Can you paint leather?

Question

I was given this leather love seat; I think it used to be a light tan. I'm not a big fan of leather furniture, but it was free and it fits my tiny house perfectly (330 sq ft). It smells like cats (and of course, I am allergic) and is filthy looking. I've tried cleaning it, but that didn't do much good. I've tried a slip cover, but it turned out to be a pain to keep on and straight. So...can you paint leather? Has anyone tried it? What would I use and how would I do it? HELP!

Kelly Mason · Answer

Leather can be dyed. There is an automotive leather dye that works really well. You will need to give it a light sanding first, but then you can dye it. My husband has done it with seats in cars and our friends did it with their sofa. Google leather dye.

Bette Miller Wolfert · Answer

Painting may not get rid of the smell. I managed a Tandy Leather store for 30 years, and I can tell you it is not easy to 'paint' leather furniture. It can be done with acrylic paints made for leather [google Tandy Leather Co.] Enough paint to cover up anything will end up cracking. The smell might be dealt with by usiing vinegar, but that is difficult to get it to penetrate existing finish. There are spray paints available for leather, and that would be your best bet. You will need to strip off the finish that is on the leather now. Basically you can treat the leather the same as you would wood. Just be sure that you use a good conditioner to put back the oils that were lost in the stripping. I would suggest the following steps:
Strip the old finish off with some type of paint stripper. Leather was probably not painted with water-based paint. 
When all old finish and paint are gone, soak a sponge in vinegar and apply liberally to leather. Let sit until dry.
Reapply if smell is not gone.
At this point, if there is any odor left, decide if you can live with it..
If so, proceed to next step.
Apply a good coat of leather conditioner, but not an oily one. See what Tandy has to offer. Something with lanolin is good. Use a hair blow drier to help conditioner penetrate into the fibers. Let this sit a couple days for complete penetration.
Wipe down with clean rag.
Apply spray paint with light coats, moving quicky across the surface, just the same as you would spray paint anything. Remember, Heavy coats will end up cracking, especially if leather in flexible.
When you purchase the paint, check to see if a finish spray is available and/or recommended for use. If so, now is the time to apply it. Make sure you let each coat dry completely.
And remember, if anyone suggests using a leather conditioner, the surface of your stool is not leather, it is paint. Conditioner is not going to do anything for the leather underneath, since the paint is not porous. So, pretty much don''t waste your money.

Joan Revell Ryan · Answer

I have a couple of free leather sofas too that I would keep if they didn't look so beat up...off white leather...one is a sofa bed (probably dump) and the other is a two seat recliner which I would keep if I thought dying it would work. It's one of those slouchy, cushioned, saddle bag armed pieces..but need something like this for the den TV room. But sanding it seems a little difficult and what kind of dye do you use and where do yo buy it??

Kim McNaughton · Answer

I had a children's stool that I bought for 2.00 at a thrift store, when I removed the ugly fabric there was black leather underneath. My Grandson outgrew it and I wanted to give it to my friends Granddaughter I used 3 coats of latex indoor paint in pink, there was no sanding because I painted flower stencils over the areas that were slightly bumpy. I thought that because it is for a child I wanted her to be able to wipe it clean and when she gets older it can be covered in fabric and live on for more years to come. I don't know how you can get rid of cat smell. I would suggest going to a big box pet store, they may have a product for cleaning it. I would try to remove the odor first because if you can't get rid of it you'd have to toss it.

Catherine keene carver · Answer

There are leather dyes you can buy. I used to work in a hospital where w taught patients to make leather items. There are all kinds of dyes. We used to buy from Tandy, which was a part of Radio Shack. I'm sure they are still available somewhere.

Ursula Murphy · Answer

I used a leather restorer paint/stain on an ugly leather ottoman. It was the easiest task! I did 3 coats in about 3 hrs with a 30 mn drying time in between coats .Looks awesome. It comes in a tiny jar and you order a funny sponge to apply it with. I think thats only $2. I really recommend this..Here is their website. Its from a small town in MN... So buy Local :) http://www.wood-n-stuff.com/leatheraid.html

Diane · Answer

I would have a look at Annie Sloan chalk paint, you can paint anything with it. Furniture, material chairs, leather, floors any thing that stays still in my house gets painted! Give it a go, it's easy to use, no sanding or prep., just paint it on. I've done some faux suede chairs painted and wax and they come out like leather. You have nothing to lose.

Chris loppnow · Answer

http://www.dharmatrading.com/ has a whole selection of beautiful dyes/paints for leather. They are on sale right now, and you can call them in you have any questions about anything, they really helpful. Also, spray Odoban all over it, any where you can get sprayed, it will remove the cat smell without just covering it up. I had some dressers stored for over a year in a friends greenhouse that had many cats and a lot of humidity, so my dressers really smelled awful. But spraying with Odoban took it all away. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember if it was just one or two sprayings. I get Odoban from Sams Club. Hope this helps.

Capernius · Answer

one does NOT paint leather, one dyes leather. HUGE difference.
if you paint leather, the pain is ON the leather, on its surface...
when you dye leather, the dye is IN the leather...in its pores, its grain, etc. it is not on its surface where it will eventually rub off.

Sherri · Answer

Diane is right, chalk paint is the answer. Here's a post about it. http://projectqueen.org/annie-sloan-paint-does-it-again

Sydney Cutting · Answer

Not certain about the paint. A product available at most feed, ranch supply and feed stores that is called Nature’s Miracle should solve the odor problem if used following directions!

Can you paint leather?

Suggested Project Book

You Need to Try These Dollar Store Bucket Ideas

Other

More

Can you paint leather?

Suggested Project Book