HOW DO YOU RENOVATE A CRACKED LEATHER SOFA?
Apart from incidents caused by a cat's claws, the stains we might cause, the scratches and cigarette burns it can endure, cracks can also appear on your sofa. Cracking is a fairly common issue with poorly maintained leather sofas. In reality, they result from various distinct factors.
At Sofolk, we don't just limit ourselves to simply repairing leather cracks; we address the causes with nourishing oil to extend the lifespan of your leather sofa.
Nourishes and softens the leather of your sofa, including crackled leathers
Restores leather resistance to stretching and tearing
Cracked Leather: Why Does This Happen?
Lack of Maintenance
Just like any skin that is not cared for, leather dries out, gets wrinkled, and consequently cracks. In other words, leather is a material that wears over time. Without protection and maintenance, leather tends to crack and split. While it is natural for your leather sofa to experience changes in color and appearance over time, cracks appear due to lack of maintenance.
Temperature Fluctuations: Heat and Cold
When it's hot, leather dehydrates. On the other hand, when it's cold, the leather fibers contract and your sofa becomes dull. From hot to cold and vice versa, your leather sofa undergoes these temperature variations.
The Sun and Its UV Rays
Too much exposure to the sun will dry out and discolor the leather.
Water
Lastly, the final cause of cracks on your leather sofa is water. Indeed, water and leather do not mix well. In the long term, water deteriorates leather. It should also be noted that wet leather that dries quickly will harden and become "cardboard-like."
In summary, lack of maintenance, water, the sun, and temperature fluctuations are the main enemies of your leather sofa.
How to Repair Cracks on a Leather Sofa?
Repairing cracked leather is done using a specific repair paste that remains flexible once dry. Sofolk’s RépaCuir is specially formulated to repair leather cracks. However, our paste is white (or Anthracite), and due to its color, a recoloring of the entire sofa or armchair is necessary to hide your repairs.
This "liquid leather" in paste form acts like a filler to fill the hollow spaces. While remaining flexible, it repairs the cracks in your sofa durably and also repairs leather tears, snags, and cigarette burns. Available in a tube, this product is applied using a small spatula (or the right angle of a piece of cardboard). However, a recoloring of the leather will be necessary to hide the repairs made.
It should be noted that the repair paste is applied only on previously degreased and clean leather. Then, you need to lightly sand the area to be restored with sandpaper (240 grit) before applying the repair paste in small layers into the hollows. Once the paste has dried (about 30 minutes), sand again lightly. Note that as it dries, the repair paste contracts, requiring at least 2 to 3 applications. The result should be a smooth surface to the touch, even if it means sanding the excess paste.
However, repairing cracks is not an end in itself. At Sofolk, we go beyond just repairing your cracked leather.
How to Prevent Cracks from Appearing on a Leather Sofa?
Leather is a noble but sensitive material. Without the presence of oil in the fiber matrix, the sofa loses its warmth, softness, and longevity. Lack of maintenance thus promotes cracking.
As an exclusive brand, we offer a nourishing oil to restore strength and suppleness to your leather sofa. This oil penetrates, nourishes, and lubricates the leather fibers of your sofa, allowing them to slide against each other without gripping, using a proven method with perfectly natural components and no turpentine. Thus, the formation of cracks is completely eliminated.
Two to three applications are needed each year, using a washcloth barely soaked in nourishing oil. This maintenance is essential to preserve the vitality of your leather sofa.
Renovating a Cracked Leather Sofa: Our Tips
Renovating a cracked leather sofa involves several steps. There is no point in trying to hide the cracks with dye. To start, you need to do a thorough cleaning using appropriate products.
Cleaning: An Essential Step for Effective Repair
Is your leather sofa worn out? Do you want to renovate an armchair with cracked leather? There are solutions to renovate worn leather. Sofolk offers an effective and easy-to-apply product. Before proceeding with the repair of your furniture, start with a good cleaning.
For a successful repair, it is essential to remove embedded dirt. To do this, use a leather cleaner. Avoid applying cleansing milk or soap that is not suitable. As a manufacturer specializing in maintenance solutions for all types of leather, Sofolk offers a very practical cleaning kit. You can easily degrease your sofa or armchair using the cloth and sebum cleaner included in this kit. The wax bottle will be useful for regular maintenance.
However, this product is not suitable for suede or nubuck.
Repairing Cracked Leather with a Quality Product
After thoroughly cleaning your leather armchair or sofa, you can start its renovation. At Sofolk, your manufacturer specializing in leather maintenance, you will find a particularly effective repair paste. This quality product allows you to repair cracks, but also holes and tears.
Available in white and dark gray, this product can be used on supports of different colors. It will be necessary to color the leather afterwards. Easy to apply, this liquid cream guarantees a lasting result.
For simplicity, you can opt for a repair kit to renovate a cracked leather sofa. This way, you will have all the necessary products for cleaning, repairing, and maintaining your furniture.
Applying Dye for a Polished Finish
Since Sofolk's repair paste is essentially a renovation product, you will need to apply a finishing dye.
The leather sofa repair kit contains a bottle of pigment dye. The advantage is that you will enjoy a wide range of available colors. Enough to please yourself and match your sofa's style to your home decor!
For a perfect result and optimal resistance, Sofolk recommends applying a varnish. Not only will this give you a satiny, glossy, or matte finish, but it will also protect the leather. The dye will hold for a long time and the protective film will limit the appearance of dirt.
Our Tips for Maintaining Your Sofas and Armchairs
Renovating a cracked leather sofa allows you to restore its shine. However, to keep it in good condition over time, it is important to carry out regular maintenance.
For this, Sofolk has developed a range of quality products specially designed to nourish the leather. Applying a protective wax will help limit damage caused by moisture and friction. The nourishing oil will provide suppleness by penetrating directly into the leather fibers, thus maintaining its warmth and softness.
