How Do You Fix A Hole In A Leather Couch

Having leather furniture is wonderful, comfortable, and speaks to sophistication and class. Over time, however, that leather can pick up some damage. It might be from pets, those keys you forgot in your pocket, or a number of other reasons, but holes can develop that look unsightly and can damage the furniture if left untreated. How do you fix a hole in a leather couch? Let's take a look.

How Old Is the Hole?

If the hole has just formed, then you'll likely have a clean hole that is ready to be treated immediately. If it has been there for some time, however, you'll need to clean the edges up. Oil, dirt, and debris will prevent a patch from taking hold, so lightly trim the edges to remove the soiled leather. If the hole is large enough to have filler coming out of the couch, then make sure to stuff it back in before you begin to trim the damaged edges.

Get Some Leather Filler To Use

Once you've prepped the repair site and you know that it is clean, you're ready to fill in the hole. Get a good leather filler and then spread it over the hole. It's going to be sticky, so use a spatula or other tool that you don't mind throwing away afterward. Apply over an even surface and then allow the filler to dry. You can use a hair dryer or heater to help speed up the process.

Once the first layer of leather filler has completely dried, you will want to add a second layer. Before applying this additional layer of filler, however, you'll want to get your patch ready. It's going to go onto the second filler layer while it is still wet so that the application is stronger.

Apply the Patch Immediately

You'll need to have a leather patch of the same color to fix the hole in your leather couch. You could go with a plain leather patch and then paint or color the leather afterward, but it is an easier repair if you match tones now.

Add some glue to the bottom of the patch. Put the patch over the hole and then press firmly down on top of the repair so that it will affix itself to the couch. This will take some time to be effective, so you can either keep pressing for up to 2 hours or grab something heavy to place on it. Cookware is better than books because of the glue involved.

Protect Your Patch Once Completed

After your repair has dried, you'll need to add a protector to the leather to give it some extra durability. You only need to do this once, so just take a clean cloth and gently wipe it over the patch. It will need to dry for an hour.

At this point you can then blend the colors of the patch to the rest of the couch so the repair becomes difficult to notice. You'll have completed the repair. It might be a little time consuming to patch a leather couch, but if you do, you'll be able to save some money, have that stunning look of leather in your home still, and be proud of the work you did.