How to Repair a Scratched Leather Sofa and Chair

Leather is a popular choice in home decor because of its stylish appearance and durability. A high-quality piece of leather furniture can last decades, even generations. Unlike fabric, leather shows little wear and tear when it is kept well conditioned. Applying a leather conditioner provides a protective coating on the leather. Leather does, however, show scratches. With the proper repair, these scratches can be made almost invisible or appear to be part of the natural scarring that is characteristic of leather.

Leather conditioner
400-grit sandpaper
Marking pen
Damp cloth
Shoe polish
Soft cloth

Instructions

- 1
  Use a leather conditioner on the scratches. Buff the leather and see if that minimizes the appearance of the scratches. This works better on dark colors than light colors. If the scratch has a rough edge, lightly sand the edge with a 400-grit sandpaper, being careful not to sand color off the area surrounding the scratch.
- 2
  Use a non-permanent marking pen to camouflage the scratches. Dot the color on and wipe it with a damp cloth. If the color needs to be darker, repeat the process. Do not draw a solid line on the scratch as a line is harder to blend than dots. This works especially well on black leather.
- 3
  Apply shoe polish paste sparingly to the scratch, then buff the area with a soft cloth. Match the color of the paste to the color of the leather.
- 4
  Hire a leather repair technician to fix the blemished leather. You can call a furniture repair shop for a reference. The technician will match the color of your leather and custom mix the paint to match. The paint is brushed onto the scratch with a very small brush, then dried and buffed. The results are usually satisfactory.

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