See all your options, and learn more here: rubnrestore.com/how-to/bonded-leather-blues/ Shop our products here: rubnrestore.com/leather-restoration-products/
I like your video because all other videos don't show how repaired bonded leather will wear after month or two. And I know that most repairs on high use areas will not hold. I have more than 20 years of experience in furniture repair. Thank you for your honesty.
thank you for posting this, i know you said it isn’t worth it but the chair i’m fixing was a gift and i certainly don’t like the idea of so much plastic going to a landfill without getting some real use. my wife is also very attached to this chair already ^-^ it certainly will be worth the time to me even if i have to redo it regularly and end up redoing the whole thing w fabric paint later. i didn’t really care how it looked and expected the fix to be ugly (it’s sentimental not a particularly great chair, and i personally believe in self repair and don’t care too much for aesthetic of furniture or dishes, although i’m picky about clothes) so seeing that filler’s final result was a shock, i’m sure she’ll appreciate it looking nicer than expected even if it does end up looking patched! tangent aside my point is that even though you didn’t think it worked out it was really cool to post it and 1) help people who are persistent and 2) help people who would have ended up trying this themselves and been disappointed. your channel in general seems like it will be a gift and i’m definitely gonna check more videos out since i’m trying to get better at this stuff. anyways my point is thank you haha
Thanks for uploading this video! I have a faux leather recliner that's peeling like a skin with a bad sunburn. The chair is still functional and comfortable so I thought it was worthy of repair. I've been doing research and the possibility of repairs looked hopeful until I saw your video. After watching your video, I decided to buy a slip cover which isn't a perfect fit, but good enough. Again, a *BIG THANK YOU* for saving me time and money from doing a DIY repair that was doomed for failure.
Very good advice! I tried the same method repairing my chair few months back. It didn’t last for a week because it is not real leather. Don’t waste your time and money on this! Save up and get a real leather chair or couch. They’re more comfortable and less work to take care of them.
Thanks a lot for this, your instructons are clear and your honesty is apreciated. My grandpa got me a faux leather jacket some time ago and after it started peeling i wondered if it could be saved but after watching this i realized it's probably not worth the effort. I guess you can't compete with real leather.
Thank you! The greatest joke (on us) is that this is merchandised as "ECO-leather", probably even more so in EU, when it'll disintegrate even without ever been used, often in a matter of months, forcing you to discard the entire item. So much for "green", "protecting the planet" and "environmentally friendly"! Real leather will last almost indefinitely, with proper care, and then if it does wear out, it is completely fully biodegradable, unlike this pathetic excuse for an invention.
I have babied mine, just noticed it separating from sitting on it... wow a little upset bought the thing brand new 6 years ago. I don't think I'll ever buy a $330 chair again.
This video was so funny to me. I love how casually she expresses her dislike for the fake leather material. Why not trash this but here’s a video. 😂 gotta love it! ❤️
@@RubnRestore I have a massage table and they NEVER cover them in leather. It's pretty annoying to spend $2000 on something I'll have to ditch. You have any ideas about stuff like that?
Thank you for a great demo! Very good to know that a small tear can be fixed. I will not bother to reupholster a nice chair I have with anything other than leather. Good advice, many thanks!
Thank you...this helped me decide NOT to buy the recliner I was considering that had PU “leather”. It’s gotta be real leather or a good upholstery fabric. And actually, I think a good fabric will stay better looking longer than leather.
Hmm, the repaired patched actually did pretty well except for where the owner's metal pocketknife clip continued to scratch it. The other sections started to peel, not the repairs.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I brought a big office chair home. It was getting thrown out at my job site. I thought I could use same-color tape or something to "fix" the tears...NOT!😅 It's okay though. I put it in my basement "man cave". I put a covering over it and still use it. My wife doesn't have to look at it!😁
You are really awesome. This video saved me a lot of hard work and heartache. Yes I wish I could repair my recliners, but they are the peal away kind and not worth it. Keep up the great work.
Thulas Mash yes it is. If it does not feel like the leather that’s on my 25 year old leather jacket. Not buying it. The wife still doesn’t realize a couch should last for decades ! Not just a couple years. You could buy 7-900 dollar couches every 3 or 4 years. Or buy a real one and be finished with it. You come out better In the long run spending more on the high end stuff for sure . My Grandpa made furniture and his stuff is still around and in good shape and it’s worth re doing. This crap in most places now you just throw it in the garbage after so long. It Makes no sense at all to even try to refurb all this stuff on the market these days. It’s all disposable and people stay in debt with furniture stores returning to buy more. I’m disgusted with it Ooooh it’s old I’m throwing it away and I’m Buying this new stuff that’s going to be trash in a couple years. I don’t see the logic in it. If it’s ugly and a real piece. You’re better off restoring it. I don’t see why it so hard to understand. Just like with dresser drawers and tables. Solid oak can get scratched and banged up. Stain it. They take and throw it out and sell it to buy veneers and sawdust that you can’t sand and restore. And my wife is the worst for that crap. Ugggh.
