Leather Care Dictionary and Guide
LEATHER
TYPES
HOW TO RECOLOR
LEATHER
LEATHER RECOLORING
BALM AND FINISHES
HOW TO REPAIR
CRACKED LEATHER
LEATHER TYPES
LAMB LEATHER
FAUX LEATHER
KING RANCH LEATHER
ANILINE LEATHER
RED LEATHER
OSTRICH EMBOSSED LEATHER
NAPA LEATHER
ALCANTARA LEATHER
BONDED LEATHER
HOW TO RECOLOR LEATHER
Leather Recoloring Balm and Finishes
How To Repair Cracked Leather
Leather Types
Lamb Leather
Any time you attempt to recolor a leather item at home, you risk ruining the expensive material if you don't know exactly what you're doing. The softness and delicate nature of lambskin leather make it especially easy to accidentally scratch when you attempt to recolor it yourself. Although the act of dying lambskin leather is not complicated and can be accomplished within a couple of hours, taking your time and handling the item with care will keep the leather safe as you recolor it.
STEP 1: Place the lambskin leather item on a working surface. Saturate one of the fake sheepskin cloths with the leather de-glazer. A leather de-glazer is a chemical solution that strips the lambskin leather of its shiny or glazed finish, making the texture more porous and more susceptible to holding the recoloring balm.
Step 2: Wipe the cloth with the de-glazer over the leather item until you have prepped the entire leather surface. You may need to use a little elbow grease for more stubborn finishes. Do not touch the leather with your fingers or fingernails.
Step 3: Wait 30 minutes for the leather to dry. If it looks matte when dry, you are ready to proceed. If it still looks glossy after it dries, wipe one more coat of the de-glazer over the leather.
Step 4: Wipe away any dust from the leather with a clean rag. Once you apply the recoloring balm, dust, lint or any type of debris will stick to the recoloring balm and the leather.
Step 5: Put on gloves to protect your hands from becoming stained. Saturate the second fake sheepskin cloth with the leather recoloring balm. Wipe the lambskin leather with the recoloring balm that's absorbed on the cloth in one direction, such as up and down or left to right. Keep the direction that you wipe it in the same so that you don't get streak marks.
Step 6: Rub a soft cloth lightly and gently over the lambskin leather, removing excess recoloring balm in a swift motion.
Step 7: Watch the color of the lambskin leather change as you apply the recoloring balm. The lambskin leather will appear darker when it is wet from the recoloring balm and will lighten once it dries. Set the leather aside for 7-10 minutes and check the color. Apply a second coat to get a deeper or richer color on the leather. Buff between coats with a lint-free as stated in Step 3 of our 4-Step Process.
Tip: Use a fine-tip paintbrush to recolor the detailing work on lambskin leather.
Mix colors to create different hues or color effects. Paint one color on top of another color for contrast.
Warning: Do not try to hasten the drying process by placing the leather item into an electric dryer or outside in the sun.
Faux Leather
Artificial leather is a material that is commonly used for making upholstery, clothing, and accessories. It is typically made of plastic polymer, and it mimics the look and grain of real leather. Recoloring faux leather is a fun, inexpensive way to transform an outfit or spruce up an old accessory. After selecting recoloring balm colors, have fun restoring any old faux leather!
King Ranch Leather
Artificial leather is a material that is commonly used for making upholstery, clothing, and accessories. It is typically made of plastic polymer, and it mimics the look and grain of real leather. Recoloring faux leather is a fun, inexpensive way to transform an outfit or spruce up an old accessory. After selecting recoloring balm colors, have fun restoring any old faux leather!
Aniline Leather
Artificial leather is a material that is commonly used for making upholstery, clothing, and accessories. It is typically made of plastic polymer, and it mimics the look and grain of real leather. Recoloring faux leather is a fun, inexpensive way to transform an outfit or spruce up an old accessory. After selecting recoloring balm colors, have fun restoring any old faux leather!
Red Leather
Red leather is a type of leather that has been recoloring balmd red. It is often used in the production of clothing, furniture, and accessories. There are many different types of red leather available, including full-grain buffalo leather, cowhide tooling leather, and faux leather.
