You don’t have to live with a solid yet weary-looking leather lounge occupying the heart of your home. With the right products, you can dramatically improve how it looks whilst extending its viable life. So whether you love the comfort level, don’t want to contribute to landfill or don’t want to splash out on new furniture, this may be your next DIY restoration.

1) Clean and prep the surface using Spot & Prep (No.4)

2) Apply Aniline Dye Stain (No.29)

3) Apply 1 or more layers of Colour Restoration Cream (No.32)

Optional: Apply protective Topcoat (No.7) (sold separately)

Accessories are available separately.

- White microfibre cloths

- Scrubbing brush

- Application sponges

- Drop sheets

When it comes to colour and finish, this kit puts back what the years have taken away. The colour has depth, is unified and glows with a luminous quality. The protective finish is refreshed and feels good to touch. You can control the level of shine using Dulling Agent (No.30) (sold separately). Stains and surface imperfections are lightly covered and subtley blended. Maintain a natural look whilst smoothing the effects of time.

With each step and each product, start at the back or sides. This gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with how your leather receives them before moving to the front face of your furniture.

Together with a scrubbing brush and microfibre cloth, Spot & Prep (No.4) removes waxes, silicones, heavy soiling, marks and surface grease. Cleaning aniline and semi-aniline leathers can be confusing because the cleaner sinks into the leather immediately and very little soiling is visible on the cleaning cloth. Just the same, it is important to thoroughly clean all areas before commencing colour work as any remaining contaminants can prevent even coverage and compromise the longevity of results.

- You may notice that the cleaning step reveals the true condition of the leather and any original coatings as scratches and porosity show as darker areas.

- Don’t over work marks and stains. Harsh cleaning and had rubbing can lead to dents and damage. Stains in aniline leathers tend to be permanent and will not come out. There's no benefit to saturating the leather or rubbing extra hard.

Find detailed information about Spot & Prep (No.4) here.

Whilst pigments (paints) tend to be UV stable, dyes are less so. If your once rich tan lounge is now many shades of grey, it's because the sun has bleached the original dyes.

Using a shade that is as close as possible to the original colour or up to a couple of shades darker, the dye stain is sponged onto the leather, one area at a time using firm, uniform strokes. It penetrates into the leather and due to the natural, fibrous nature of leather, there may be irregular absorption of the dye resulting in a variable or somewhat uneven result. Don’t be alarmed. This step is about re-balancing the faded areas with the non-faded areas and about creating a richer base colour, which gives depth the final result.

- If your leather has dark stains, select a colour that is between the original colour and the dark colours. It is possible to go darker in some cases. Extra dye stain may be needed to ensure a deep even based tone.

- If needed, additional applications can be applied to further strengthen or balance the colour.

- If the dye stain in your kit is more concentrated (darker) than your job requires, it can be diluted with water to produce a lighter tint.

- If the colour is not quite right for your job, colours can be mixed to create new ones. Aniline Dye Stain (No.29) is sold separately in a variety of sizes.

- Dye stain can be applied by hand or by spray gun.

Find detailed infomation about Aniline Dye Stain (No.29) here.

Both beautiful and practical, Colour Restoration Cream (No.32) is applied by sponge in layers. The colour looks lighter when wet and dries darker. Don’t worry if your first coat is not perfectly even. The second and subsequent coats work wonders. It can be applied generously for more coverage or in thin coats for a more sheer effect.

Leather Hero's unique formulation:

- Leather Paints provide a degree of coverage, lightly concealing blemishes, fading and stains.

- Aniline Dyes provide a luminous quality to the colour echoing the original dyed or ‘natural leather’ appearance.

- Resins hold the colour, bond to the surface and provide a protective finish.

Optional additives:

- Dulling Agent (No.30) can be added to flatten the level of shine

- Topcoat (No.7) can be mixed into your last 1-2 coats (approx 10-20% topcoat) and/or applied over the colour cream to maximise the durability of your job.

Find detailed infomation about Colour Restoration Cream (No.32) here.

Coatings are touch dry in 1 hours, dry in 2 days and cured in 14 days. Allow at least 2 days before using and complete drying before wiping with water or applying products.

Good leather care includes a 3 monthly clean, conditon and protection treatment. Now that your aniline leather has protective coatings, you can choose from 3 different conditioners/kits.

- Nubuck, Suede & Aniline Care Kit: this kit is the lightest combination. It is designed to not add extra shine or cause darkening.

- Leather Care Kit: this all rounder provides a cleaner, conditioner and protector suitable for coated leathers.

- Waxy Care Kit - this kit comes with a cleaner plus your choice of matte or shiny waxy conditioner.

Protect (No.3) is an anti-soiling treatment, inhibits stains, makes cleaning easier and has a UV barrier to help prevent fading. It is available separately. In rare cases, aniline leather may darken. Test before use.

Don’t forget to take a good set of ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots. We love to see them, so please send them to us at info@leatherhero.com.au or to 0490 796 012.

See examples of customer jobs completed using this kit in the Customer Before & After Gallery.