Unfortunately, I HAVE to. After our rv in storage, we have to do our captains chairs and sofa. I’m crying. Legit. I’m balling my eyes out because we cannot afford to replace. I’m glad I learned something today. Thank you. I also learned to pay more attention to curing this material in the future. Someone send help n materials🙏🏻❤️💪🏼🤗
Yep wasted $1500+ on a couch and love seat because of it delaminating. I used it for two years, then had kids and put it in my basement covered up for another 5 years. Recliners werent kid friendly at the time so i swapped it out for my other leather couch. Moved the couches to my new house and they were in pristine condition. After just a month of use i guess it got brittle over the years and started peeling and flaking everywhere. It was an endless vaccuuming nightmare. I peeled an entire seat section off and sat on it for another month before i had enough and took it to the dump. I cant believe i got duped into thinking bonded leather would be just fine. Still using my parents old leather couch thats 25 years old and still looks awesome for its age. It needs a little bit of leather dye in a few areas but that should be an easy fix. You get what you pay for and i definitely learned my lesson.
Thank you! I have so many belts, shoes and purses that deteriorate quickly in FL. I peeled it and am just going to fabric paint and embellish with broken jewelry or glitter paint.
Yeah, the whole time I was saying to myself, it ain’t worth it, then you got there. Nice job showing the whole truth. I stopped wasting my time with this bonded junk a long time ago.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful! I was searching for just this kind of info and so happy to have the month later results. It made My decisions so much easier! Thanks again!
Glad I watched this video! I had faux leather shoes that I got from a thrift store 2 years ago and it started to peel and bubble. I love the shoes but I see it's not worth the time and money to fix them.
Luckily my chair was black so I bought 1 yard of black bonded leather, took off the arms and back, staple gunned the new fabric over the other for about $10. As an artist, I'm always getting paint on everything so I didn't want to purchase a brand new chair but I didn't want the black peeling stuff sticking to the back of my legs either. It worked out really well - as long as one doesn't mind not having any stitching showing on the seat. Also I have enough "leather" left over in case it needs it again in another 8 -10 years
I love how you used a seemingly untraditional leather fixing product like the spray Flex Seal. Gets myself thinking out of the box for creative solutions to a crappy substrate of the faux leather
A neighbor just tossed his "Leather" office chair out, so I grabbed it to replace the VERY small chair I currently use. It is damaged just like the chair you used here, but worse. I figure I'll pick up some Hyde of the rare and beautiful Nauga, but may try one of these techniques instead. Great video !
Excellent tips, I'm going to try to fix some peeling vinyl detailing on a mostly-fabric phone case, using the soft filler method I think --- but I have to pause to say your hairdos are sooo cute!! Love the two braided buns :)
Thank you 🙏 Yes the real deal is always best & more beautiful I am opting to fix my handbags & the straps but think i will use textile Will see if i can use shoe conditioner or shoe cream colour 🤔
If you wouldn't wet the surface but would have cleaned it first; then what would you have used? Also very great getting to see how things held up! Seems like the very important step most others skip.
First of all, thanks for this video! I came across it because my family is likely going to get rid of a synthetic leather couch very soon, and I was looking for alternatives to throwing it out. Ideally I'd like to donate/sell it because it's in relatively good condition. But the damaged material (although quite a small area) makes it seem unlikely that it would be deemed suitable for reuse/resale. I found this video thinking that I could maybe patch it up and someone else might want it, but now I'm reconsidering. Another idea I had was to take it apart and reuse/upcycle the separate materials, eg. turning the leather into bags, or reassembling them to make ottomans? Not sure about it though cause if the material is already not made to last, anything I make out of it would also be destined to live a short life, and then all the work gone into upcycling would be kinda pointless. Any thoughts on what I could do with this couch? :/
@Rub 'n Restore, Inc. haha okay, so my suspicions have been confirmed. And your suggestions make a lot of sense, thanks! I don't have a lot of experience buying or selling used furniture, it seems like a bit of a hassle... but I'm sure it'll be worth the effort!
Well then. I am thoroughly convinced that I won't be trying a repair job considering you literally did it as well as it could be done in 2 separate ways and it didn't even matter in the end... I did not think about that. Thanks for saving me a ton of time and effort
@@RubnRestore Yeah, got a Serta branded office chair as a gift, started getting little cracks quickly and only now 2 years later they're starting to get bad. Gotta fight the urge to be cheap over and over again rather than replace it once with something that will last the first time!
@@Skystrike70 Go to an estate sale or thrift store in a wealthy neighborhood. There's probably a fine quality leather one with water or oil stains or sun fading. This article has more info: rubnrestore.com/how-to/bonded-leather-blues/#option-3
What would you think about early placement on an area that doesn't get a lot of physical flexing? Asking because a kitten has been climbing on a chair, putting little puncture wounds. Its on the rigid side parts of a gaming chair, that gets limited to no body contact. Physical damage is right now, only seen with close inspection where you can see the tiny claw punctures. We are trying to decide whether to just wait for it to go to shit, or to try to pre-emptively seal the damaged points with something that dries clear.
Awesome video! Thanks! We have a fabric sofa which unfortunately has vinyl on the arm rest on one side and on the back. The side back of the sofa is in the middle of the room so always visible and the vinyl is peeling off. Can we upholster it with real leather? The couch itself is amazing and the fabric in great condition.
