How to repair a scratch in leather

I thought I would put this out for those of you who may get a deep scratch in your leather furniture. I had to repair one today at my store caused be a carton staple dragging across the leather during the un-cartoning and creating a 1" scratch. (I should have taken photos, but I forgot to grab the camera!).

The leather will be raised on the edges from the scratch, similar to what happens to your own skin. So, we want to smooth the leather flat - color it and then topcoat it.

Step 1 is to glue down the rough edges. Get some Elmer's Glue and lightly put in the scratch itself. Push the edges down gently with your finger. Not too much pressure and definitely not too much glue. This gets rid of the rough edges and gives a bit of filler material. This will dry quickly, in less than 2 minutes.

Step 2: Using # 0000 steel wool lightly knock down any nits after the glue-down. BE GENTLE and SLOW. Do not scrub the area, you do not want to remove color, just the nits.

Step 3: Come in with a dab of color. You can usually get this from the maker of the furniture at no charge. In my case, i was working with H&M Cavalier Dark Blue and had a 2 oz bottle they sent to me. I like to use my finger to apply the color as I can 'push' it around while it dries. Its water-based and will dry quickly. If you don't like what you've done, stop now and remove any excess with the steel wool. Once you are satisfied with your color and smoothness, go to step 4.

Step 4: A little clear coat for the top. I use a specialty product called leather gloss, but you can also use almost any clear sealer (not acrylics, they will crack over time). Adjust the sheen with the steel wool and you're done.

The repair will still be visible, but it will look like a healed scar on the hide.