A product for restoring the surface of leather products or its substitute, called “liquid leather,” appeared relatively recently. Using this substance, you can quickly mask small scuffs that have formed on the surface of a sofa or chair, make small cracks on a jacket sleeve invisible, or repair boots with knocked toes. At the same time, you don’t have to be a specialist in leatherworking, and repair cream can be bought in a store at a very affordable price.
What is liquid skin and what is it used for?
Compound
Liquid leather is a mixture of polymers based on alcohol and water. The composition also includes an adhesive base, rubber resins and dyes of different colors, in fact, allowing you to choose from the entire rich palette exactly the color that you need for a particular product.
What does liquid skin look like and how much does it cost?
This product is a rather thick, viscous mass, with a consistency reminiscent of a gel. It is usually sold in a plastic tube or bottle with a special brush cap for easy application to the surface.
Which products are updated with liquid leather?
The product is used for various products made of genuine leather and many types of leatherette and leatherette.
There are a huge number of types of products where the substance will provide indispensable assistance in repair:
- sofas, armchairs and other home furniture covered in leather;
- shoes;
- clothing (jackets, coats, raincoats, gloves, jackets) and bags;
- leather (imitation leather) surfaces inside the car and much more.
Color variety of liquid skin
The palette of paints on the market is quite diverse. These include classic black and brown colors, as well as red, yellow, green and many others. Also, if it is necessary to obtain some exotic color shade, it is possible to obtain it using combinations of primary colors, using special tables for mixing liquid leather colors.
How to make a pattern if the surface was not perfectly smooth, but had a pattern
A napkin soaked in an adhesive solution is applied to the undamaged area of the surface, which, after drying, will preserve the shaped surface of the product. This stencil can be briefly applied to the surface of the wet putty to obtain an impression. The textured front side has now been restored using a template and a layer of coloring composition can now be applied.
Complete restoration of a handbag
Advantages and disadvantages of “liquid skin”
This product really has a lot of advantages, here are just a few of them:
- easy application to the surface;
- quick drying;
- strength and elasticity, which allows you to recreate the contours of the product;
- high wear resistance and long service life;
- safety and non-toxic for humans and animals.
If we talk about shortcomings, they are practically absent. Relative disadvantages are the limited color palette, but this can be solved, as already written above, by diluting the colors according to a special scheme. It can also be noted that the volume of damaged surface to be repaired is still limited to reasonable limits.
Repairing significant damage
To restore leather products damaged by a cut or tear of the material, it is necessary to use a backing made of fabric, gauze or a piece of leather. It all depends on the thickness of the leather product and the shape of the damaged area.
The cleaned area is degreased with alcohol, a piece of leather is glued on, straightened from the inside. After the glue has completely dried, clean the damaged area with a soft sponge. If a section of the surface is missing, you can use a manufactured stencil and, after applying putty, transfer the textured pattern using the imprint method. After the area to be restored has dried, you can begin painting the product.
Professional set for leather restoration
Which stores sell liquid leather and how much does it cost?
Today you can purchase a product in different ways. Both offline and online. It is most often found on sale in specialized household chemical stores, shoe and furniture stores. You can also buy the product in many online stores with convenient delivery.
The price range for a tube or bottle with one color, depending on the manufacturer, is between 200–600 rubles. There are also entire sets of different colors on the market; they will cost the buyer a little more, about 500–800 rubles.
Liquid leather brands
There are many brands and manufacturers of the product, both imported and domestic. Some of the most popular brands on the Russian market are brands such as Flexstep (Russia), Liquid leather (Russia), Saphir (France).
Flexstep Liquid Leather
Russian brand, found both in the form of individual bottles with one color, and as part of a multi-color set. The set includes 7 bottles of 17 ml each with different colors. In the first case, a 50 ml bottle will cost approximately 550–600 rubles. A set of seven colors costs around 1000 rubles. The products of this brand have long proven themselves in the Russian market, production is carried out to high quality standards, and all products are covered by a one-year warranty.
Liquid leather
It is also a domestic brand, marked by positive reviews from most customers. Presented in a 125 ml bottle, there is also a set of 7 20 ml bottles, including black, brown, white, green, red, blue and yellow. The cost of one large bottle with the selected color is about 650 rubles, but a set can be purchased at a price of 600 rubles.
Liquid leather Saphir
This brand is presented in 25 ml tubes. The product is presented in a very rich color palette, including various shades of brown, pink, beige, purple, classic colors. There are 40 shades in total. The price of one tube will cost about 500 rubles. This cream has increased moisture resistance.