@@RubnRestore thanks so much! We looked at a second hand leather one. My husband is concerned as we have a dog, a cat and 3 kids. Is leather a bad idea for a family or if regularly treated would it still last well? My great grandma used to have this leather couch and it was like 50 years and every few months she would “feed it” (she would call it that) and it looked amazing still. I do remember us kids having to sit on blankets on the sofa though 🤣
I made the mistake of buying PU leather though thankfully it's still holding up pretty well after three years. I got it because of pets and young children. I hate the feel of it, so it's always covered with a breathable cover. Perhaps this is one reason it's held up so far. Downside is always futzing to keep cover in place as it's always sliding about. I checked out this video to see about repairing when that time came. Verdict is I'll reupholster it if the frame and mechanism is still viable. I didn't pay that much for it, compared to comparable furniture. Note to self, never buy PU leather again. I do like the versatility of seating I have with the reclining loveseat and two recliners as they make for comfortable seating and napping for everyone.
Thanks so much for doing this instructional video. I was tempted to buy a faux leather duffle bag... Now, thanks to you, I'll just buy a real leather bag on Amazon 😅
Thanx for sharing even the test after the reparation. I was going to repari some old pleather clothings of my vintage barbie dolls, so I'm not gonna waste money on buying these products.
You’re right about it just keeps on going and going. I have a Serta office chair that is almost completely bare of whatever that crap is that flakes off. I Have swept up what looks like little leaves all over my floor for at least a couple of years. Lol. I kept thinking I would try to reupholster it, but I don’t know. What a mess they are.
I see... thanks. My case doesn't have an alternative material so I guess I'll just have to tape it. It's a tiny spot with some sort of silicone filling underneath and I just wanted to prevent further damage until it become messy
@@RubnRestore It's a keyboard attachment to rest your wrists on to be more specific. I don't know what kind of material they used and what I could properly repair it with so I taped it over for the meanwhile, I'll have to see how that turns out. If you google it you'll see a lot of varying keyboard rests, some of which are fabrics, some are thin synthetic materials, I got the latter. Thank you for this video though! Very straight to the point and helpful
It makes me sad to see so many commenters who took this as they should throw their clothes away and take their furniture to the dump. You don't have to throw it away, you can peel the PU leather off and reupholster the furniture with fabric, or paint with fabric paint like she suggested. If you don't want to be bothered with it you can sell or give it away to someone to fix, but please don't just turn it into waste 🙏
I’m curious as to whether just peeling the faux leather off (if the color of the fabric base is acceptable to taste) is there any reason you wouldn’t try that? I have a gray sectional that the headrests are peeling and the material underneath is a nice fabric and gray color. What’s the least labor intensive way to remove the plasticky layer? Love your videos :)
Really informative video, especially the 1-month later. I have a couple desk chairs that have been peeling, one is worse enough that repairs seem pointless. I'm curious about the fabric paint idea. I know it was a few years ago but do you remember how that research went? Are there any fabric paints that you would recommend?
I have the color called palomino and i dont see any color that comes even close to it! For the large hole, do find a large piece of materialand plug the hole before i start filing it in with the filler. Thanks So much
Great observation on whether it's worth it or not to repair. But this is an office chair. At the end when you said, it's not worth fixing, better to focus on real leather furniture... you can't exactly replace a desk chair with a plump leather loveseat. The office chair market is dominated by fake leather surfaces, it's not even so easy to find fabric seating surfaces. Mesh, yes, but not everyone likes that. And a real leather desk chair costs a fortune. I think it would be worth discussing what options might exist to recover a chair like this, but that, perhaps, I'll explore on my own. Very informative as to the treatments available however.
This was excellent I just bought a piece and realized that it isn't real leather, I don't think anyway, because it is peeling, is that a sure sign that it's this kind of material?
The area you repaired seems to have held up....I would have told the guy to quit wearing the pocket knife...lol I am attempting a VERY large area repair on my theater chairs...large areas of all 4 chairs....I have gotten all the loose stuff off and sanded a bit....I used one whole can of flex spray on the first coat for 4 chairs....I will wait a day and go buy a second can for the next coat...Im not doing the filler...just spraying right on the fabric....my thinking is this: the plastic will embed itself into the fabric almost like a hook or anchor and the second coat will stick to the first....guess we will see...the chairs were 4K dollars! (electric recline and usb and lit...) If my experment fails, to the junk heap they go.....I AM spraying inside, but have a window open....it smells oddly "good"...but I think I may be getting "high"....lol
Hi there, I really appreciate your video. I have a couple jackets that need repairs... I am curious though as to how long the soft filler would last? I do plan on peeling away all the top layer of th material so there is no future peeling
I’m never buying a leather couch again lol. I bought this expensive white leather sofa set and less than a year it’s destroyed. I’ve never heard of fabric paint but with the condition my NEW white sofa is in, the only solution is to scrape it all off and paint it. Sucks lol
:( Real leather will last for decades! And you'd be surprised what people are giving / throwing away or selling for next to nothing that is quality and worth restoring. Maybe go leave a negative Google review for the retailer that misled you?
