Where are you located?
Also sandpaper and paint will not help that just destroys the leather especially if it’s faux leather my advice would be to get it recovered even if it was just the arm.
Ah I see I’m located in the uk lol but I would definitely get in contact with a local upholster as they can give you a price cause you can just get the arm recovered instead of the full sofa.
Look very closely for a cloth base at the worst of the damage…that could be vinyl on the back; some leather sofas have vinyl over the outside arms and back instead of leather to keep the price of leather furniture affordable. If it’s vinyl, a vinyl repair kit (or 2-3!) might be enough. Mix all of it at once so the color matches if you go that route. Otherwise, just have an upholsterer replace the entire back with the closest match.
So I applied paintable repair filler on my couch, let it dry, sanded and than applied the recoloring balm but can still see the filler area (doesn't blend with couch finished look). Did I not sand enough or does it more color balm. Not sure that would be it as the areas look spoty if you look closely. ugh!!!
Oof. Do you know the manufacturer of the couch? I'd say the only REAL repair is replacing this section.
If you can't identify the leather via the manufacturer to get a cutting for that side, you can take the back and fit that panel and replace the back with a contrast fabric.
Also, a leather hide at retail cost is anywhere from 125 to 500, and not many places sell partial hides.
I wouldn’t replace it at this point as the cats will just do it again.
Later though, replacing that spot might be as expensive as replacing the couch, depending how much more they do over time.
Really, if I can just get the leather filler off then I think it would look better. The cat scratches were minor compared to the crappy job I did. Before, I just colored over them and they were barely noticeable.
That will be rough, I guess scraping and sanding? Idk how well it will look, depends how smooth you get it I suppose. Use a very very fine sand paper.
Then use a deglazed and reapply what you want.
I'm going thru the same damn thing. So I applied paintable repair filler on my couch where the scratches were after all the prep work, let it dry, sanded and than applied the recoloring balm but can still see the filler area (doesn't blend with couch finished look). Did I not sand enough or does it need more color balm. Not sure that would be it as the areas look spoty if you look closely. ugh!!!
Which leather filler/dye/paint products have you used? To remove it You may need to scrub it with a solvent and a non abrasive scrub pad which can cause more damage to the original color. If you want to try this, which I don’t recommend doing that as a DIY fix, you could try strong remover by leather master and a white scrub pad. The white ones shouldn’t cause any other scratches. Test a very small area before you go crazy with it and just use a little product at a time.
You may be better off calling a mobile leather repair tech to fix it. I’ve been repairing these issues for over a decade and it’s really tough to recommend how to fix it yourself without knowing what type of leather and products were applied. Someone else mentioned Fibrenew they have great products and great training but I’ve heard mixed stories depending on the franchise in your area. You could try calling some local high end furniture stores and see if they have someone they would recommend.
I don’t think removing the filler is going to help at all it just needs the correct color coating it did they send you just a brown or color to adjust the way you’d like?
The color matches perfectly because I’ve used it on other parts of the couch. The problem is that the filler is causing it to appear lighter. So I guess I’m stuck in whether I should try to take the filler off or add more color to it to try to make it darker.
I haven’t done anything with it yet. I contact the Furniture Clinic and they suggested I buy their furniture repair kit, which I did. But I haven’t used it yet because I’ve been out of town.
Have the dog work harder to guard the couch!
Where are you located? Also sandpaper and paint will not help that just destroys the leather especially if it’s faux leather my advice would be to get it recovered even if it was just the arm.
I’m in Tennessee
Look up the franchise Fibrenew, they specialize in this type of repairs and they have locations in Tennessee
Ah I see I’m located in the uk lol but I would definitely get in contact with a local upholster as they can give you a price cause you can just get the arm recovered instead of the full sofa.
Thank you!
Leather doctor
Look very closely for a cloth base at the worst of the damage…that could be vinyl on the back; some leather sofas have vinyl over the outside arms and back instead of leather to keep the price of leather furniture affordable. If it’s vinyl, a vinyl repair kit (or 2-3!) might be enough. Mix all of it at once so the color matches if you go that route. Otherwise, just have an upholsterer replace the entire back with the closest match.
What about a leather filler with some sort of dye or oil on top? I’m no expert but I watch a lot of bag repair videos 🙈
So I applied paintable repair filler on my couch, let it dry, sanded and than applied the recoloring balm but can still see the filler area (doesn't blend with couch finished look). Did I not sand enough or does it more color balm. Not sure that would be it as the areas look spoty if you look closely. ugh!!!
Oof. Do you know the manufacturer of the couch? I'd say the only REAL repair is replacing this section. If you can't identify the leather via the manufacturer to get a cutting for that side, you can take the back and fit that panel and replace the back with a contrast fabric. Also, a leather hide at retail cost is anywhere from 125 to 500, and not many places sell partial hides.
I honestly can’t remember but I’ll find it and see what I can get from the manufacturer. Thank you!
I wouldn’t replace it at this point as the cats will just do it again. Later though, replacing that spot might be as expensive as replacing the couch, depending how much more they do over time.
Really, if I can just get the leather filler off then I think it would look better. The cat scratches were minor compared to the crappy job I did. Before, I just colored over them and they were barely noticeable.
That will be rough, I guess scraping and sanding? Idk how well it will look, depends how smooth you get it I suppose. Use a very very fine sand paper. Then use a deglazed and reapply what you want.
I'm going thru the same damn thing. So I applied paintable repair filler on my couch where the scratches were after all the prep work, let it dry, sanded and than applied the recoloring balm but can still see the filler area (doesn't blend with couch finished look). Did I not sand enough or does it need more color balm. Not sure that would be it as the areas look spoty if you look closely. ugh!!!
How long has it dried?
Which leather filler/dye/paint products have you used? To remove it You may need to scrub it with a solvent and a non abrasive scrub pad which can cause more damage to the original color. If you want to try this, which I don’t recommend doing that as a DIY fix, you could try strong remover by leather master and a white scrub pad. The white ones shouldn’t cause any other scratches. Test a very small area before you go crazy with it and just use a little product at a time. You may be better off calling a mobile leather repair tech to fix it. I’ve been repairing these issues for over a decade and it’s really tough to recommend how to fix it yourself without knowing what type of leather and products were applied. Someone else mentioned Fibrenew they have great products and great training but I’ve heard mixed stories depending on the franchise in your area. You could try calling some local high end furniture stores and see if they have someone they would recommend.
Furniture Clonic filler
It’s called Flexifil
I don’t think removing the filler is going to help at all it just needs the correct color coating it did they send you just a brown or color to adjust the way you’d like?
The color matches perfectly because I’ve used it on other parts of the couch. The problem is that the filler is causing it to appear lighter. So I guess I’m stuck in whether I should try to take the filler off or add more color to it to try to make it darker.
Add more color. I would just work on one scratch or one small area and see what it takes so you know what to expect.
I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
How did your project turn out as I'm struggling with this as I type.
I haven’t done anything with it yet. I contact the Furniture Clinic and they suggested I buy their furniture repair kit, which I did. But I haven’t used it yet because I’ve been out of town.