Ostrich Embossed
Leather
Ostrich is an oily leather so be sure to buff off any excess residue of any kind well.
Will need to make sure the surface is buffed thoroughly before applying the recoloring balm.
You may need to prep the surface twice to be sure. Please note the bumps will take on more color of the balm. (These are where the feathers of the Ostrich grow and are more absorbent than the flat skin.)
Ostrich print leather is a cheaper leather with an ostrich print stamped onto it using an embossing process during the tanning of the leather. An easy way to tell the difference between true ostrich leather and ostrich print is to run your hand along the leather simply. You will be able to feel the bumps in the ostrich's skin. The bumps are pretty significant and many times there is a small pore at the top of the bumps where the feathers grew.
This type of texture is very difficult to replicate with a machine or an embossing stamp, so this is a very good way to tell the difference. Also, with an embossed ostrich print, you can see the uniformity in the quill bumps. In real Ostrich Leather, each quill mark is unique and this natural tendency is not possible to replicate with an embossing stamp.
Napa Leather
Napa leather is a special type of leather that receives its namesake from the California city where it was invented. One of the main differences between napa leather and regular leather lies in the grain. They both have a textured surface that’s characterized by the presence of a grain. With that said napa leather has a finer grain.
The grain refers to the outermost layer of real leather. If you rub your hands across the surface of real leather, you’ll feel many tiny bumps. These bumps are the grain. Napa leather has a finer grain consisting of more and smaller bumps than regular leather.
With its finer grain, napa leather has a softer texture than regular leather. All types of real leather are soft. There’s no substitution for the softness of real leather. When compared to traditional textiles — cotton, wool, linen, etc. — real leather has a superior level of softness. Nonetheless, certain types of real leather are softer than others.
For the highest level of softness, you can’t go wrong with napa leather. Products made of napa leather have a finer grain than those made of standard leather. Therefore, they are naturally softer.
Of course, napa leather still requires regular maintenance to preserve its soft texture. Tips for maintaining napa leather include:
Avoid storing napa leather in direct sunlight as it can dry out the leather.
Apply Clyde’s Conditioning Cream once every couple of months to moisturize and hydrate it, keeping it soft.
Don’t use chemical-based cleaning products which can damage the leather.
Spot clean with Clyde’s Cleaning Foam to remove stains without compromising the softness.
Napa leather is specifically made of unsplit sheepskin. Unsplit means that the fibrous layer of the hide is left attached to the top layer, the grain. Standard leather may consist of other types of animal hide that’s either split or unsplit, with split leather being thinner and weaker. However, napa leather is made of unsplit sheepskin, distinguishing it from standard leather.
Alcantara Leather
Alcantara is a synthetic fabric made from polyester and polyurethane.
Often compared to suede, Alcantara offers several advantages. It is more durable, resistant to staining, and easier to clean; just wipe it down with a damp cloth.
Despite its popularity in various industries for its unique look and feel alongside durability, there are pros and cons to consider:
Bonded Leather
Napa leather is specifically made of unsplit sheepskin. Unsplit means that the fibrous layer of the hide is left attached to the top layer, the grain. Standard leather may consist of other types of animal hide that’s either split or unsplit, with split leather being thinner and weaker. However, napa leather is made of unsplit sheepskin, distinguishing it from standard leather.
How To Recolor Leather
What You Need to Recolor Leather
To properly recolor leather, ensuring the finish is professional and long-lasting requires specific tools and products. Make certain you are in a well-ventilated area as you work and have all of your materials ready. Below is a list of the necessary items for the recoloring process:
Supplies
Cleaning Foam & Spray Bottle(optional): A spray bottle filled with water, can be used to mist the leather after cleaning with a clean cloth to ensure any residue is removed from the leather’s surface.
Deglazer: The leather deglazer is essential for removing the existing finish and preparing the leather surface for recoloring.
Sponges or Wool Dauber: These are your applicators for evenly spreading the recoloring balm onto the leather.
Recoloring Balm: To obtain the perfect match for your leather, please reach out to our customer service team for assistance with color matching and product selection.