Actaully i think flex seal will do nicely for my footstool, cause i already have new leather hood for it. I just wanted to get rid of that messy PU-pieces.
What would your advice be on a headboard? I have a nice cali king bed with this material on the headboard and base board. I already started to peel the stuff away but there’s grey residue under the peeled away faux leather. I tried running it off and using a razor blade but it’s not been easy and it’s left it scratched and uneven. Can I paint it or should I cover with fabric? If I paint it, I’m afraid it’ll show the scratches underneath the paint. I need advice 😩
Is this the same as recycled leather? Haute House, not exactly cheap stuff (and their durable rich silk and velvet fabrics and down all around the base cushions, down pillow inserts, etc are all top quality), had a recycled leather piece for sale from a furniture show, and I bought it (because it was so inexpensive compared to its $15k retail and I LOVE the fabric and shape and the down etc but also love leather as a more durable side as I have a cat)... part of the leather is cracking and a couple of spots peeled... the base is leather underneath, not a fake base... but it looks AWFUL where it has been damaged (I wish I'd realized how delicate it was, though to be fair, it went a dozen years before the peeling, though a couple of cat-caused spots are eyesores because it's dark brown.. Any hope for this situation?
I have a pair of clogs I’d like to fix that have some cracks. The substrate seems solid and fairly rigid. Would this process work better for something like that?
So, would this same method work with faux leather jackets? I have an incredibly beloved jacket that's having this same problem with the collar and upper back area and although I would LOVE to simply just get a new one, this jacket seems to just not exist anywhere on the internet or anything similar. The manufacturer doesn't even sell men's clothes anymore! I love this jacket to death and am wondering if this repair process might fair better on it rather than a chair that's being sat on often.
I bought a couch used, but it was a nice couch. The guy told me it was bonded leather, but never had any idea that they would make an ACTUALLY SELL something that peels like this. I mean it started peeling within a week of it being at my home. WHAT THE HECK! The guy said he got it at Ashley furniture. I didnt pay for it new or I would go back to them and tell them to shove it. But seriously, why the heck are they selling this crap?
Please look at heirloom traditions paint company..look up the product they sell "bond and flex repair" for all bonded leather,real leather,scratches, even big holes too. Look up their videos on leather repair..the woman who is the manufacturer of the product and the paint,is a furniture expert..has years and years of not only selling furniture but repairing it too ,in her background. If interested in repairing it .. it's the only way to go. You can also look up their fb page,to see others who have repaired their leather furniture as well. But it does take a little work.. nothing ridiculous tho. But some people rather buy new ( my husband is like that lol) but if you want to save or spend very little to save it .. that's the product to use. And unlike the spray product used in this video..their paint ..yes paint , product is low voc and absolutely can be used indoors no prob.
See all your options, and learn more here: rubnrestore.com/how-to/bonded-leather-blues/
Shop our products here: rubnrestore.com/leather-restoration-products/
great video, thanks for taking the time to come back and film a month later.
It's so exciting to see big TH-camrs commenting on the random video I'm watching haha :D I love your videos!
ann!!! 😱💜
I like your video because all other videos don't show how repaired bonded leather will wear after month or two. And I know that most repairs on high use areas will not hold. I have more than 20 years of experience in furniture repair.
Thank you for your honesty.
thank you for posting this, i know you said it isn’t worth it but the chair i’m fixing was a gift and i certainly don’t like the idea of so much plastic going to a landfill without getting some real use. my wife is also very attached to this chair already ^-^ it certainly will be worth the time to me even if i have to redo it regularly and end up redoing the whole thing w fabric paint later. i didn’t really care how it looked and expected the fix to be ugly (it’s sentimental not a particularly great chair, and i personally believe in self repair and don’t care too much for aesthetic of furniture or dishes, although i’m picky about clothes) so seeing that filler’s final result was a shock, i’m sure she’ll appreciate it looking nicer than expected even if it does end up looking patched! tangent aside my point is that even though you didn’t think it worked out it was really cool to post it and 1) help people who are persistent and 2) help people who would have ended up trying this themselves and been disappointed. your channel in general seems like it will be a gift and i’m definitely gonna check more videos out since i’m trying to get better at this stuff. anyways my point is thank you haha
Thanks for uploading this video! I have a faux leather recliner that's peeling like a skin with a bad sunburn. The chair is still functional and comfortable so I thought it was worthy of repair. I've been doing research and the possibility of repairs looked hopeful until I saw your video. After watching your video, I decided to buy a slip cover which isn't a perfect fit, but good enough. Again, a *BIG THANK YOU* for saving me time and money from doing a DIY repair that was doomed for failure.
Very good advice! I tried the same method repairing my chair few months back. It didn’t last for a week because it is not real leather. Don’t waste your time and money on this! Save up and get a real leather chair or couch. They’re more comfortable and less work to take care of them.
Thanks a lot for this, your instructons are clear and your honesty is apreciated. My grandpa got me a faux leather jacket some time ago and after it started peeling i wondered if it could be saved but after watching this i realized it's probably not worth the effort. I guess you can't compete with real leather.
thanks for doing the one month later.
