Removing the "Protection" from a semi-aniline Leather B&Y Sofa

Hello Duane and all the great leather minds on this forum,

I have a ~10 yr old B&Y semi-aniline sofa, for its age the leather has held up remarkable well(cushions are another story). Although, the leather surface has evolved into extreme variances of appearance and I would like to safely remove the top coat from the areas it remains. What is underneath is a soft, pliable leather and the look and feel I desire whereas the areas not worn have a hard, crusty and shiny look...like faux leather which I don't want.

Through the years I have used your site (clicked on the ads) for my information but I have not found an existing thread regarding this subject. I did find some DIY sites that use water, alcohol, hairdryer, & 220 sandpaper to give the distressed look. This site has educated me enough to know that you have to be careful with leather. Those sites use the water and heat to create small crackings in the leather but that sounds crazy to me...wouldn't it start to flake? I dont want to damage the leather but with an older sofa I would be willing to take some calculated risks.

This morning I took the area of leather under one cushion and used 220 sandpapper with rubbing alcohol(skipped the water/heat) then wiped clean and worked in some of your recommended leather conditioner. I knew the surface was off because it soaked up the conditioner like never before. The results seemed positive - smooth, soft with no blotchy spots or sanding marks.

Before I go "head first" what are the risks? Has anyone tried anything similar? Will the alcohol make leather crack in the future even if I use conditioner? Anything I should be aware of that I am missing or even a better process?

Thank you, all

Jerry

I linked my photos below from Photobucket. The first two pics are what 90% of the sofa looks like - plasticy, crusty, and shiny. The last photo is the naturally worn spot on sofa I would like to emulate.

Is there any DIY technique that doesn't require sandpaper but could take the protected layer off and not ruin the pigment?

http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1466271745

http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1466271741

http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1466271745

Unfortunately, that is territory that I have not been in, trying to sand down leather and get it re-usable again. If you have lots and lots of time, you may be able to do it, but that is something I myself would not do. I can tell you the people that make leather furniture do not attempt that either, they pull off the cover and use new leather. Let us know how you make out and good luck.

I was worried that would be your answer...haha I do like to "tinker" with stuff and take great satisfaction when it turns out. On the other hand, I have had projects become a grind because I greatly underestimated the time commitment...no fun.

I will do a little more research. I did find a site called "Leather Doctor" which focuses leather restoration with products that utilize ph levels based on the type of leather and finish. They tackle stains, finishes, smells etc by identifying a neutralizing cleaner for that particular issue.

Of course there are all kinds of before and after photos but my days auto detailing, put myself through college, there are temporary "fixes". Sometimes we would have to clean the most filthy cars for used car lots that looked and smelled like the worst gas station bathroom. After we were done you would have thought grandma used it only to go to town and parked it in the garage. However, 2 months later the paint is back to oxidation, seats smell like dog urine and what remains is lipstick on a pig. The used car guy doesn't care he knows he can sell it before all that happens.

Usually if the topcoat is failing, the interior of the hide is dried out as well. That can mean you are doing the equivalent of painting a rusty car, lots of time and effort and in 6 months the rust will pop the paint again. If the underlying leather was kept supple and in good shape, then in most cases the topcoat would not be deteriorating as well. I have had dozens of conversations with Jimmy Moore over trying to save a piece of deteriorated upholstery leather and most the time he tells me 'its just not worth it', but you can certainly give it a go.

The "Doctor" provided the list of instructions which included hydrating from the suede side, wrapping each piece in plastic then repeating numerous times plus couple hundred dollars in supplies. After all that the results may not be to my liking? Nope! that project has "fool's errand" written all over it. Thank you Duane for the reality check!

Actually my sofa isn't in bad shape, just not how I want it but still more comfortable and looks better than 90% of the leather sofas out there. Is there anything I could try to soften a little and/or take the "shine" off?

Many thanks!

Hi Jerry! Could you please post a picture of your complete sofa?

The 'shine' is the top of the color coat, and like all painted surfaces you can 'work' it, but you have to be careful because if you overdo it, then you can't get back to where you were before. All painted surfaces can be sanded or steel wooled. If all you want to do is cut the sheen down, then # 000 or # 0000 steel wool will do that, but you have to do all the panels evenly. I would definitely start with an area under the cushion to experiment. If you want to dull more than that, then I'd probably try microfine sandpapers and start around 1200 grit, working to 600 grit and possibly 400 grit. But I have never done that on a large piece personally, its just something I would experiment with.

If you have bonded or bicast leather, don't attempt it.

I have used steel wool on leather before, but only the # 0000 superfine grits and it evened out some unsightly areas.