How to Add Tooled Leather to Your Leather Couch

Clean the leather couch with a specialty cleaner designed for leather. Rub the cleaner on the couch in a circular motion, using a microfiber cloth. Cleaning removes any dust or debris and makes the leather feel soft and supple.

Pick a design for the finished couch. Leather stamps let you put nearly any design on leather, including letters, numbers, images and shapes. Decide what type of design you want on the couch and the placement of that design.

Smooth the leather down with your hands, making it as flat as possible. Press the leather stamp directly against the couch. Hold the leather flat with one hand and hit the top of the stamp with a rubber mallet. Apply enough force that when you remove the stamp it leaves behind an imprint in the leather.

Repeat Step 3 on other areas of the couch, stamping your design into the leather. The stamp leaves behind a design, similar to the look of traditional tooled leather, but without cutting into the couch.

Wear rubber gloves as you dip a soft brush into leather dye that is slightly darker than the color of your couch. Rub the brush over the tooled areas of the leather. Apply several coats of the dye to the leather. Wipe off the excess dye with a microfiber cloth and let the leather dry for several days before using the couch.