Treating rough areas and cracks caused by ageing

Why are Leather Fresh and liquid leather unsuitable here?

Leather Fresh colour-matches scratches, abrasion damage and slight fading, but it does not penetrate deeply enough into the leather to stabilise rough or brittle areas over a large surface. Fluid Leather (liquid leather) is ideal for individual tears, but is not suitable for application over a large area.

Diagnosis: colour or leather?

Run the flat of your hand over the damaged area in both directions. If you feel resistance in one direction, the leather itself is also damaged. The fibre structure of animal hide is arranged diagonally, which explains this phenomenon. In these cases, Colourlock Binder Neutral is the right solution.

Important: Do not use water-based cleaners on damaged areas.

Before treatment, use Leather Cleaner mild and Leather Cleaner strong only on clean, undamaged areas. Water-based cleaners soak into leather areas that are already brittle, making the leather stiffer and increasing the damage. Degrease damaged areas exclusively with Leather Cleaning Spirit.

Procedure

Step 1: Degreasing

Thoroughly degrease the affected areas with Leather Cleaning Spirit.

Step 2: Apply Binder Neutral

Apply Colourlock Binder Neutral with a sponge in the direction of the fibre structure. Allow it to dry by itself. Do not use a hair dryer. Repeat the process if necessary, and first smooth rough areas with the Sanding Pad. Binder Neutral is a powerful binding agent that repairs the damage in the leather without making the leather too stiff. Coarser areas can also be treated with a brush. You can then close individual tears or splits with Fluid Leather (liquid leather). Finish by smoothing with the Sanding Pad.

Step 3: Match the colour

Apply Leather Fresh several times with a sponge to refresh the colour, drying it with a hair dryer in between.

Step 4: Care

For regular care, use Colourlock Leather Care. Its antioxidants reduce further deterioration of the leather, UV filters protect against fading, and the surface becomes supple again.

What is realistic?

Severely brittle leather is weakened in substance and should really be replaced. Sometimes the budget is too small, or the item is no longer used much. Repairing it with Binder Neutral does not create new leather, nor will it become buttery soft again. It is a stopgap solution that stabilises the leather for a further period.

Note on Leather Fresh tints:
When purchasing our Leather Fresh smooth-leather tints, you must select the correct colour for your furniture leather. You may find this information on the invoice. If you no longer have it, look underneath the furniture to see whether the colour details can be found there. Compare the information with our manufacturer list. A mixing fee of CHF 25.- applies to special colours (all colours F001–F046).

If the colour you are looking for is not listed, we will send you a colour chart with our standard colours free of charge. Here is the order form for our colour chart

If the colour you are looking for can be found neither on the manufacturer list nor on the colour chart, we can also mix the colour from a sample or a RAL number. With most sofas and armchairs, the fabric stapled to the frame underneath the furniture can be loosened slightly and you can cut off a small piece of leather. The size of a CHF 1 coin is sufficient. You can also send us a headrest or a cushion cover, if available; of course, you will receive the sample back and do not need to send it again for repeat orders, as we create our own reference sample. You will find our address below (please write the sender clearly):

Weidmann & Sohn
Lederzentrum Schweiz
Tämperlistrasse 3
8117 Fällanden

IMPORTANT: When ordering through the shop, select the “send a sample” option in the colour selection for Leather Fresh and Fluid Leather (liquid leather). We will contact you immediately after receiving the sample.

Please note that special-colour mixes, whether based on a manufacturer colour, submitted sample or RAL number, take 7–9 working days from the order date to process before they are dispatched.

Does treatment with colour make sense at all?

That depends on the extent of the damage and how it is used. The photos above provide some guidance. We will be happy to help with the assessment.