Scrap Rag: Preferably a lint-free cloth, it will be used to buff away any excess balm during the recoloring process.
Gloves: Protect your hands and forearms from stains by using gloves—dishwashing gloves included in our kit work perfectly.
Here are the instructions for our proven 4-step Process to help you prepare for your recoloring job: https://clydesleathercompany.com/pages/instructions.
Workspace Preparation
You'll also need to prep your workspace accordingly:
Ensure that the area is ventilated and free from solvents, and flammable, or corrosive materials. Our products do not produce harsh odors or vapors, making them safer to use indoors.
If you're working outside, choose a dry day and avoid direct sunlight as this can affect the drying time and final look of the color.
Clean up is effortless—use warm soapy water for washing up afterward.
Protect your workstation by using a drop cloth or a large trash bag cut open and taped down to keep everything clean and organized.
Leather Recoloring Balm and Finishes
The kind of leather will dictate what type of recoloring balm you should use to achieve the right recolor color and the right leather finish. Consider these different leather recolors and their applications:
1. Shoe polish:
Shoe polish works as a more temporary kind of leather recolor. The polish does not penetrate the leather’s fibers, making this recolor less permanent, though it is quick and easy to apply.
2. Alcohol-based leather recolors:
These recolors penetrate the surface of the leather, creating more vivid colors that last a long time. Alcohol may strip the moisture out of the leather, stiffening the material, so you may need a leather conditioner or finisher to restore the material.
3. The sun:
The sun can be a natural way to recolor leather. Leaving your veg-tanned leather out in the sun will darken its hue. This process will take at least an hour, more depending on how dark you want your leather as the sun’s ultraviolet rays will take a lighter leather and turn it to a dark brown over time.
4. Oil-based leather recolors:
Unlike alcohol-based recolors, oil-based ones do not strip the leather of liquids. Oil-based recolors cut through the surface of the leather to color the fibers to a richer saturation. These may work best for full and top grain leather without surface finishes applied, meaning those fibers will dry out more readily.
5. Water-based leather recolors:
Water-based recolors have fewer toxins than other recolors but produce more muted colors. They will leave your leather supple.
6. Resin:
A leather finisher made from natural resin will produce a subtler and softer finish and provide some protection from dirt. Resin-based finishers are not water-resistant and can work well. (Step 4)(Conditioning Cream)
How To Repair Cracked Leather
1. Clean the Leather Surface
Begin by removing any grime from the leather. Use Clyde's Leather Cleaning Foam for best results. Apply the cleaner to a microfiber cloth, not directly onto the leather, and gently wipe the surface. It's important to rub along the leather’s grain, which prevents the cracks from worsening.
2. Rinse Off Any Remaining Cleaning Foam
After cleaning, it's safe to use a small amount of water to rinse off any cleaning foam residue. Dampen the microfiber cloth with water, wring out excess moisture, and carefully wipe the leather, always following the grain.
3. Apply Conditioning Cream to the Cracks
Take a small amount of Clyde's Leather Conditioning Cream on your finger or a soft applicator such as a sponge or cloth. Work the conditioner into the cracks, which cleans and opens up the fabric’s pores, setting the stage for a deeper conditioning treatment.
4. Recognize Quick Absorption
Notice how the leather quickly soaks up the conditioning cream, especially if it is an item that has been drying out over time. Regular application of conditioner ensures that the leather remains soft and flexible.
5. Condition the Cracked Areas Thoroughly
Now, use more conditioner on the applicator pad and scrub over both the cracked areas and their surroundings. Keep doing this along the grain, which helps the leather achieve a consistent color and camouflages the cracks.
6. Consider a Complete Treatment
If it’s been a long while since the last conditioning, you may want to treat the entire piece of leather to prevent new cracks from appearing. This step is preventative maintenance for leather items.
7. Allow Time for the Leather to Dry
Give the leather a good two hours of rest after conditioning before handling it again; it should feel dry to the touch. If possible, allowing the leather to dry overnight is even better, as this gives the conditioner ample time to thoroughly rehydrate the leather.