Thank you! The greatest joke (on us) is that this is merchandised as "ECO-leather", probably even more so in EU, when it'll disintegrate even without ever been used, often in a matter of months, forcing you to discard the entire item. So much for "green", "protecting the planet" and "environmentally friendly"! Real leather will last almost indefinitely, with proper care, and then if it does wear out, it is completely fully biodegradable, unlike this pathetic excuse for an invention.
Llp]
I have babied mine, just noticed it separating from sitting on it... wow a little upset bought the thing brand new 6 years ago. I don't think I'll ever buy a $330 chair again.
ikr? They also like labelling it as "vegan-leather", when in that case just get another material that isn't pretending to be leather.
Greenwashing allowed by deregulation
Living in UK (EU until recently). Never heard/seen it described as eco-leather before. Sounds like a con.
I think we figured out the problem.....your friend needs to remove his pocket knife before sitting down. Hahaha
This video was so funny to me. I love how casually she expresses her dislike for the fake leather material. Why not trash this but here’s a video. 😂 gotta love it! ❤️
@@RubnRestore I have a massage table and they NEVER cover them in leather. It's pretty annoying to spend $2000 on something I'll have to ditch. You have any ideas about stuff like that?
Thank you for a great demo! Very good to know that a small tear can be fixed. I will not bother to reupholster a nice chair I have with anything other than leather. Good advice, many thanks!
Thank you for saving me a lot of work in trying to repair an old recliner.
Thank you...this helped me decide NOT to buy the recliner I was considering that had PU “leather”. It’s gotta be real leather or a good upholstery fabric. And actually, I think a good fabric will stay better looking longer than leather.
Hmm, the repaired patched actually did pretty well except for where the owner's metal pocketknife clip continued to scratch it. The other sections started to peel, not the repairs.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I brought a big office chair home. It was getting thrown out at my job site. I thought I could use same-color tape or something to "fix" the tears...NOT!😅 It's okay though. I put it in my basement "man cave". I put a covering over it and still use it. My wife doesn't have to look at it!😁
You are really awesome. This video saved me a lot of hard work and heartache. Yes I wish I could repair my recliners, but they are the peal away kind and not worth it. Keep up the great work.
Even when they say it’s real leather a lot of it is not these days. Everything seems to be cheap or a scam these days
totally
Yeah, lots of people just throw the word leather about these days when it isn't real leather.
If it's cheaper it's fake leather
Only use faux and bonded if its an item that no one touches :)
Thulas Mash yes it is. If it does not feel like the leather that’s on my 25 year old leather jacket. Not buying it. The wife still doesn’t realize a couch should last for decades ! Not just a couple years. You could buy 7-900 dollar couches every 3 or 4 years. Or buy a real one and be finished with it. You come out better In the long run spending more on the high end stuff for sure . My Grandpa made furniture and his stuff is still around and in good shape and it’s worth re doing. This crap in most places now you just throw it in the garbage after so long. It Makes no sense at all to even try to refurb all this stuff on the market these days. It’s all disposable and people stay in debt with furniture stores returning to buy more. I’m disgusted with it
Ooooh it’s old I’m throwing it away and I’m
Buying this new stuff that’s going to be trash in a couple years. I don’t see the logic in it. If it’s ugly and a real piece. You’re better off restoring it. I don’t see why it so hard to understand. Just like with dresser drawers and tables. Solid oak can get scratched and banged up. Stain it. They take and throw it out and sell it to buy veneers and sawdust that you can’t sand and restore. And my wife is the worst for that crap. Ugggh.
Unfortunately, I HAVE to. After our rv in storage, we have to do our captains chairs and sofa. I’m crying. Legit. I’m balling my eyes out because we cannot afford to replace. I’m glad I learned something today. Thank you. I also learned to pay more attention to curing this material in the future.
Someone send help n materials🙏🏻❤️💪🏼🤗
Thank you so much for showing the truth!
Yep wasted $1500+ on a couch and love seat because of it delaminating. I used it for two years, then had kids and put it in my basement covered up for another 5 years. Recliners werent kid friendly at the time so i swapped it out for my other leather couch. Moved the couches to my new house and they were in pristine condition. After just a month of use i guess it got brittle over the years and started peeling and flaking everywhere. It was an endless vaccuuming nightmare. I peeled an entire seat section off and sat on it for another month before i had enough and took it to the dump. I cant believe i got duped into thinking bonded leather would be just fine. Still using my parents old leather couch thats 25 years old and still looks awesome for its age. It needs a little bit of leather dye in a few areas but that should be an easy fix. You get what you pay for and i definitely learned my lesson.
This is a well-done vid! No annoying music or fancy lights or camera angles, just straight on shots!
This was really helpful, thank you for taking the time to share it in such a thorough way!
I invested about $ 50 for a task chair and armrest covers. Now chair is fine and i don’t have to pay hundreds to replace it with a leather one.
Thank you! I have so many belts, shoes and purses that deteriorate quickly in FL. I peeled it and am just going to fabric paint and embellish with broken jewelry or glitter paint.
Yeah, the whole time I was saying to myself, it ain’t worth it, then you got there. Nice job showing the whole truth.
