If you don’t know how to repair faux leather sofa, you can follow three steps. This easy tutorial is applicable for fixing tears and rips on faux leather. We will also talk about how you can repair scratches and peel on your fake leather couch.
But what if your sofa uses genuine leather? Please check our separate article on how to fix a leather sofa to know the differences between these materials. After all, you can only repair any leather couch if you are sure of the material it uses.
How Can I Fix My Fake Leather Couch?
Step 1. Patch up the tear on the faux leather sofa
Faux leather sofas are prone to getting tears, and depending on the severity of the damage, you will need to patch them up. You want to cut a patch big enough to cover the entire tear but still have enough allowance around half an inch around it. Then, round the corners of the square or rectangular denim patch or canvas.
Insert the prepared patch inside the tear with tweezers. You can push it inside the sofa and then smoothen the tear with your fingers. You don’t need to remove the cover, but you have to be careful not to warp the material when placing the patch.
Step 2. Glue the patch in place
Coat a toothpick or any thin object that you can slide inside the sofa with glue. It should reach and cover the sides of the tear with glue suitable for fabric. This way, you don’t risk having a noticeable repair on the faux leather.
Wipe off the excess glue if needed and press down on the tear to secure everything in place. You might notice some glue oozing out of the couch, so make sure to wipe it off with a cloth. Then, wait for the glue to dry thoroughly before working the patch to look like the rest of the couch.
Step 3. Blend the patch to the rest of the faux leather
Since the denim or canvas patch is quite noticeable on the sofa, you have to make it look like faux leather. Patting the patch with a crumpled paper towel and glue should help add some texture to it. Then, paint the area with vinyl paint to help it blend with the color of the faux leather sofa.
Can You Repair Peeling Faux Leather?
Genuine leather does not peel unless it is the low-quality variant or bonded leather. Therefore, you can expect that peeling can become an issue on faux leather furniture. Here is how you can repair a peeling faux leather couch:
- Remove the loose material that already peeled using a sanding sponge, but be careful not to damage more than the upper layer that has already loosened
- Paint the peeled portion with latex paint and let it dry
- Sand the painted surface to smoothen it and use a soft cloth to remove any dust that will form
- Paint and sand the sofa repeatedly until the faux leather sofa feels smoother
- Buff the couch with paste wax to seal in the paint and allow it to dry
How Do You Repair Scratches On Faux Leather?
You will need a repair kit to address scratches on faux leather. A repair kit typically consists of a filler, color, and finish to make your faux leather look good as new. However, you can also work on minor and shallow scratches with fabric glue by fastening them down.
- Remove the loose parts of the faux leather
- Patch the bigger holes and tack down the stretched material pieces on the surface with the filler on the kit or fabric glue
- Let the sofa dry before cleaning it
- Cover the scratched areas with the filler and smoothen the surface
- Follow the application instructions regarding curing
- Texturize the filled scratches with saran wrap
- Paint the faux leather couch, so everything looks uniform, and apply the finish
Can I Use a Leather Conditioner On Faux Leather?
You can’t use a leather conditioner on faux leather because it won’t be effective. The composition of fake leather does not allow it to absorb leather conditioner since it’s not as porous as animal hide. Faux leather is either polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride, neither breathable nor effective in absorbing a leather conditioner.
How Do You Recondition Faux Leather?
Despite not being genuine leather, you can still recondition and improve the look of faux leather using the appropriate moisturizer. For example, PVC moisturizers can enhance the look of synthetic materials such as fake leather. It can even serve as a protection to keep your fabric from peeling due to lack of moisture.
Conclusion
A faux leather sofa can be as gorgeous as genuine leather if well maintained. It would be helpful to know how to repair faux leather sofa to help it retain its looks. To recap, you can use denim or canvas patches to fix the damages on the fake leather.
There are also repair kits for faux leather if you want to address scratches or even discolorations. However, remember that leather conditioners only work on genuine leather. Faux leather can either use PU or PVC, which are not porous for such products.