How to Replace a Tooled Leather Table Top

Heat some water until it’s slightly below the boiling point. Pour it into a ceramic mug.

Brush the hot water over the surface of the leather on the tabletop until the leather is saturated. The heat from the water will help to dissolve the adhesive holding the tooled leather in place. Wait about three or four minutes for the water to take effect. Then use the edge of the scraper to lift a corner of the leather from the table.

Beginning with the lifted corner, scrape the leather from the tabletop by sliding the scraper along the top of the wood under the leather. Work in rows across the tabletop, lifting away the leather and as much of the adhesive as possible, until you’ve scraped the leather layer away.

Brush a light layer of the hot water onto the adhesive and leather residue left behind by the scraper. Allow it two or three minutes to soak into the residue and then go over the surface of the table with the razor blade to remove any remnants of leather and adhesive from the surface of the wood. Wash off the tabletop with a damp sponge after removal, and then allow the table to dry.

Run your hand across the surface of the tabletop to locate any holes or scratches in the surface. Fill the damaged areas with wood filler, using a putty knife to firmly stuff the filler into place. Allow the filler to dry for the length of time suggested by the manufacturer.

Sand the tabletop smooth using a sanding block with medium-grit sandpaper attached. Wipe the dust from sanding off the tabletop with a tack cloth.

Measure the length and width of the desktop with a tape measure. Use the measurements to purchase a piece of tooled leather to replace the old leather from the desktop. Add an inch to each of the sides to allow room for trimming the leather.

Place the straightedge onto the leather lengthwise, an inch from the edge of the leather. Trim the inch from the leather with the utility knife, using the straightedge as a guide. Repeat the trimming along one of the side edges. Place the leather onto the tabletop in the small recess where the leather fits onto the wood. Make sure the trimmed edges are flush with the edges of the recess. Check the trimmed edges against the edges of the recessed area, and make any additional small cuts needed to fit the edges perfectly into place.

Remove the leather, and then use the paintbrush to apply a layer of the PVC glue onto the wooden desktop, covering the entire recess surface. Place the leather back into the recessed area of the table over the glue, with the trimmed sides of the leather running against the recessed sides and the untrimmed edges overlapping the edge of the recess.

Using your hands, smooth out any wrinkles in the leather as you set it onto the table. Once placed, rub a soft cloth over the leather and apply light pressure from the center of the table out toward the edges; this will push out any air beneath the leather sheet and press the leather further into the edges of the recess.

Trim the two remaining edges of the leather, following the edge of the recess with the utility knife.

Cover the edges of the leather where they meet the tabletop with a layer of dark furniture wax. Burnish the wax into the leather and the tabletop to smooth the juncture between the two surfaces.