Redying a leather couch (sofa, color, furniture, living room)

[Quietude]

So I found a very nice slightly vintage couch that is 90% of what I was looking for and about 125% a great find at the price. Cowboy/western style, soft but not deep-squishy, scuffed and a few stains but otherwise in excellent condition. Some of the leather across the broad tops of the back cushions feels a tad dry.

It is, however, a medium tan, and my living room is black. So I am going to recondition and dye the leather, probably to a deep charcoal rather than a jet black, with a satin/nongloss finish.

I know the basics - have worked with leather, done dyeing, reconditioned and repaired, all that, and plan to -

• Wash the couch with a light soap solution.
• Clean it with acetone.
• Spritz working areas with water, damp not wet.
• Use cotton pads and an alcohol-based dye, small blended areas.
• Dry, buff out, repeat at least one coat.
• Finish with a satin/nongloss finisher.

Any tips, warnings, tricks etc. appreciated.

[Diana Holbrook]

You've dyed other leather that was used for what? Furniture that was sat on or worn? Are you comfortable with the color-fastness of the dye?

I have only the experience that an after-market dyed saddle I once owned, It would stain my light colored breeches.

[Quietude]

A variety of things, including belts and knife scabbards that rubbed pretty continuously against skin and clothing. The only ones that have rubbed off were on certain kinds of pretreated leather. AFAIK, the good alcohol based dyes don't rub off as long as they can penetrate the leather. Hence cleaning, acetone wash etc.

But good point, thanks.

[luv4horses]

Most leather is vat died after tanning. You will be taking saturated leather and trying to force new color over the top. I tried enhancing an older leather couch with a cream dye of the closest color by rubbing it in, then buffing by hand as per instructions. The color would still have rubbed off onto fabric. So I don’t think you can count on success.

[silibran]

To me, your sofa sounds good as is. Slightly scuffed and worn leather upholstery is perfectly acceptable and would be considered full of character.

What is wrong with having tan and black in your living room? And having every piece in a room be the same color is boring beyond belief.

And, as with a previous poster, I doubt you will like the result anyway. Many times with DYI projects, we do not know what we do not know.

My advice—recondition the leather, and enjoy your sofa as a counterpoint to the rest of all the black stuff.

[Lodestar 77]

I agree with silibran. I don't think you would be happy with the outcome, and the original color, just cleaned up and reconditioned, would look fine with the black items in your room. Throw some black throw pillows on the couch if you want it to blend in better.

[cp102]

https://www.wikihow.com/Dye-a-Leather-Couch I found this article, it explains step by step how to do it. I would leave it the tan color. But if you really want to dye it I would google it and read as much as I could before attempting to do it.

[OHNot4Me]

Agree with others who think the original tan color will work great with black. Accessorize with black/tan throw pillows or throws, if you like. Do you have a "pop" color in the room like red? That would also look great with tan and black.

If everything is black, it will look too matchy-matchy.

[emm74]

Depending on what the stains are from, those areas would likely take the dye differently than the rest of the leather, and I think it's quite possible that you'd still have stain marks, just in a different color.

In any case, I agree with those who said that tan would like fine with black and it's a neutral and should go with almost any other colors you are using.

I would start with cleaning and conditioning and see if you are happy with how that looks, before taking on anything more extreme.

[Quietude]

All good thoughts, thanks. There are reasons besides design OCD to want the couch black, but I'm going to clean and condition the leather for a few weeks before I make a decision as to whether the color - a darker saddle-tan, in my living room - needs to be changed.

(The room was designed around the furniture being black, not a mix of colors - and this is also a fairly inexpensive acquisition that will likely be replaced in a couple of years. So.)