Car Seat Restoration Could Be Easier
Car seat restoration is easier said than done if you are not aware of the easy ways and process of restoring your leather seats. The leather car seat restoration process contains a list of steps that you can follow to restore your car seats with ease and comfort.
The leather is the primary material that is being used on most car seats. The older the leather, the harder it is to clean and restore. However, it’s imperative that you restore the leather car seats to its former glory.
While others would ask why it’s important to restore them, the answer is pretty simple. Restoring the leather seats offers a brand new look, offers the user a fresh sense of concept and it makes the ride more comfortable as well. Moreover, this article will share some of the tips and guides on how to restore your car leather seat with less process and complex tasks.
Materials Needed
To implement and restore leather car seats, the process requires that you bring in materials and tools and ensure that they are within reach. Getting the right materials could define the outcome of restoring your leather seats. These are some of the things that you will be needing for the revamping of the seats.
- Leather Color Kit
- Flexifil
- Leather Binder
- Soap
- Scrub
- Plastic and leather preparation spray
- Leather Prep
- Alcohol
- Leather Colourant Kit
- Leather Finish
- Leather Protection Cream
- Sponge
Rejuvenating your car could be achieved through car restoration. The leather that is worn, flagged down and dirty looking could be transformed to a whole new look by implementing restoring measures and bring life to your car seats once more.
Prepaping and purifying your leather is a vital process. Remember that car restoration is not a magic kind of thing, you need to personally clean, purify and paint your leather to achieve optimum transformation. Another thing that you would need to bring on board is patience and time. Letting the leather dry is a constant requirement in revamping your car seats. If the materials are not dried, the process and the outcome might be affected and revamping your car seats might not turn out good as you wanted it to be.
Step 1: Clean and Prep the Leather
The first thing that you need to do to restore your car seats is to apply some prep material to the leather. You can use the leather prep onto the abrasive pad and use that to apply to the material. The purpose of this step is to remove the manufactured finish and the color of the leather. After rubbing a small area, wipe it down with a cotton cloth to remove any excess color from the leather. The leather is correctly prepped when you start to see the color transfer from the leather onto the abrasive pad or cloth.
You need to clean away the loose residue using a cotton cloth and then use the sanding paper for further cleaning. Areas that are difficult to clean, use the sand paper because this can give you a solid base and provide you with a smoother finish. Once the preliminary cleaning is done, wipe the surface with alcohol moist cotton cloth because it can remove the remaining grease and oil on your car seats.
Using a cloth dampened in the alcohol cleaner, it will further clean your car seats. The alcohol will remove the manufacturers finish along with the silicones that are soluble in solvents. Also, you need to wait for 30 minutes so that the cleaners will evaporate.
Step 2: Use the Binder and the Flexifil to Deal with the Cracks
After the leather is dried, apply the leather binder. The leather binder is used to strengthen your old and worn car leather. In order to do that, you will need a sponge. Use a sponge and pour on a small quantity of leather binder. Apply that on the surface of the leather.
Once the leather binder is applied to the whole area, let it dry. If you see any build up of binder in some crevices and the stitching areas, you need to wipe it before the material dries up. Once it is dry, apply the binder again and redo the process. Make sure that you are able to do it eight to 10 times. Once that is done, you can smooth the surface with the Flexifil. This material is applied using a palette knife. You can wipe it with a thin layer to fill and remove the cracks. The next step would be to let the filler dry for 5-10 minutes. As you can see, the filler can be sanded down using a fine sandpaper so that it would be smooth. Repeat this process to remove the cracking and gain a smooth surface for the leather.
Step 3: Apply the Leather Colourant
Once you can see that the cracking is filled and the Flexifill has dried up, you can now apply the leather colourant. Begin by shaking the bottle of Leather Colourant for 3 minutes. Make sure that it is properly mixed. You can pour a small amount of the leather colourant into the sponge and then begin by rubbing it to the leather. Work with the sponge in the gaps, creases and hard to reach areas of the leather. Once you have applied the colourant, you can also apply the leather with a filler specially if there are cracks on the car seats. If the crack areas of the car seats are ignored, the whole idea of revamping your car seats is a failing one. Remember that all areas and surfaces of the leather should be taken cared of.
Step 4: Spray the Leather Colourant and the Finish
Once you are finished in sponging the car seats, you can spray the leather colourant again on the car seats. You can set up the airbrush and begin spraying. Spray with a fine coat on the leather and let it dry. Once dried up, repeat the process by spraying another coat until there is a build up of thin coats. Remember that you have the time in the world and there are no hard rules that you must follow.
If you see that the outcome is enough, you can then apply the leather finish. You can spray 2 coats so that it can form a robust and resilient base. Once again, apply the Leather Finish using the same process but having 2 coats. The key process that you must remember is to always let it dry. You can also use a spray gun to so that the finishing layers are completely applied. Also, another natural way to dry your leather seats is to bring your car seats outside and let it dry under the heat of the scorching sun.
Conclusion
The steps are simple and easy to follow. It is my desire that you are able to gain some tips and easy steps to bring back the life of your car seats. Moreover, the transformation and repair is now easier by following the steps along with the materials that are not heavy on your budget. If you think that leather restoration is complex, these simple steps can guide you on a step by step process so that you can ride your car again with a new feel and a new look. Car seat restoration is within your reach and the good thing about it is that you won’t have to spend a hefty amount to refurbish it.