I stopped wasting my time with this bonded junk a long time ago.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful! I was searching for just this kind of info and so happy to have the month later results. It made My decisions so much easier! Thanks again!
Thankyou! This video was invaluable. I will not be wasting my time trying to repair fake leather furniture. It's just not worth it!
Glad I watched this video! I had faux leather shoes that I got from a thrift store 2 years ago and it started to peel and bubble. I love the shoes but I see it's not worth the time and money to fix them.
Luckily my chair was black so I bought 1 yard of black bonded leather, took off the arms and back, staple gunned the new fabric over the other for about $10. As an artist, I'm always getting paint on everything so I didn't want to purchase a brand new chair but I didn't want the black peeling stuff sticking to the back of my legs either. It worked out really well - as long as one doesn't mind not having any stitching showing on the seat. Also I have enough "leather" left over in case it needs it again in another 8 -10 years
I love how you used a seemingly untraditional leather fixing product like the spray Flex Seal. Gets myself thinking out of the box for creative solutions to a crappy substrate of the faux leather
Thank you for saving me potentially 2-3 hours of time and money on purchasing the material to "fix" my chair.
Great video. Saved me a lot of time as I realize it's NOT worth it!!!
A neighbor just tossed his "Leather" office chair out, so I grabbed it to replace the VERY small chair I currently use. It is damaged just like the chair you used here, but worse. I figure I'll pick up some Hyde of the rare and beautiful Nauga, but may try one of these techniques instead. Great video !
Excellent tips, I'm going to try to fix some peeling vinyl detailing on a mostly-fabric phone case, using the soft filler method I think --- but I have to pause to say your hairdos are sooo cute!! Love the two braided buns :)
@@RubnRestore Thanks! :)
Thank you 🙏
Yes the real deal is always best & more beautiful
I am opting to fix my handbags & the straps but think i will use textile
Will see if i can use shoe conditioner or shoe cream colour 🤔
Thanks for your demo. "bonded leather" - I have a guitar strap where the end pieces are peeling like that. Now I understand what is happening.
If you wouldn't wet the surface but would have cleaned it first; then what would you have used?
Also very great getting to see how things held up! Seems like the very important step most others skip.
Always use alcohol. It evaporates quickly and is needed to remove body oil, conditioners, and other residues that soap and water won't touch.
First of all, thanks for this video! I came across it because my family is likely going to get rid of a synthetic leather couch very soon, and I was looking for alternatives to throwing it out. Ideally I'd like to donate/sell it because it's in relatively good condition. But the damaged material (although quite a small area) makes it seem unlikely that it would be deemed suitable for reuse/resale. I found this video thinking that I could maybe patch it up and someone else might want it, but now I'm reconsidering. Another idea I had was to take it apart and reuse/upcycle the separate materials, eg. turning the leather into bags, or reassembling them to make ottomans? Not sure about it though cause if the material is already not made to last, anything I make out of it would also be destined to live a short life, and then all the work gone into upcycling would be kinda pointless. Any thoughts on what I could do with this couch? :/
@Rub 'n Restore, Inc. haha okay, so my suspicions have been confirmed. And your suggestions make a lot of sense, thanks! I don't have a lot of experience buying or selling used furniture, it seems like a bit of a hassle... but I'm sure it'll be worth the effort!
Remove the top material and replace it with nice fabric. There are youtube videos that show you how to do this.
Well then. I am thoroughly convinced that I won't be trying a repair job considering you literally did it as well as it could be done in 2 separate ways and it didn't even matter in the end... I did not think about that. Thanks for saving me a ton of time and effort
Glad to be of help, and sorry you're another victim of hydrolysis-related failure!
@@RubnRestore Yeah, got a Serta branded office chair as a gift, started getting little cracks quickly and only now 2 years later they're starting to get bad. Gotta fight the urge to be cheap over and over again rather than replace it once with something that will last the first time!
@@Skystrike70 Go to an estate sale or thrift store in a wealthy neighborhood. There's probably a fine quality leather one with water or oil stains or sun fading. This article has more info: rubnrestore.com/how-to/bonded-leather-blues/#option-3
What would you think about early placement on an area that doesn't get a lot of physical flexing? Asking because a kitten has been climbing on a chair, putting little puncture wounds. Its on the rigid side parts of a gaming chair, that gets limited to no body contact. Physical damage is right now, only seen with close inspection where you can see the tiny claw punctures.
We are trying to decide whether to just wait for it to go to shit, or to try to pre-emptively seal the damaged points with something that dries clear.
Thanks for the video. I will refrain from repairing my chair now. Save myself some time and money. it was very helpful!!
Great video!
My verdict is same! Never to waste money buying bonded leather chairs.
thank you for the lesson..I'll be watching for real leather pieces...thanks!
Awesome video! Thanks! We have a fabric sofa which unfortunately has vinyl on the arm rest on one side and on the back. The side back of the sofa is in the middle of the room so always visible and the vinyl is peeling off. Can we upholster it with real leather? The couch itself is amazing and the fabric in great condition.
@@RubnRestore thanks so much! We looked at a second hand leather one. My husband is concerned as we have a dog, a cat and 3 kids.
