How to Repair a Rip in a Leather Couch

Dampen a lint-free cloth with the leather cleaner included with the leather repair kit.

Snip away any loose threads or frayed ends with a pair of small cuticle scissors. For smaller rips in the leather couch, use a utility knife to trim away the edges. Cutting away the edges will make them squarer and flat, resulting in a repair that looks better.

Insert the piece of canvas included with the leather repair kit with long-handled tweezers. If your leather repair kit does not come with canvas, cut canvas cloth so it is 1/2 inch larger than the rip on the couch. Use the long-handled tweezers to slide the canvas inside and under the leather rip.

Smooth the canvas piece flat so it does not make the surrounding leather wrinkle or bump up.

Dip a toothpick into the included leather glue, and apply it in between the backside of the leather and the canvas. Press the leather down gently to apply pressure so the leather will adhere to the canvas. Allow the glue to dry according to the included instructions---two to four hours.

Fill the leather rip with a thin layer of leather filler, included with the leather repair kit, using a plastic butter knife.

Dry each leather filler layer for a few minutes with the high setting on a hair dryer, before applying another layer of filler. Repeat the process of filling and drying until the rip is 3/4 full. After you have applied the last layer of leather filler to the rip, smooth it out even with the surrounding leather with a plastic, flat surface such as a credit or ID card. For textured leather, use the included grain pad to mimic the surrounding leather.

Mix the included leather colors according to the leather color guide included with the leather repair kit. Apply two to three coats of color to the leather filler only, using a sponge. Use the same sponge and color to apply more color onto the repair area, and the immediate surrounding areas, to blend.

Apply leather protectant and finish to the repaired leather area according to kit instructions. Protectant and finish are included with the leather repair kit.