How to Paint a Leather Couch to Look as Good as New?

Can You Paint a Leather Couch?

Although the best material for a couch and other furniture, leather couches are subject to wear and tear if not well taken care of and maintained, especially if you have kids and pets. Peeling and cracking are the common cons of leather furniture.

Can you paint a leather couch? Absolutely yes! If it has won out, you can paint your leather couch to give it a fresh new look. Ideally, you get to paint it if you need a color change. For instance, you can change the leather color of a black couch to brown or any other color of your choice.

Apart from the normal cleaning of a leather couch, they also need to be applied with leather gel regularly to maintain their unique and attractive appearance. However, if you have stayed with your leather couch for quite a period of time and you feel like you need a color change for it, then you can paint it whatever color you want.

Moreover, painting a leather couch is simple and affordable. It is the best fallback plan if you are short on money to buy a new leather couch which is normally very expensive.

How to Paint a Leather Couch to Look as Good as New?

You don’t just get to paint a leather couch with any kind of paint. Some paints are specifically made for leather couches (or any other leather furniture or accessories). The best thing is that everything you need to paint your leather couch with is affordable.

Here are the steps to painting a leather couch

What you will need:

• Leather paint, prep, and finisher
• Soft damp cloth
• Drop cloth

Steps:

1. Clean Your Leather Couch

The first step to painting your leather couch is by cleaning it. Take a soft damp cloth and wipe out all the dust that might have accumulated over time. Applying leather paint while your couch is dirty may not make the process as smooth and effective as it should be.

2. Drop Cloth

Place a drop cloth underneath your leather couch or the furniture you are painting to prevent paint from getting to your floor. Painting can get messy and that doesn’t mean you should make your floor a mess.

3. Disassemble Your Leather Couch

If your leather couch has removable parts that you may need to disassemble for easy painting, then that would be great. However, it is still ok paint the way it is if disassembling is not possible. Plus, if other parts of your leather couch may not need to be painted, you can carefully do that by using the painter’s tape to set a boundary.

4. Prep the Leather Couch

Put a generous amount of rubbing alcohol (or you can get any other leather prepare and deglaze) on a soft cloth and massage your couch to get rid of all the dirt that may have accumulated on your couch over the years. And let it dry (it will most likely dry immediately).

Don’t get worried if some of the dirt doesn’t get wiped out, it will eventually be covered with the leather paint. This mostly happens on light-colored leather couches like brown leather couches

5. Apply Your Paint

Best brands of leather paints like the Angelus have over 30 shades. Plus, they also sell in small sizes so you can buy a few to test to be able to decide on which one to go with.

You can use a sponge or brush to apply the paint and please make sure you put on gloves or it might be hard getting off the paint from your hands.

Shake the paint bottle then put a generous amount on your sponge or brush and start rubbing then start rubbing it on your couch surface. Repeat the process on every part of the couch for the paint to soak in your couch.

Ideally, you can use your hands (if you have gloves on) to massage the paint to the surface of your couch. Just pour a generous amount of leather paint on your couch surface then massage gently with your fingers until it penetrates.

6. Make Sure You Don’t Skip Painting Other Parts

For tufted couches or those with sleek lines, be careful not to skip painting the tufted areas on them. Make sure you apply leather paint to every part of the sofa for a uniform look. Cover all the details with the new paint, it is very important.

7. Apply Multiple Coats

One coat may not be enough to give your couch a new standard look. You may need to apply multiple coats, mostly 2 or 3. Give time before applying coats, at least after every 1 hour in between coats.

8. Time to Dry

Once you have achieved your desired look and the degree of the color you want for your couch, it is important to give it some time off to try. You can choose to let it be for a whole day if you are not in so much hurry to use it. Otherwise, 6 to 8 hours is enough for it to dry.

9. Apply Finisher

The last step to a new and revived leather couch color is to apply the leather finisher in every part of the couch. You can either choose a matte or glossy look. They all look great you just have to choose one that you find good for you.

Apply the finisher in small amounts until all the parts of the couch are covered then give it some time to dry. Don’t freak if your finisher appears with a different hue when applying, it will definitely disappear after some time. Also, the finisher may take some time before it dries, give it at least 6 hours and your couch will be good for use again.

How Do you Prepare Leather Couch for Painting?

Before painting your leather couch, there is a number of things you need to do to ensure the painting process runs smoothly and effectively.

