care of your leather interior

Exploding the myth
Modern leather interiors are, for the most part, leather which has been dyed and lacquered to give it some protection. The same goes for three piece suites and other upholstery. People often forget that cows do not come in bright purple or DFS red!!- never have done and never will. Once you understand that you are dealing with a PAINTED and LACQUERED surface then you will begin to understand why most of the leather care products on the market do very little to actually PROTECT the leather and even less to condition it. They may well appear to soften the surface and make it smell nice but unless you could apply a conditioner to the underside of the seat covering then there is little point. The secret is to protect the leather from the onset by preventing UV damage and keeping the natural moisture. Once leather has begun to deteriorate and crack it may be cosmetically repaired but on something like a car seat it will eventually need replacing and refinishing to match the undamaged part.

The BRiLiANT leather care system
After many years of trying various products that purported to do all things to all leather we have now selected a simple trio of products that achieve the simple task of CLEANING, PROTECTING, and MAINTAINING your leather interior. we make no excuses for the prices... these products are not cheap but THEY WORK!

Step One - Cleaning
Most soiling we have come across on car leather is general grime caused by handling the leather and by dirt from our clothes etc. Some damage may be caused by dye transfer from jeans and dark colours too. Often leather creams neither remove the dirt from within the grain of the leather nor prevent further soiling and as they are often full of lanolins and glycerine type ingredients they can actually attract more dirt in the future and clog up the pores of the leather.

Cleaning TIPS - do NOT use

Baby wipes -  one of  the worst thing you can use on a leather as they break down the finish which will over time cause peeling and more serious problems.

Milk or Toothpaste – these are silly ideas that will leave sticky residues on the surface which will help to break down the finish on your leather.

Magic erasers – these usually remove finish and pigment along with the ink. These have been well tested by leather specialists who have found that they work like a very fine sandpaper which permanently damages the top finish on the leather.

Silicones/furniture polish - these should never be used on leather as they will form a coating on the surface of the leather which will not allow any moisture to get to the leather and will eventually break the finish down.

Leather should be cleaned gently and not scrubbed so ‘elbow grease’ will only damage the finish.

s will not remove ink and will leave residues on the leather which will attract dirt and oils.

BRiLiANT Leather Cleaner (Fabric Cleaner)

Also suitable for all types of fabrics and vinyls

BRiLiANT Fabric/Leather Cleaner

250ml concentrate £ 8 .95
1Litre concentrate £ 29 .95

Step Two - Protecting
Once the leather is cleaned then it needs to be protected from soiling. The worst enemy of leather is oil which as the photograph below shows penetrates the leather and is very difficult to remove. Even innocent looking leather creams and leather scents contain oils so if possible refrain from using these. The finished leather is best protected by using a barrier film which resists water and dirt penetration The second and third photos show the contrasting effect of oil on "crust" leather which has been treated with "another" leather protector and the BRiLiANT leather protector (right). While the second two photographs show that greater oil resistance was evident after the leather was "flexed" for a time only the third sample retained its full protection the other "films" broke down and allowed the oil through the cracks in the film. BRiLiANT leather Protect is very economical in use requiring just 20 ml to treat the average car interior. In addition to high levels of protection from dirt BRiLiANT leather protect also provides UV protection

BRiLiANT Leather Protector
150ml Spray bottle £ 19 .95

Step Three - Maintenance
Once the leather is protected then regular use of the BRiLiANT Leather Maintain spray will ensure that the leather stays in great condition. Simply spray on and wipe away dirt with a clean towel

for heavier soiling clean first with BRiLiANT leather Cleaner

BRiLiANT Leather Maintain
150ml Spray bottle £ 12 .95

Leather renovation services
Repairs to vehicle interiors and full interior renovation and re-dying can now be undertaken at our Cramlington Studio
This is not a quick process so either the seats must be removed from the vehicle first or the vehicle left with us. If you would like to talk to us about having your leather interior restored then call Mike on 08454020795
 

Preparation
The seats are first disassembled where possible and the leather surface cleaned to remove all soiling and loose dye and pigment. Once this is completed the panels will be masked up and new pigment applied by hand to match the original colour or if you wish to change the colour a pigment can be selected

Repair and re-dying
If panel replacement is not an option then minor cracks can be filled with flexible fillers and any abrasions rubbed down with fine sand paper to restore the surface. This is often enough to remove the surface damage which resides in the top coat in the same way we remove swirl larks from paint. A coat or two of pigment is then worked into the clean surface and allowed to dry. The final Finnish is achieved by spraying light coats of colour onto the leather using an airbrush in the case of these seats the rear could not be divided so each colour had to be masked off and applied individually allowing a few days for it to cure in between

Final Finishing
Once completely re-coloured the seats need to be treated with a hard wearing "leather finish" this comes in both gloss and matt finishes to suit the original. After sealing and inspection the seats can be reassembled and refitted.