Before Preparation

After Preparation

Step 1. Prep the Leather

The first step is preparing the leather ready for applications of colour. We do this to remove any waxes, oils or silicones that may be present on the leather, not removing these could cause adhesion problems. Prepping the leather also removes the manufactured finish. If the leather is very dirty, clean it first with the leather ultra clean or warm soapy water.

Do the back & sides first. A lot of furniture these days have finished splits on the back & sides and using a strong cleaner like the leather prep would strip the colour off so we won't be using it on the sides. For the sides all you need to do is wipe them down with some alcohol cleaner on a cloth. Not prepping the back and sides as thoroughly as the rest of the leather won't affect the end results, this is because the back and sides aren't really used and so come under no, or very little stress

Because the seating cushions and other areas come under more stress (wear & tear) it is more important to prepare them. To do this it is best to rub them with the leather prep and an abrasive pad, this application removes the leather finish. A good way to apply this is to place two cotton wool balls on the abrasive pad and then wet them in prep, fold the abrasive pad over the balls and then use it to rub the leather. This way applies the prep in the correct and sparing way making the product last longer.

Prepping the leather in this manner will remove any creased and cracked areas on the leather. So it not only makes the leather ready for colouring but it greatly improves its appearance. Any severe cracks can be filled using heavy filler.

The leather is correctly prepped when you start to see colour transfer from the leather onto the abrasive pad or cloth. This indicates that the finish has been removed exposing the colour beneath. Any distinctive creases in the leather may wear through quicker than other areas once colour is applied (this would only happen on a colour change job, and is just a maybe). To reduce the chance of this happening wet some fine grade sandpaper (320+) in leather prep and rub along the crease to reduce it. Then proceed to the next step.

Step 2. Wipe the leather down with Alcohol Cleaner

The previous step will have removed the manufacturers finish and any silicones that are soluble in solvents. There are however some silicones like spray on polish and waxes that aren't soluble in solvents, and so to remove these we need to use the alcohol cleaner. After using the leather prep wipe the leather down with a cloth dampened in the alcohol cleaner and for ease of use you could also spray the alcohol cleaner directly onto the leather. Now wait 30 minutes for the cleaners to evaporate.

Step 3. Apply the first layer of colourant

Shake the bottle of colourant for about 3 minutes to make sure it is well mixed. Pour a small amount onto a sponge and rub into the leather. The idea is to sponge on a thin coat of colour working it into any gaps, creases and hard to reach areas. Apply light pressure here to work the colourant into the grain. If you apply too much pressure you may get a foam of colour on the surface, this is not a problem, just wipe it away with the sponge (gently).

Step 4. Spray on the colourant and leather finish

Wait 30 minutes for the colourant to thoroughly dry and then proceed to spray the colourant onto theleather. Set up your spray gun or airbrush and then spray the leather at a comfortable distance, being carefull not to over apply the colour. It is best to practice a bit on a piece of paper to get the hang of spraying first. Spray the colourant on in thin layers. This avoids runs and so makes for a nicer finish.

Because the colourant we're using is water based it takes a few minutes to dry. We therefore advise you to spray one area and then dry it using a hair drier. Doing it this way reduces the chance of runs. If you do see a run, just wipe it off with a cloth or sponge and then re-spray the area.

There is no right number of coats that should be applied to the leather. Spray on one coat and dry it off, then just keep spraying on a coat at a time until all the base colour is hidden. When you are happy that sufficient colourant has been applied, the Leather Finish should be sprayed on to the leather. First apply the glossy Super-Seal, in three-five coats, this forms the base of an incredibly flexible and durable finish. The glossy appearance, if unintended, will be altered to the desired finish with the application of the Leather Finish. 

After the super-seal has been given sufficient time to dry, the remaining leather finish should be applied, again using the entire contents of the bottle provided to cover the entire area in between three to five coats. Always remember to leave sufficient time for each coat to dry before applying the next.

Step 1. Prep the leather

The first stage is to prep the leather using an abrasive pad. This process removes the transparent manufactured finish applied to leather. Removing the finish allowing colour to properly adhere to the leather.

As shown in the photo, as the finish is removed, so is the colour (but not all the colour). Basically, when you remove some colour form an area, that indicates the finish has been removed, and so, you can move onto the next area.
 

Once you have prepped an area with the abrasive pad, you often get a lot of prep and colour sitting on the surface. This is very common with old Rolls Royce, jaguar, Bentley, Aston Martin and other cars that used Connolly leather.

So, we wipe the leather with a cloth to remove the excess prep & colour. This tends not to happen as much with modern cars (1980's +) as the way leather was made changed, becoming more resilient against the prep. Not to worry though, it doesn't affect the end result!

The photo to the left shows what the leather should look like after being prepped. You can see where the colour has almost completely been removed in the middle flutes of the seat. Notice that the shine has also gone making the leather look more matt. This is the main indicator of correctly prepped leather (no shine), as the colour will not always be removed.

Important Note: Leather is painted, that is how a wide variety of colours are achieved. When leather becomes old, it looks as though it cracks, but most of the time it is actually the paint that is cracked, not the leather itself. When you prep the leather, the painted layer is either removed or reduced greatly (as shown in the above picture) and so all the cracks are removed as well. This makes for a very smooth finish and excellent end result.

Step 2. Clean thoroughly with Alcohol Cleaner

Using a cloth, wipe the leather down with the alcohol cleaner. This process removes any waxes, oils or silicones that may be on the leather. Removing these gives better adhesion of colour.

As you can see so far, like any job, preparation is the key to success. Take your time when doing it and your end results will be great. Its not a hard job to do - it can just be quite time consuming!

Step 3. Fill any remaining cracks with Flexifil

After prepping the leather, there may still be a few small cracks in the leather. These are fixed by spreading the Flexifil over the leather with a pallete knife. The filler only sits in the cracked leather. After applying a layer, leave for 5-10 minutes to dry. Build the flexifil up in thin layers until all cracks are filled to be level with the surface of the leather.

The leather should then sanded smooth using fine 1200 grit sand paper.

Step 4. Sponge on the first layer of colourant 

Once the leather has been properly cleaned and all repairs have been made, it is then time to apply the colour.

The first coat is applied by sponge. This is done to work the colour into hard to reach areas and to also minimise later spray applications. As you can see by the photo, the colourant used is highly concentrated and so, changes the colour of the leather quickly.

Step 5. Spray on the colourant & Finish

The next step is to spray the leather colourant onto the leather using the airbrush in the kit. To start with, spray the colour around the edges of the piping and in between the seat flutes.

This is covering the harder to reach areas first, which in the end, makes the job easier, and uses less colourant. Then proceed to spray the colourant on in thin coats over the seats until it looks nice and uniform. Always let the previous layer of colourant dry before spraying more on top.

After applying the colourant you should then seal it in with the finish. First spray on the Super-Seal, spray this on in 3-4 coats, then the Leather Finish should be applied. Spray on the leather finish in approximately 7-8 thin coats for best results. Always remember to leave time for each layer to dry before applying the next.