Thoroughly clean your leather couch with rubbing alcohol to clean and remove grease, oil, and any form of dirt that might be lingering on your couch. You can also use sandpaper to remove tough stains if the rubbing alcohol fails to work completely.

How to Prevent Acrylic Paint from Cracking On Leather

Here is how to prevent acrylic paint from cracking on leather:

• Apply paint in thin layers.
• apply the paint when the environment is warm.
• Avoid mixing different brands of paint.
• Dont apply heat to dry the paint.
• Use an acrylic paint sealant.

What Is the Best Paint for Leather?

Painting a leather couch is a unique and affordable way of giving an old and worn-out couch a new look. It is a perfect DIY especially if you don’t have enough money to buy a new leather couch which is expensive in most cases. All you need is leather paint from a store near you or online, and a painting brush or sponge.

What is the best paint for leather? The best and common types of leather paint are:

1. Acrylic paint
2. Metallic paint
3. Pearlescent paint
4. Leather dyes

We will in great detail discuss these types of paints before discussing the best paints so you can have a clear knowledge of which one to go for if you are looking forward to painting your leather couch or any other furniture in your home.

Acrylic Leather Paint

Acrylic leather paint is a water solvent but it is water-resistant once applied on a leather surface. They are ideal for painting leather accessories such as boots, jackets, athletic shoes, and leather purses.

They are unique and the best leather paint as they can be easily mixed with other colors. Plus, in case of a mess, while painting, they can be washed away and reapplied to get your desired look. However, acrylic leather paint is only water-resistant once applied on a leather surface and left to dry.

Metallic Leather Paint

Metallic leather paint is glossy and opaque in color. It is best used for decorating or edging smooth leather along with vinyl paint.

Pearlescent Leather Paint

Pearlescent leather paint is used in automobiles. Mostly the inner parts like the dash panels and cup holders for a brilliant shine more than the metallic leather paints.

Leather Dye

Unlike paints, leather dyes are way durable and would prevent your leather couch or any other furniture from peeling and cracking. They are easily absorbed into the surface of the leather and are very effective.

However, leather dyes are less brilliant than leather paints. Plus, you are likely to miss a color of your choice as they are less in variety.

Best Leather Paints You Should Buy

Below is a review of the best leather paints that you should go for in case you are looking into painting your leather couch or any other leather furniture in your home that is old and worn out. They are:

[wptb id=727]

1. Angelus leather paint
2. Smalltongue leather paints
3. Magicfly store leather paint
4. Nicpro leather paint
5. Fumile leather paint

Angelus Leather Paint

The angelus leather paint is the best you could find in the market today. They are of high quality, versatile, available in a variety of colors, and highly durable.

They are the best for painting the exterior of leather furniture and leather accessories. Plus, they are reasonably priced and also sold in small sizes to give room for trying before buying the actual one that you would want to use on your leather furniture and accessories.

They are available in different sizes and different reasonable price ranges and you can check them here on amazon.

Can You Spray Paint a Leather Couch?

Most homeowners who have tried to paint their leather couch or any other furniture, have most likely found out that spray paint is the best and easy way of painting leather furniture. However, not all may agree to this since it is easier for the paint to drip on the floor or spread to other parts of the house. But you can easily prevent this by spray painting outside the house or any open area.

Can you spray paint a leather couch? Yes! You can use spray paint on a leather couch. However, the first step is to make sure you have the right leather paint. Using the right leather paint will prevent your couch from peeling and cracking.

Also, if there is any part of your leather couch that doesn’t need to be painted, you will need to prevent that from happening with a painter’s tape. The legs are usually the most vulnerable but a painter’s tape will help.

I have discussed the best types of leather paints above. They are highly durable, versatile, and reasonably priced.

How Long Does Spray Paint Take to Dry On Leather?

The time that paint will take to dry on a leather couch or furniture depends on the type of paint you are using. However, after an hour or 2, the paint should have dried. Ideally, for better results, you can give your leather furniture at least 6 to 8 hours and it will be good to use.

Conclusion

Leather paint does seem like the best, simple, and affordable way to revive an old and worn-out leather couch, leather accessories, or furniture to give them a new look. It is affordable as you won’t have to spend as much as you would when buying a new leather couch. Plus, it is more of a DIY.

also check: how to clean leather couches (DIY)

the best black leather couches