 coats is required to attain a perfect look.
Step 7: Final Finishing
Once the last coat of dye has dried apply a finisher to the couch as the final touch to obtain a glossy look. More than the look, the finisher will protect your dye and make sure it will last long.
You need to spray the leather finisher directly on the couch. Then rub the couch using a cloth soaked in water. Make sure that you don’t use the same cloth as in Step 1 and 2. You need to use a clean one.
Things to note while dying a leather Furniture
- It is important to use a well-ventilated area to do the dying. This is extremely important if you are an asthma patient or have allergy issues. A garage or an outdoor space would be ideal for you.
- To get the perfect dye you can mix two or more color. For example to get a darker brown you can mix a black dye to it.
- Always wear a pair of gloves to protect your hands. You must remember to take this precaution as Leather dyes are pretty strong and not so easy to come off.
- Always remember not to soak the leather while cleaning the sofa. It is always ideal to make use of a spray bottle to moist the sofa.
- You can place old clothes beneath the couch for a stable working position. It will also protect the floor from the furniture dye stains.
- It is better for 2 people to do the work than doing it alone.
- You should never skip the drying time between the coats of dye. It will affect the final look.
We hope that we have given some insights about how to dye leather couch.
However, we have often seen customers having many doubts about leather couch dye.
So, we will go through some of these questions below.
Can You Dye a Leather Couch? (Stupid Question, though)
This is one of the most asked questions when it comes to leather furniture dyes. The answer is Yes. You can dye a leather couch.
I have noticed that many of the customers are worried about the reactions the leather couch might have after dyeing. Leather dyes are chemicals and there are chances of a reaction when applied on the leather.
So, the best thing to do is a testing. You can apply the dye to a small portion of your leather couch before dyeing it completely. Its the simplest trick to test whether you can dye your leather sofa or not. If there’s no reaction, that means you’re good to go.
On the other hand, it is always best to check the chemical combinations of the dye you are buying. Almost all the products will give details of its chemical combinations and likely reactions.
What are the Best Leather Dyes for Couches
The best thing about leather dyes is that they don’t cost much. Even the best leather couch dyes won’t make you poor. That is why its good to choose the best ones while dyeing your leather furniture.
Some of the best rated leather couch dyes are listed below:
- Furniture Clinic – best recoloring balm
- Fiebing’s Leather Dye – the best and most bought leather dye
- Tarrago– the best rated leather dye
How much Dye Should You Buy?
This is another tricky question. You shouldn’t be short of sufficient quantity of dye once you start the work. If that’s the case, you’re going to have a hard time with half dyed leather sofa.
So, how much leather dye should you require?
It depends on the size of your leather sofa. Two 4- Oz bottle will be more than enough for a normal couch.
That’s it.
I wish we were able to answer most of your questions on leather furniture dyeing. If there’s anything more you need to know, please ask in the comments section and we are more than happy to help you out.
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