Seat refinishing

Clean the seat and remove anything that could prevent adhesion of the new finish.

Step 1: Cleaning & Degreasing

A. Stains and grease prevent the new finish from adhering to the leather. First, a water-based cleanser should be used to remove any surface dirt. Remove surface dirt by cleaning the leather with a Stain Eraser Sponge soaked in Ultra Rapid Leather Cleaner, rubbing with circular motions. Remove any excess product with an absorbent paper towel or clean, dry cloth and leave to dry.

Treatment with Leather & Textile Degreaser is necessary for headrests, armrests and steering wheels, and sometimes also on seats. Spray a thick coat of Leather & Textile Degreaser on any greasy area and leave to work for at least 4 hours. The white powder produced will absorb any remaining grease from the leather. Do not dry, as this will inhibit degreasing. Remove the powder from the leather using a vacuum cleaner with a soft tip and then use a dry sponge.

B. Use Deep Cleaner F to clean the leather and improve adhesion. Apply the product with a clean, absorbent paper towel or cloth, throwing them away when soiled. Clean with Ultra Rapid Leather Cleaner to remove any residue.

A. Ultra Rapid Leather Cleaner – Leather & Textile Degreaser (if necessary)

B. Deep Cleaner F

Fill / Repair deep cracks and holes.

Step 2: Preparing the Surface and Repairing the Scratches

A. Glue down all raised flaps using Leather Glue WB. Apply the glue with a spatula to force glue into the scratch. Keep pressure on the flaps for about one minute. Remove any excess glue.

B. Sometimes there are worn areas that need to be filled using Mender, a white paste used to fill in deep cracks in worn areas. Mender may be mixed with up to 10% matching (or slightly darker) High Coverage Color or Pigment Base Coat to achieve better coverage of the repair to be done. Apply Menter gently using a spatula or rigid plastic card to fill deep cracks and holes without leaving any excess product on the leather surface. Leave to dry naturally for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible. Avoid using a professional heat gun, as this would reduce the product’s performance and adhesion.

C. Once dry, lightly rub with 400-800 sand paper to smooth out the finished surface. Remove any dust particles with a clean cloth or a soft-tipped vacuum cleaner.

In case of superficial scratches, Surface Repair can be used. Apply the product on the damaged spot with a spatula. Use small quantities of product to form a thin layer. Many applications may be necessary to cover the damage.

Dry with a professional heat gun. Now you should have a smooth, even surface. If not, use Mender or Surface Repair again, as before.

A. Leather Glue WB – Colla
B. Mender (to fix deep cracks)
C. Surface Repair (to fix light scratches)

Apply Adhesion Promoter or Extra Adhesion to ensure adhesion of the color to the leather.

Step 3: Ensuring Adhesion

A. For greater adhesion, you may use the water-based Adhesion Promoter, mixed with 7-8% Eco-Crosslinker or 1-3% Crosslinker AZ5. Alternatively, the more powerful solvent-based Extra Adhesion may also be used, but it’s less environmentally friendly than the water-based Adhesion Promoter. Mask with tape any part of the seat you do not want to be colored. Apply the product with a sponge to areas that can’t be reached by spraying. Spray to create a light coat. Dry with a professional heat gun. At this point, the seat’s surface will be slightly sticky.

We recommend continuing with steps 4 and 5 as soon as possible. Minimal gaps between steps 3, 4 and 5 will ensure the best final result¹.

^{(NOTE 1)} Eco-Crosslinker or Crosslinker AZ5 strongly links Adhesion Promoter to the leather surface in order to ensure maximum adhesion. If High Coverage Color (HCC) is applied immediately after the Adhesion Promoter is dried, the crosslinker binds the color coat too. The result is superb adhesion with the leather surface as well as long durability. Any product mixed with crosslinkers must be used within 8 hours.

A. Adhesion Promoter + 7-8% Eco-Crosslinker or 1-3% Crosslinker AZ5

or Extra Adhesion

Cover and color the leather with High Coverage Color (HCC).

Step 4: Coloring THE SEAT

A. Now the leather seat is ready to be colored. You’ve probably already matched the seat color by mixing the needed tones of HCC High Coverage Color to apply Mender. If not, do it now. To make color matching easy, we’ve added a Color Formulation Chart and some Leather Swatches to the Professional Repair and Refinishing Kits. Select the Leather Swatch that best matches the color you would like to achieve. On the back of the swatch, you will find a reference number. Use this number to find the Color Formulation in the table provided.

Mix HCC High Coverage Color with 3-5% of Color Bonder to confer exceptional adhesion to even the most difficult surfaces. Color Bonder is an impregnation agent that greatly improves adhesion!

Spray a coat over all the seat, making all areas as uniform as possible. A professional heat gun may be used for quick drying. Repeat.

A. HCC High Coverage Color + Color Bonder

Set the color with the final Top Coat.

Step 5: Sealing and Protecting Leather

A. Application of Top Coat Matte / Top Coat Gloss is the final step in protecting leather. It protects against any color transfer and restores all its original physical properties. Examine the leather and decide the level of sheen desired in the final finish. Top Coat Matte and Top Coat Gloss can both be mixed in any ratio. Remember that a matte finish hides defects better and lends a more natural look.

Select the sheen required, mixing the two top coats if necessary, and then obtain the feel desired by adding a maximum of 3% of FM Slip Additive (feel modifier – silky hand) or FM Non-Slip Additive (feel modifier – rubbery hand).

A quantity of Eco-Crosslinker equal to 7-8% of the total of the top coat mixture, or 1-3% of Crosslinker AZ5, must be added to ensure that the original physical properties are restored.

All mixtures of Top Coat Matte and Top Coat Gloss containing crosslinkers must be used within 8 hours.

To give the leather a natural scent, add Leather Additive Fragrance in a quantity of up to 0.3% of the total weight of the final mix.

Apply the mixture with a sponge to areas which cannot be reached by spraying and then spray a coat of the mixture onto the leather. Use a professional heat gun to speed up drying. Repeat. Rub resistance may be checked after 48 hours by rubbing a wet, white cloth on the leather when dry and inspecting for any color transfer.

Apply Leather Protector after 24 hours and leave your renewed leather to rest for a couple of days. Remember to advise your customers to follow an appropriate cleaning and care routine with FENICE products to make sure their treasured leather will last for many years.

Now your customers can enjoy years of comfortable, renewed car seats thanks to Fenice’s safe, simple and environmentally friendly refinishing products.

A. Top Coat Gloss or Top Coat Matte + Eco-Crosslinker or Crosslinker AZ5 + FM Slip or Non-Slip Additive (feel modifiers) + Leather Additive Fragrance (a perfumed essence to give leather a natural scent).