[ross12345]

is it easy to spray a leather sofa and were do u buy the paint

[LTT Leathercare]

There are many things to take into consideration when recolouring a leather sofa.
You need to understand the type of leather you are dealing with to start with as trying to recolour something like a wax/oil pull up with pigments (paints) could lead to huge problems with adhesion etc.  Pigments should only be used on leathers that have a pigment coating on them and dyes should be used on aniline style (absorbent) leathers

There will be other considerations like the condition of the leather, whether the pigment is cracked, is there any grease present (which may affect the adhesion of the pigment/finish) and what colour change you are trying to achieve.  If the leather is a two tone leather and you are not recolouring the whole sofa then this will be a trickier operation than a single colour pigment.
The style of the furniture may also dictate how easy it will be to colour ie. piped borders, fixed cushions etc.  It will be necessary to mask any areas that you do not want your pigment to colour.


Bear in mind that

Preparation (this is crucial taking into account any or all of the above problems)
Proceedure (the application of the product is also crucial and spraying is not necessarily the best way of applying the product)
Product (the selection of product is important from the array on the market )

will all determine the outcome of the job

Spraying PU products tend to float a coating across the leather and this fills in texture and grain pattern which is not always acceptable to the customer.
Water based products (particularly BRIT which is a very light product) can be applied with a roller and will not significantly affect the grain pattern or texture.

We strongly advise that you practice on something you own before you advance to a customers leather otherwise it could be an expensive operation.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Judy are you saying with the BRIT system you don't need a sprayer to apply the dye for pigmented? does that also extend to the finish?

Shaun

[LTT Leathercare]

The BRIT system usually only requires a very light overspray of pigment as a final coat.  The finish is normally applied by airbrush but could be applied by hand.

[*paul_moss]

Why do all threads on Leather end up with LTT promoting their products ?
Gets like a broken record :

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I thought with any application of pigments you'd have to apply it in coates but even with a roller you'll need a final application a spray gun will give it a all over optical finish with no brush or roller marks?

Irrelivant of the product the application is the same then!?

Shaun

[carlton care]

Eh, No it's not the same. Some products will fill in the low areas and skim the high areas. By using the right method of application you can get the best possible results. Simple really.

robert m

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Robert I don't understand what you mean, it doesn't sound English let alone Scottish.

My meaning is this, if you apply the pigment onto the leather by roller to build up the colour then you may get a stipple affect or shall we say not the desired affect, so then you need to finish off with a spray application to even the coat out.

Why not apply the coats with spray and then allow to dry between each coat which doesn't take long?

Shaun

Looking to pick up tips not arguements.

[Kev Loomes]

Shaun

Sometimes its good to apply by hand as this doesnt fill in the grain. Then finish the pigment with airbrush to blend and get even coat. Finally airbrush the lacquer finish - there are some that can be done by hand although I have yet to try this

[*paul_moss]

Whether applying by hand/sponge/ roller or air brush you will get the same amount on the surface.
If you use an air brush with a very fine jet an mist it on you will get less product on.

This filling the grain pattern in is just usual B S.

[carlton care]

No arguments from me Shaun. As you know, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I've been having a long look at what's available in the leather side of things and there's a lot of stuff out there, including preferred methods of application.

To date, I've tried dozens of products and am waiting for a few more. I assumed spraying was the only logical method of applying pigment although I know sponges, brushes and cloths have been used.

If you apply a gloss paint to a grained paper, you will find the gloss paint is likely to fill in the hollows and leave the higher surface needing a further application. If you apply a quicker drying and highly adhesive emulsion type paint you will get a more evenly coated surface.

Hope the analogy makes sense.

Pauls comment beat my posting..........................but my analogy stands