Is leather a bad idea for a family or if regularly treated would it still last well? My great grandma used to have this leather couch and it was like 50 years and every few months she would “feed it” (she would call it that) and it looked amazing still. I do remember us kids having to sit on blankets on the sofa though 🤣
This was an excellent video! Thank you for the update.
I made the mistake of buying PU leather though thankfully it's still holding up pretty well after three years. I got it because of pets and young children. I hate the feel of it, so it's always covered with a breathable cover. Perhaps this is one reason it's held up so far. Downside is always futzing to keep cover in place as it's always sliding about. I checked out this video to see about repairing when that time came. Verdict is I'll reupholster it if the frame and mechanism is still viable. I didn't pay that much for it, compared to comparable furniture. Note to self, never buy PU leather again. I do like the versatility of seating I have with the reclining loveseat and two recliners as they make for comfortable seating and napping for everyone.
Thanks so much for doing this instructional video. I was tempted to buy a faux leather duffle bag... Now, thanks to you, I'll just buy a real leather bag on Amazon 😅
your repair looks GREAT! The guy with an external knife is nuts! Give him a beatup wooden bench! HaHa🤣🤣🤣🤣
What about making a slipcover for the seat of a pu leather (fake leather) gaming chair?
Would that help make the chair last longer?
Very honest and useful advice. God bless you.
Great tutorial first of!
Does anyone now where i could get a soft filler in Europa?
Cheers from Vienna!
Thanx for sharing even the test after the reparation. I was going to repari some old pleather clothings of my vintage barbie dolls, so I'm not gonna waste money on buying these products.
You’re right about it just keeps on going and going. I have a Serta office chair that is almost completely bare of whatever that crap is that flakes off. I Have swept up what looks like little leaves all over my floor for at least a couple of years. Lol. I kept thinking I would try to reupholster it, but I don’t know. What a mess they are.
It is a great video. I won't be repairing my faux leather chair. I will now look for a proper leather chair.
Excellent advise, thank you
Actuallly where you repaired it is still there so its just the condition of your chair but you did a pretty good job
I see... thanks. My case doesn't have an alternative material so I guess I'll just have to tape it. It's a tiny spot with some sort of silicone filling underneath and I just wanted to prevent further damage until it become messy
@@RubnRestore It's a keyboard attachment to rest your wrists on to be more specific. I don't know what kind of material they used and what I could properly repair it with so I taped it over for the meanwhile, I'll have to see how that turns out. If you google it you'll see a lot of varying keyboard rests, some of which are fabrics, some are thin synthetic materials, I got the latter. Thank you for this video though! Very straight to the point and helpful
It makes me sad to see so many commenters who took this as they should throw their clothes away and take their furniture to the dump. You don't have to throw it away, you can peel the PU leather off and reupholster the furniture with fabric, or paint with fabric paint like she suggested. If you don't want to be bothered with it you can sell or give it away to someone to fix, but please don't just turn it into waste 🙏
I’m curious as to whether just peeling the faux leather off (if the color of the fabric base is acceptable to taste) is there any reason you wouldn’t try that? I have a gray sectional that the headrests are peeling and the material underneath is a nice fabric and gray color. What’s the least labor intensive way to remove the plasticky layer? Love your videos :)
Really informative video, especially the 1-month later. I have a couple desk chairs that have been peeling, one is worse enough that repairs seem pointless.
I'm curious about the fabric paint idea. I know it was a few years ago but do you remember how that research went? Are there any fabric paints that you would recommend?
Thanks!
where do I purchase your products? Thought a link would be in the description. I SUBSCRIBED!
The pocket knife part killed me xD Whyyyyyy
I have the color called palomino and i dont see any color that comes even close to it!
For the large hole, do find a large piece of materialand plug the hole before i start filing it in with the filler.
Thanks
So much
GREAT video... AND advice. As they always say... you get what you pay for 😉
I don’t wait. In fact I let the first coat dry to tack and then do it again
You should have told that friend no repair if he refuses to lose the knife. : )
@@RubnRestore Yeah I was just kidding. : )
Glad I watched it to the end! Duct tape it is, til we get a new chair for my dog!
thank you for sharing this, it was really informative.
The point is many people don’t want to purchase leather products
Great observation on whether it's worth it or not to repair. But this is an office chair. At the end when you said, it's not worth fixing, better to focus on real leather furniture... you can't exactly replace a desk chair with a plump leather loveseat. The office chair market is dominated by fake leather surfaces, it's not even so easy to find fabric seating surfaces. Mesh, yes, but not everyone likes that. And a real leather desk chair costs a fortune. I think it would be worth discussing what options might exist to recover a chair like this, but that, perhaps, I'll explore on my own. Very informative as to the treatments available however.
This was excellent I just bought a piece and realized that it isn't real leather, I don't think anyway, because it is peeling, is that a sure sign that it's this kind of material?
Umm....we just duck tape over most of the couch, then put a couch cover on and that's how we solved out peeling bonded leather issue.
What if you take off all the leather and spray the whole thing with flex seal?
