How can I upcycle a leather ottoman?

Unfortunately I wouldn't! That would probably just fall apart. Do you know what the ottoman is constructed with underneath all the padding. is there particle wood in there. Or cardboard? If it is an indoor ottoman, chances are the wood is not cedar, or they didn't use outdoor composite boards that would make this waterproof. There Is a waterproof fabric paint spray that you can paint on outdoor cushions.....

https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Spray-Outdoor-Waterproof-Fabric/dp/B0188072E0

But depending on the other materials and that would just paint, protect and waterproof the surface of the leather. When water seeps in(because it will), that indoor cushion is not a waterproof cushion and the construction of the ottoman will not be waterproof as well. If I were you, I would fabric paint the leather to upcycle it and leave it indoors.

In my opinion you would need to recover it completely in a waterproof fabric.

Hello. I’m not sure I would consider to try to make indoor furniture outdoor furniture. Unless it was in a sheltered screen porch area protected from all weather abuse. I would think it would be a waste of your time and money to try to do this.

You can put your ottoman outside if you want to and it will probably last a season or two with some luck, first I would look to see what it is made of underneath. If particle board or an indoor composite your ottoman would be temporary at best.

You could take off the existing leather from the seams and use the pieces as a pattern. Remake the outer cover out of waterproof fabric. I agree, indoors to outdoors transition usually does not hold up.

You could take it apart and merely use the "skeleton" as a base for building a new one --- with waterproof materials.

Hi! One of the difficulties is keeping outdoor conditions from destroying the ottoman. Covering it in a waterproof material is an option. I made cushions for my patio furniture a few years ago, from old pillows. I used them for a couple of years until I replaced them. I bought end pieces of outdoor fabric I purchased at the fabric store in the discount bin. I think it could be stapled onto your ottoman. You want to prevent it from getting wet or absorbing moisture so, you need to be careful to seal it up. I had my cushions get damp a couple of times, but, they dried well in full sun. If your project can't be fully protected outside, consider a cover to put on it after using, like the covers for patio furniture. Good luck!

Purchase enough yardage of outdoor fabric (Sunbrella) to make a slip cover over the ottaman and staple beneath to keep it all in place. It will last a long time in outside conditions.

JoAnns fabrics has a decent selection of outdoor/water proof material but it isn't cheap. Not only do you need to make a water proof slip cover of sorts but you need to keep in mind that water from the deck itself could be a problem also. This will give you a season or 2 but will not make it totally water proof.

Most fabrics sold as 'outdoor' fabrics are not waterproof, only water resistant. Sunbrella brand fabrics are manufactured with fibres that have been treated to be more fade resistant in the sunshine compared with untreated materials. They are not all waterproof.

The best waterproof fabrics that can be sewn into a new cover for the ottoman are Gor-tex (very pricey) and thick vinyl, such as for automotive and boating seats (difficult to sew).

However, water will still find its way to the inside, causing mildew buildup and rotting eventually, through the seams and stitching.

Manually applying seam sealant (product examples below) to the stitching lines and seams will help prevent this.

High end rain wear and camping gear is usually constructed with zippers and seams having been pretreated.

Yes

Take it to your nearest garbage tip

You can use a shower curtain to make an ottoman cover.

How about recovering it with a faux waterproof leather?

You can use outdoor fabric as suggested but the interior should also be weather proof foam. Also the wooden parts need to be relied with waterproof glue. It would Intel basically taking it all apart and start from scratch. It will cost more than buying one made for outdoors.

Hello there,

If the leather fabric is peeling off, then you could remove all of it to reveal the fabric underneath. This might be time consuming and messy /dusty, but can be done. Remove all trapped buts using an old stiff toothbrush. Paint the fabric with paint. Either use chalk paint or eggshell and or gloss. Use a Polyurethane Varnish or Mod Podge if required. If you don't like it when finished, you haven't lost anything as you can recover it using Waterproof fabric or maybe a shower curtain..........Best wishes

Go to Michael’s crafts and get a fabric that you like and make a cover to go over the whole thing then scotch gard the whole cover like 2 times that should do it