My expensive, and relatively new, bonded leather chairs were peeling like they had a bad sunburn. One of my boys found it so dang satisfying to peel off the bonded leather. Not me, I was just plain irritated.
These chairs would not be tossed out without trying a few remedies. First, I tried to remove the seats to recover them in a new leather. No good. The seat base was glued down.
Well, after that, it was time to shop around for products. Just my luck, I found a Rust-Oleum Fabric and Vinyl spray paint. It looked promising even though it didn’t come in a chocolate brown to match the existing chairs. I bought a can in gray to test out.
The second product I came across was from Heirloom Traditions Paint. The Finish-All paint in Truffle seemed like a good match. I was skeptical so I skipped getting the Bond and Flex that was recommended for repairing rips and tears since my chairs were just peeling. This also allowed me to more fairly compare the success of one paint with another.
How Should I Prepare My Peeling Leather Chair for Painting?
- Remove any loose or peeling vinyl or leather.
- Using a light sand paper, go over the chair to rough up the surface and minimize the transition edges (from the peeling to intact bonded leather).
- If there is a tear, cut away the damaged pieces and patch with vinyl, leather, or Bond-N-Flex from Heirloom Traditions Paint.
- Use a deglosser to remove any oils or dirt that would prevent the paint from adhering to the surface to be painted.
What happens if you remove the peeling bonded leather but don’t patch the chair?
There will be a slight indentation that will be noticeable once the chair is painted.
I wondered the same thing and decided to see what would happen so you wouldn’t have to. On both the Rust-Oleum sprayed chair and the Heirloom Traditions Paint (HTP) chair, I left a section less than perfect to test out the results.
How Much Paint Do I Need to Fix the Peeling Leather Chair?
The amount of paint needed depends on how large of an area you want to cover and how many coats you do.
It took one entire 11 ounce can of the Rust-Oleum Fabric and Vinyl to cover the seat and back of one chair.
It took 3-4 coats (about 7 ounces) of the HTP to cover the seat and back of one chair.
Now, when I used the HTP, almost all of the bonded leather was removed and it was just the lining of the cushion that I was covering. I lightly sanded between coats. The bare fabric and sanding required more paint layers until the results were satisfactory.
Is it Difficult to Paint the Chairs?
For both paints, I made sure to use painter’s tape to mask off the wood framing of the chairs. The Rust-Oleum was spray painted on with a few hours drying time between coats. Be sure to spray paint outside or in a well ventilated area. The Heirloom Traditions Paint was brushed on with the HTP brand paint brush. It took less time to apply a coat of HTP paint, but I sanded between coats and each coat dried for a few hours. Overall, the Heirloom Traditions Paint took longer to apply.
How Do the Painted Leather Chairs Look and Feel When Dried?
The bonded leather chair painted with Heirloom Traditions Paint was pliable and had a smooth, eggshell finish when dried. The paint went on with very good coverage.
I was so impressed with this paint that I used the free sample of Polo that I ordered to cover two wooden chairs (the ones from the tutorial on how to recover chairs). The paint is formulated with a built in primer and top coat. After a 30 day curing time, the wooden chair paint finish dried so hard that I couldn’t even scratch the finish with my finger nail or a scrub brush.
Spray painting the chair in the Rust-oleum paint was a pretty easy application. The gray color was nice and looked like it coated evenly. Once thoroughly dried, we tried it out. The dried chair felt a little rough and stiff but we determined that we would give it a chance, all the same. When my son sat in the chair, there was a distinct crunchy, or cracking sound. Perhaps the chairs had too much give and the paint could not stretch enough to keep its integrity?
Will the Painted Chairs Hold Up to Daily Use?
The number one question we wanted answered was how would the finishes hold up over time. We tested them out over a week and half. Sitting, kneeling and stepping on the chair seat were the tests we performed on the chairs. As you can see from the below pictures, there was a definite difference in the durability of the painted surfaces. At the end of our testing the HTP chair still looked and felt great and held up well to a damp cloth wiping it down. The Rust-oleum painted chair wore off on the chair back, and continued to crack on the chair seat. I didn’t even attempt to wipe it down because I didn’t want paint flecks stuck in my cleaning cloth.
There was no question as to which paint out performed the other. Rust-oleum has great spray paints and I had high hopes for it going in to this experiment. I cannot, however, recommend the Fabric & Vinyl spray paint for repairing chairs that have any give to them. Unless you like the scratchy spiderweb effect on your seats.
The clear winner is the Heirloom Traditions Paint. The durability, ease of application, and the versatility to use any of their paint lines on any surface, just can’t be beat. If you join their Facebook page you can get a code for a free 8 oz. sample of paint. The sample covered two kitchen chairs with some paint left over.
Good luck with your peeling bonded leather or vinyl chairs! Restoring what you own, fixing up what you have inherited, or saving something from a landfill are all great ways to make a house a home. 💙
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I guess the ease of the spray paint was too good to be true. The other chair looks great still, though.
I felt it was worth the risk of losing a chair to get answers for you guys. Why waste your money on something that doesn’t produce the results you want? Thank you for commenting!
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So glad you found it useful. Be sure to check out other posts for more useful information!
Thanks for this test and post! Any update on how the paint is performing now, months into use? I have a older leather couch, arm chair & ottoman that faded but in otherwise good condition that I’m considering painting. The seats and cushions are top-grain leather but the bodies are bonded.
I think prep is the key. It has got to be done right if it is going to last. Well, proper prep and the fact that the chairs don’t get wet or have any animals testing out the durability. I have asked others who have used this paint over a year ago and most have responded saying that it has worn really well and is still really supple. I think the leather would wear the best because it is all the same material. Bonded surfaces are just more temperamental, but I am planning to fix another chair soon because I have found this to be the best paint for the job.