The area you repaired seems to have held up....I would have told the guy to quit wearing the pocket knife...lol
I am attempting a VERY large area repair on my theater chairs...large areas of all 4 chairs....I have gotten all the loose stuff off and sanded a bit....I used one whole can of flex spray on the first coat for 4 chairs....I will wait a day and go buy a second can for the next coat...Im not doing the filler...just spraying right on the fabric....my thinking is this: the plastic will embed itself into the fabric almost like a hook or anchor and the second coat will stick to the first....guess we will see...the chairs were 4K dollars! (electric recline and usb and lit...) If my experment fails, to the junk heap they go.....I AM spraying inside, but have a window open....it smells oddly "good"...but I think I may be getting "high"....lol
What's the best way to tell the difference between real leather furniture and the bonded or faux leather? Thanks
Thanks for that test knowledge
Hi there, I really appreciate your video. I have a couple jackets that need repairs... I am curious though as to how long the soft filler would last? I do plan on peeling away all the top layer of th material so there is no future peeling
I’m never buying a leather couch again lol. I bought this expensive white leather sofa set and less than a year it’s destroyed. I’ve never heard of fabric paint but with the condition my NEW white sofa is in, the only solution is to scrape it all off and paint it. Sucks lol
:( Real leather will last for decades! And you'd be surprised what people are giving / throwing away or selling for next to nothing that is quality and worth restoring. Maybe go leave a negative Google review for the retailer that misled you?
This is a great video, thank you. Gonna save my money and buy new boots 👍
Actaully i think flex seal will do nicely for my footstool, cause i already have new leather hood for it. I just wanted to get rid of that messy PU-pieces.
Thank You for the advise and you are absolutely right
I found this really helpful. Thank you.
Great info. Btw, loved your hairstyles!
I want my sofa to be repaired where can i get related materials filler and oll
What is the filler name? I want to try this with a pair of shoes!
@@RubnRestore how sad but thanks for the reply!
@@RubnRestore better tonbe sincere! Haha
Great video. Thank you!
great video!
What would your advice be on a headboard? I have a nice cali king bed with this material on the headboard and base board. I already started to peel the stuff away but there’s grey residue under the peeled away faux leather. I tried running it off and using a razor blade but it’s not been easy and it’s left it scratched and uneven. Can I paint it or should I cover with fabric? If I paint it, I’m afraid it’ll show the scratches underneath the paint. I need advice 😩
What's that recoating with fabric paint mentioned around 7:03?
Is this the same as recycled leather? Haute House, not exactly cheap stuff (and their durable rich silk and velvet fabrics and down all around the base cushions, down pillow inserts, etc are all top quality), had a recycled leather piece for sale from a furniture show, and I bought it (because it was so inexpensive compared to its $15k retail and I LOVE the fabric and shape and the down etc but also love leather as a more durable side as I have a cat)... part of the leather is cracking and a couple of spots peeled... the base is leather underneath, not a fake base... but it looks AWFUL where it has been damaged (I wish I'd realized how delicate it was, though to be fair, it went a dozen years before the peeling, though a couple of cat-caused spots are eyesores because it's dark brown.. Any hope for this situation?
A really good video. thank you. saved my money and time.
I have a very thick leather couch that now has scratches from dog's nails. How do you get the scratches out?
See here: rubnrestore.com/how-to/repair-leather-scratches-nicks/
I have a pair of clogs I’d like to fix that have some cracks. The substrate seems solid and fairly rigid. Would this process work better for something like that?
With flex seal you can turn a regular chair into a boat... And we did it to prove it!
That'd be a good commercial.
Hey, the repair held up though
Yeah, that spray looked pretty easy too. Guess we have to look at someone elses video regarding the longevity.
excellent video, very informative, thank you
So, would this same method work with faux leather jackets? I have an incredibly beloved jacket that's having this same problem with the collar and upper back area and although I would LOVE to simply just get a new one, this jacket seems to just not exist anywhere on the internet or anything similar. The manufacturer doesn't even sell men's clothes anymore! I love this jacket to death and am wondering if this repair process might fair better on it rather than a chair that's being sat on often.
@@RubnRestore All right, I'll give it a shot. Can't really make the jacket much worse at this point. Thanks for the quick reply and about the video!
I bought a couch used, but it was a nice couch. The guy told me it was bonded leather, but never had any idea that they would make an ACTUALLY SELL something that peels like this. I mean it started peeling within a week of it being at my home. WHAT THE HECK! The guy said he got it at Ashley furniture. I didnt pay for it new or I would go back to them and tell them to shove it. But seriously, why the heck are they selling this crap?
Please look at heirloom traditions paint company..look up the product they sell "bond and flex repair" for all bonded leather,real leather,scratches, even big holes too. Look up their videos on leather repair..the woman who is the manufacturer of the product and the paint,is a furniture expert..has years and years of not only selling furniture but repairing it too ,in her background. If interested in repairing it .. it's the only way to go. You can also look up their fb page,to see others who have repaired their leather furniture as well.
But it does take a little work.. nothing ridiculous tho. But some people rather buy new ( my husband is like that lol) but if you want to save or spend very little to save it .. that's the product to use. And unlike the spray product used in this video..their paint ..yes paint , product is low voc and absolutely can be used indoors no prob.
To punish people for being fools and suckers.
why does this happen? does it need to be conditioned?