How to use liquid skin
What will be needed for repairs
To repair a damaged surface you will need:
- in fact, the liquid leather itself, matching the color of the product;
- sandpaper for cleaning the surface;
- alcohol or other detergent to degrease it.
It is also advisable to use glue to pre-glue the surfaces of a crack or tear.
Product preparation
First you need to clean the surface of the product with sandpaper. If the cut or hole is large enough, you need to glue it so that the edges lie tightly together and let the glue dry. Afterwards, degrease the surface by wiping it with alcohol or a special cleaning liquid.
How to mix colors
If some exotic leather color is needed for repairs, which is not possible to directly buy in a store, you can get it yourself by mixing various primary colors (the most common).
You need to know that there are three primary colors from which all others can be made - red, yellow and blue. A special chart for mixing colors is usually included in the instructions with the product. The table for selecting color combinations is also presented below.
| Available colors | Colors obtained by mixing |
| Getting secondary colors | |
| Red + Yellow | Orange |
| Yellow + Blue | Green |
| Blue + Red | Violet |
| Getting transition colors | |
| Yellow + Green | Yellow-green |
| Blue + Purple | Blue-violet |
| Blue + Green | Blue-green |
| Red + Purple | Red-violet |
Where and how is liquid skin applied?
Liquid skin is applied to the damaged area using a special brush, which is often included in the kit. First, it is recommended to glue the surfaces close to each other using a piece of gauze from the inside.
As a rule, application is carried out in two layers. The first layer is applied evenly, leaving to dry for some time. A layer of liquid leather is then reapplied.
Drying liquid skin
It is advisable to make the first layer thin; it should dry within 2–3 hours. The second layer is also applied in a thin layer. It is necessary to allow the repair area to dry thoroughly for 12 hours, after which the product will be completely ready for use.
Leatherette sofa repair: it all depends on the scale of the problem
The first thing to do is assess the extent and nature of the damage. Typically, people need to order sofa upholstery for the following reasons:
- spots appeared on it;
- cracks, scratches or tears have appeared in one or two places;
- completely deteriorated - worn out, large holes formed in it.
Stains, scratches and small tears on a leather sofa, both natural and artificial, can be easily treated. But making a full carry on your own is more difficult.
How to make “liquid skin” with your own hands
If you suddenly don’t have the opportunity or desire to buy a finished product in a store, or simply don’t have the color you need in stock, then it’s possible to make an analogue of liquid leather yourself.
For this you will need:
- a solvent based on acetone;
- pipette;
- a piece of leather suitable in color and structure can be cut from an inconspicuous place of the item being repaired;
- spatula knife.
Next, you need to apply a drop of solvent to this piece of leather using a pipette and scrape off the dissolved paint with a knife or spatula, then apply it to the damaged area and evenly level it with a spatula.
Masking cracks in leatherette
Liquid Skin does a great job of masking cracks. It is based on alcohol, which penetrates the top layer of skin at the site of injury. To hide cracks, follow these steps:
- Cut a piece of gauze the same size as the size of the injury.
- Apply gauze to the cracked area.
- Apply the solution with a spatula.
- After 10-15 minutes it is recommended to apply another layer.
After drying, you will notice that the damaged area and the artificial skin have become one. It is impossible to determine with the naked eye where the damage was.
Question answer
Storage of liquid skin
If the recommended storage conditions are observed - a temperature of about 0 degrees, the shelf life is 2 years. The natural service life of the used product for its intended purpose is about 35 years.
How to dilute liquid skin if it is dry?
If the paste thickens, it can be diluted with a small amount of alcohol or vodka.
How to wipe off loose skin?
You can carefully remove loose skin using alcohol-containing substances.
General recommendations:
- The most important thing in restoring leatherette is restoring the original pattern. For example, it is better to paint over a small damaged area with a brush or aerosol. Before starting work, it is advisable to degrease the surface for better adhesion of the artificial leather to the polymer.
- “Liquid skin” should be applied in two stages: first, on the damaged first layer, and two hours later, on the second.
- If the furniture has a large number of abrasions, cracks and cuts, then it will be impossible to restore it. You are unlikely to be able to restore the former appearance of a sofa with leatherette in a rare color (turquoise, light green, coral, purple), since the applied shade will differ from the factory color.
- It is impossible to recreate a complex leather pattern by using a napkin with a relief imprint, which is used only to imitate the fine structure of the leather covering.
- The aerosol coloring pigment should be sprayed at a distance of at least 20 cm. It is advisable to carry out painting work in a respirator or protective mask to reduce the risk of penetration of the product into the respiratory tract. Also, do not forget to wear plastic gloves on your hands, which are used by hairdressers when dyeing hair.
