Scratched Leather Repaired EZ
Our good leather chairs have taken quite a beating the past 7 years and held up well, but our fur babies have left their little claw scratches on them. I was trying to decide the best approach to cover them from seat covers to furniture polish. Then something so simple hit me, they make polish for scuffed leather shoes!
Two of our leather chairs showed the scratches both vertical and horizontal. We may have done some of it.
You can see the efforts made by our fur babies to get up in our laps or to get our attention to go outside.
This is a close up to show it is cosmetic and the leather is not torn or punctured, it is just scratched.
I happened to have shoe polish for coloring dowel rods on hand, and when I saw it in my craft supplies I realized I had an answer for my 2 leather chairs. It comes with an applicator on the top which made this job simple.
Here is the arm, the scratches literally disappeared. On the largest scratch I had to apply 3 coats, letting the polish dry between coats.
On the second chair all the vertical scratches needed 2 coats but they also disappeared with the polish. The polish does not come off on our clothes and I know when a few scratches show again I can fix them easily with the dark brown shoe polish. With the naked eye you cannot tell either chair was ever scratched. They look new again.
If your leather is not an exact match, you may have to use two colors. For example if the polish had not been dark enough, I would have applied some black shoe polish and covered it over with the brown.
Enjoyed the project?
Suggested materials:
- Leather scratched material (On hand)
- Kiwi brown shoe polish (Walmart or any department store)
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Does this treatment need some kind of sealant so the polish doesn't rub off?