Don’t get too carried away here! You only need to peel away the coating that’s within the damaged area.
Bring 1 of the sofa cushions to the store so that they can color-match the paint for you. You can use “fabric and vinyl” spray paint as well. Apply 1 coat of gesso first, let it dry for 1 day, then apply the spray paint.
This step will reveal some of the backing material under the paint. This is fine, and all part of achieving a smooth finish.
Keep painting, drying, and sanding the surface until it looks smooth.
Paste wax can take up to 20 minutes to dry. Fortunately, you can do a few things to help it dry faster, as described in the next step.
These kits usually come with basic colors, such as black, white, red, yellow, and blue. The kit described in this method requires heat setting.
Most kits usually include a few empty pots for mixing and storing new colors. You can use these pots, or you can use a little dish instead.
If your kit did not come with a brush, use a stiff bristled brush; don’t use a soft, camelhair brush. This paint is heat-set, so it won’t dry until you apply heat to it.
Skip this step if your kit did not include this paper.
If you don’t have an iron, you can heat the tool up against a lit burner on your stove, or even a candle flame. If you lost the heat tool, you can try using a regular clothing iron on instead. Use a cotton, no-steam setting.
Keep the tool hot. Re-heat it a few times against the iron, especially if you can feel it cooling town. If you are using a regular iron, press the paper with just the tip; avoid touching the rest of the sofa. If this softens the faux leather too much, lower the heat.
If the texture is not enough for you, then just replace the paper, and “iron” it with your heat tool again.
Be sure to round the corners of the rectangle or square to help prevent buckling. This will go behind the tear and “leather,” so the color of the fabric does not matter. You can use an actual denim repair patch, or you can cut a patch from an old pair of jeans. If you don’t have any denim on hand, another sturdy fabric, like canvas, may work.
Run your fingers across the faux leather to either side of the tear. If you feel any bumps, smooth them out with the tweezers from the inside. Don’t remove the sofa cover. Insert the patch through the slit into the sofa, then smooth it out.
A flexible super glue made for fabric and vinyl will work fine for this; do not use regular super glue, however, as it dries too hard. You can also use fabric glue.
Work quickly so that the glue does not dry. You want to get everything into position before the glue sets. Depending on the brand of glue that you are using, you’ll have about 10 to 15 minutes to work with.
Check the directions on the bottle to find out how long the glue needs to dry. Most glues are touch-dry within 10 to 15 minutes, which is all you need.
This step is not absolutely necessary. It is purely for aesthetic reasons.
Again, this step is for aesthetic purposes. If you just want to patch up the tear, then you don’t need to do this. If you texturized the tear with super glue, then you should apply the paint to help blend it in. Take one of the sofa pillows to the store with you so that you can match the color of the paint to it.
Be careful with bonded leather, which is just a thin layer of paint on a fabric-like backing. If you sand outside the painted area, you risk damaging the surface.
