How To Fix A Leather Car Seat Tear | Car Seat Repair Tips

With proper and timely maintenance, leather damage can be managed! 

However, with use, leather upholstery in your car might experience some extent of damage – that’s inevitable. Sharp objects may create holes and tears, causing leather damage with every use. 

Now, there are quite a few methods that you can implement to fix such problems. Patching the holes is the most common solution. Using a high quality leather glue can do the job easily and make it not unnoticeable. 

However, you might also consider using diluted liquid leather when you have minor cracks and small holes to fix. Not all cracks can be fixed with these DIY techniques, and some might require professional fixing. But, even in that scenario, as a leather aficionado, you should know how to glue two pieces of leather together to get that perfect fix close to the professionals. 

In today’s guide, we are going to take you through all that you need to know about how to fix a leather car seat tear. Check out our other article on how to repair leather couches to get ideas on fixing other leather products. 

So, without further delay, let’s check out these handy tips! 

Fixing Tear In Leather Seats Using Leather Repair Kit 

When choosing leather repair kits for fixing tears in your car seats, it is best to pick one that matches the color of your leather car seat cover. We suggest that you get the kit from your car manufacturer to ensure that the color match is as close as possible, and is of the right shade. 

If that is not possible, you need to try a few kits to see which one matches the leather seat color the best. After you have picked the right kit to work on your leather car seats, follow the below-mentioned procedures to achieve the best results: 

1. Clean And Trim

When handling a large tear on leather upholstery, it is essential that before you do anything, you clean the area. Use a damp cloth and a mild soap to give the entire seat a gentle wash. Don’t make it too gentle, and ensure that there is no dust, grime, or crumbs left on the surface. 

Now, let the leather seats dry for a few minutes before you start working on the tear. Pro tip: Use a try towel or a clean cloth to wipe off the excess water to make it dry completely and quickly. You are now done with the cleaning… 

After that, it’s time to trim! The ragged edges often make it quite challenging to work on large tears. So, it is best that you clear all the torn edges and loose threads with the help of a pair of sharp scissors. If you find leather edges curling outwards from the leather tear, make sure you remove them too. 

2. Glue It Back

You will find a leather adhesive in the repair kit, and it is in this stage that it will come to use. With the help of the adhesive, you will need to glue the canvas below the tear to make it work as a backing cloth. 

To get the results, you’ll need to pour a thin layer of adhesive beneath the leather and put the canvas on it to make them stick. 

Once the canvas is put in place beneath the leather, it is time to spread a bit of the glue. But this time, apply the glue to the torn area and stick it on the canvas. After doing this, you’ll have to stretch the leather to ensure that it is positioned correctly. 

We suggest that you let the glue dry for a while and work its magic before moving on to the next step. 

3. Put Leather Fillers To Use

Once the backing canvas cloth is set in place, you would need to put leather filler to use. For that, you can use the palette knife present in the kit to apply a layer of leather filler on the backing cloth. Give it some time, and allow this leather filler to be properly set. 

Only when you are sure that it is completely dry, proceed to apply another layer to it. We recommend that you keep doing this until you see a top layer forming on the leather surface. 

When you find that the filler layer has totally dried out, get your hands on a fine-grit sanding block or paper. Keep sanding it till it reaches the same level as the surface of the seat. Remember that you will have to do this very carefully and ensure that you do not end up sanding the adjacent areas on the seat. 

If you are a beginner, it is best to use a sanding block rather than sandpapers because it will offer better control. Once the sanding process is over, use a damp rag to wipe off the dust and debris before giving some time for the surface to dry up. 

4. Apply Colorant On The Leather Seats

For the next step, first, get your hands on a piece of white cloth to apply the colorant that came with your repair kit to the damaged area where you put the filler layer. A single layer of colorant might not do the work. 

For the best results, we recommend that you apply a few more layers. Keep applying the layers till you are satisfied that the shade matches the shade of your existing leather seats. Just like the filler, let each layer of the colorant dry up before you proceed to put on the next layers. 

Unless you let the layers dry up properly, there will be a good chance that the colorant will get smudged, and your entire work will go down the drain. 

5. Apply Leather Sealant

For the final step, you would need to apply a leather sealant to the repaired part. To apply, use a piece of clean cloth to ensure none of the colorants comes off. Only when the sealant dries off can you go back to using the seats. 

Pro tip: While you are at it, consider putting a leather conditioner on the seat to make it even more comfortable to sit on. 

Using A Patch To Fix Tear On Leather Seats

Before we move on to tell you how to use a leather patch on car seats, it is essential to note that you should clean the leather regularly. And only when the tear is slightly larger than usual, should you use a lather patch. 

Some people might not want to fix tears on their leather seats this way as it might disrupt the aesthetic appeal considerably. However, if you do decide on going ahead with it, here’s what you need to do: 

When using the patch method, find one that is of the same color and texture as the whole seat. If you are finding it difficult to find a color match, take a leather swatch as reference and get a patch that is dyed the same color as the seat surface. 

1. Basic Preparation

To begin with, use a pair of sharp scissors to cut a patch that is slightly larger than the leather tear you have on the seat. This would make attaching it to the leather surface a lot more convenient. To prevent the foam interior from getting damaged, you would need to put wax paper below the surface of the leather cover on the seat. 

All you have to do is slip the wax paper from one side and pull it from the other end of the tear. Just like the patches, the paper too should be larger than the tear. 

2. Apply The Leather Adhesive

You will need to find a suitable leather adhesive to apply to the torn area on the leather seat. For best results, pull both sides of the damaged area before putting in the patch. Then give the adhesive some time to dry up! 

How To Fix A Leather Car Seat Tear Final Words

With that, we have now reached the end of this informative guide. 

We hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed compiling all the information for you. Taking proper care of the leather upholstery in your car and preventing it from getting exposed to direct sunlight can increase the longevity of the covers. 

And even if the tears develop after taking proper care, we have mentioned what you need to do. Follow the steps, and the tears and cracks will be easily repaired. 

 If you liked reading this guide, do not forget to keep a watch on this space for more exciting reads. Until next time, take care!