Leather Seat Conditioning Question....

R

roadster

New member
I have a 1990 Buick Reatta which has the type of leather seats that are "top finished or dyed/painted" from the factory (for lack of proper terminology). The color (medium gray) was wearing thin in 2003 so I restored the color with SEM products provided and applied as per Thad's instructions (Vinyl Pro of Western PA). The restoration lasted very nicely until this summer, and was beginning to wear a little on the drivers seat so I re-dyed the drivers seat only with SEM again .... I am guessing about 25000 miles of driving.



The Question:



There are several places on the drivers seat that I have to touch up now and then, and seem to be "dry". If I use some of the " Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil ", would it penetrate the original and the 2 SEM restoration coats (I used the water borne SEM), and would it prove to be beneficial? Also, would it deter any future restoration/spray attempts?



Thanks Folks,



:usa



Nic
 
Rejuvenators can be a help in such situations especially on older leather such as yours. Some leather techs use rejuvenator or conditioner as a softening for leather before dyeing. Use some heat to help it soak thru, and be sure and clean good b4 applying paint.



3 other possibilities come to mind:

1. You are getting rub-off in the most common wear places due to the fact the paint did not have a cross-linker catalyst and/or Clear Topcoat as insurance for proper curing and the wear places are the easiest to rub off. Or...

2. It needs a little better sanding or cleaning prep before applying paint. Or...

3. You have to keep touching up spots that were exposed bare leather, in which case a rejuvenator or conditioner before dyeing is not a bad idea, but what it really needs to insure good adhesion is another chemical as a primer/sealer. It's kinda like painting over bare wood without a primer. It wants to keep bleeding thru or in leather's case bleeding thru and/or rubbing off.



Any 3 of these could be the cause. It seems many or most D.I.Y. kits do not include a clear topcoat or cross-linker catalyst for the paint which could be crucial to the heaviest wear areas. It's nice you've got leftover paint. You might try and buy a few drops of cross-linker from a leather tech in your area and find a way to mix it in with the paint just b4 applying next time
 
I re-read your post and see that your first paint job lasted 5 yrs. That's not bad at all. I'd say there was good adhesion. It's just that in those few spots (where the most wear is?) it needs an extra step or two (see above)
 
Wow! Thanks for the extra informative technical reply....greatly appreciated. The two things that I can see that I did not do is the clear coat and rejuvenator....actually did not even know that clear was available for dying seats. I have cleaned with a prep sol, sanded and used a gray scuff pad, cleaned with prep sol again, used 18 drops per once of cross linker, and thinned 15% in order to spray with a gun. Did not use for a 2 days so it could cure.



I have copied your thread and will add the extra 2 steps the next time I have to do these seats or another set.



Thanks again.....a lot



:usa



Nic
 
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