my leather dye results

I

imported_steveo3002

New member
i recently picked up some used car seats , the outer bolsters were not up to standard and i looked into new pieces and various dye/paint/repair options



i decided after lots of reading that i needed a water based dye kit, i went with leathermagic and got the £34gbp repair kit



heres what the leather looked like when i had removed it from the foam and base



leatherdye002.jpg




leatherdye003.jpg




leatherdye001.jpg




the instructions state you should wipe the leather down with the solution included (alcohol i think ) and then sad the leather with the 220 paper that comes in the kit...alot of the minor creases and cracks sand out at this stage



heres the sanded leather



leatherdye005.jpg




leatherdye004.jpg




next job...wipe on 3-4 thin coats of dye and you have the option to spray the final coat with a sprayer thats included



i was very happy with the results , most of the cracks and creases are gone or improved and the bolster easily looks as good as a one year old part (its 11 yrs old really) im not easily pleased and had my doubts about doing this, but im fully satisfied and couldnt expect any better unless i paid for brand new leather. it still feels and looks just like it should and it doesnt smell bad of chemicals at all...pics look a little patchy but its very nice in person



leatherdyyedone007.jpg




leatherdyyedone006.jpg




heres the dyed one next to the passenger seat for comparision(the drivers one was worse that that )



leatherdyyedone003.jpg




heres a gear knob i refurbed...no before pic but the colour was worn away on the stitching



leatherdyyedone002.jpg






ive only used about 5% of the kit , so its great value..i just hope it lasts a few years
 
That looks really nice, definitely a huge improvement over the original. Does the color rub off after awhile? What if someone wore light colored pants on a hot, sweaty day? will it transfer onto the clothing?
 
they claim its permanent , as good as original if done correctly



i did have to sand a few spots i wasnt happy with and it sands just the same as orig finish



it shouldnt rub off on light coloured pants etc
 
gmblack3a said:
Nice work! I need to re-dye the drivers seat on the wifes car. I might go with leatherique's kit.
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yeah theyre both waterbased so probably pretty similar



leathermagic was avail here in uk, and leatherique tried to stiff me and say i needed 16oz to do that repair, so i went with leathermagic as he seemed honest ...i only used about a cap full of product
 
I think I will just do the entire front drivers seat. I need to have a look at the rear seat as well since we have been using a carseat back there for 3 yrs now.



Do you think an 8oz of the dye would be enough for a rear seat and one front seat in a BMW 740? The pass front seat still looks new.
 
it might be enough....is the whole seat beat up ?



if its just wear in certain areas you can do those and then wipe a coat over the whole seat to freshen it up
 
Please keep us updated on the wear. I've read where the "filler" products start cracking over time and I want to do my dove color seats.
 
yeah i'll be sure to post if it cracks or fails in any way



i didnt use any crack filler...the damage mostly sanded out as it was in the original finish not cracked through the leather...im not sure i would chosse to use a filler myself
 
Its not the water based dye that is the most important issue. Its the base the dye mixes with for adhesion and long term wear. If the dye peels in a less than a year then the products are the probloem and not the leather. Good luck.
 
no, no need to take it apart..i had to repair my heat pad and foam so it made sense to do it that way



its pretty east to do...just cover the carpets and stuff incase of any spills
 
update time



its been over a year...no peeling or dye flaking off , no color transfer onto clothes etc



some of the major creases have come back where it flexes alot , but its still looking alot fresher that it did :)
 
Definitely appreciate the update! I'm surprised enough at the amazing results, but the fact that the fix is durable is really really great.



I'm gonna get this kit, for sure.
 
this gave me an idea to dye the seats i have for my supra.. My car has only 22k miles on it and the seats are in as new condition, but they are of course tan. so I bought a set of black leather seats for it, but those where from a car that had over 120k miles so the sides are a bit worn, no tears or anything but some minor cracks. rest of the seat looks mint.. Maybe I'll try the leatherique set and see how it goes. would i just have to sand the spot that is worn or the whole seat.. Would be nice to have an even colour on the whole seat and not the just the part i redyed. should save me a few bucks from buying a whole new seat off leatherseats.com kit.



I was looking at sparco milano prestige, but has to be for a later budget :P



Do you think I can achieve a good result dying them. I have never done such work before.:shocked





at least the seats are out of the car and they are worth nothing to me in the state that they are in so what the hell.. I might aswell give it a try..





your seats turned out beautifully.
 
id probably just sand the damaged bolsters and do those , i never did the centers on mine incase the dye job didnt last



i dont see why you cant perform the job yourself, that was my first job on leather i just took my time and sanded it really well







95supra said:
this gave me an idea to dye the seats i have for my supra.. My car has only 22k miles on it and the seats are in as new condition, but they are of course tan. so I bought a set of black leather seats for it, but those where from a car that had over 120k miles so the sides are a bit worn, no tears or anything but some minor cracks. rest of the seat looks mint.. Maybe I'll try the leatherique set and see how it goes. would i just have to sand the spot that is worn or the whole seat.. Would be nice to have an even colour on the whole seat and not the just the part i redyed. should save me a few bucks from buying a whole new seat off leatherseats.com kit.



I was looking at sparco milano prestige, but has to be for a later budget :P



Do you think I can achieve a good result dying them. I have never done such work before.:shocked





at least the seats are out of the car and they are worth nothing to me in the state that they are in so what the hell.. I might aswell give it a try..





your seats turned out beautifully.
Click to expand...
 
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