How To Repair Scuffed, Scratched, Scaly Or Cracking Leather And Vinyl?

Let your finger tips decide if scuffs, scratches or cracks need repair. Only damage that can be felt needs fixing. Cuts, tears, burns or holes through the material will need to be patched and filled.

Scratched, scuffed leather or dry, porous vinyl are often corrected with little more than a new finish and gentle sanding. Click here for instructions.

Deeper cracks or splits, chafing, scaliness, or damage that exposes suede or a woven backing should be repaired with a flexible filler and then refinished with color. Learn how here.

Large of areas sun-rotted vinyl (spa covers, tonneau covers, vinyl tops, boat upholstery or yurt roofs) are more economically resurfaced with a rubberized coating. Click here for more information. Do not use rubberized coatings on real leather.

Cuts, tears, burns or holes through the leather or vinyl can also be repaired. The material must be subpatched in order for filler to float freely over the interior foam or padding. Click here for instructions and a video demonstration.

Real leather and marine vinyl don’t delaminate like bonded and faux leather. Here’s how you fix peeling or flaking ‘leather’ and why we don’t recommend it.

Correct dry, porous leather or vinyl with a glaze and a gentle sanding.

1. Clean with alcohol.
2. Apply a glaze (mix of Rub ‘n Restore® Color and Clear Prep+Finish™). This will disperse better on absorbent, porous or worn areas and will allow subsequent layers of color to dry more evenly. It is also more economical than working with color alone.
3. Once dry, gently polish any burrs or roughness with 320 grit sandpaper.
4. Continue to work with a glaze if a lustrous finish or a marbled appearance is desired. Or use color alone to get better coverage and a dull finish. Clear Prep+Finish™ should not be used as a topcoat on vinyl, as it may dry tacky.

If any hairline cracks in the fiber are not improved after a couple coats, strip any unabsorbed, uncured finish with alcohol, and repair cracking leather as follows.

Buy Repair Products

Repair scaly, cracking or chafed leather or vinyl.

1. Clean the area with alcohol. Let dry.
2. Apply a flexible leather repair putty like our Soft Filler to suede, scaliness, chafing, or cracks. The video below demonstrates. Skip ahead to minute 3:14.
3. Work in thin coats until a level surface is achieved. Filler can be sanded, but take care where the filler is thin and blended with undamaged areas, as it may peel up. If so, use alcohol to melt the cured filler and smooth imperfections before a final texturizing coat.
4. Once the repair is complete, refinish with color.

Click here to estimate the amount needed. Filler is cost prohibitive for large areas of UV-damaged vinyl like hot tub covers, boat upholstery, and yurt roofs. In this case consider resurfacing vinyl with a rubberized coating as follows.

Buy Repair Products

Use a rubberized coating to resurface large areas of sun-damaged vinyl.

We like Liquid Rubber®. While designed for RV roofs, we have used it with great success on spa covers, boat upholstery and yurt roofs to correct extensive sun rot and widespread cracking. Liquid Rubber® is water-based, easy to use, and clean up. You don’t need to be heavy-handed with it either. A quart (perhaps diluted with some water for easier spreading) is typically enough for a hot tub cover or boat. It is only available in white, so you may need to apply one of our colors over the top.

As an Amazon Associate, we now receive a small commission for recommending this product, and we appreciate you using the link.

Subpatch cuts, tears or holes and repair with flexible filler putty.

The instructions apply to holes smaller than 2″ in diameter. Click here for holes larger than 2″ or for tears along seams here.

1. Clean with alcohol, and let dry.
2. Cut a patch larger than the hole, rounding the corners.
3. Insert and glue the patch to the underside of the upholstery.
4. Apply Soft Filler putty, and let cure.
5. Repeat until level.
6. Do a final texturizing coat, and let cure.
7. Recolor with a water-based finish.

Click here for more detailed written instructions.

This video demonstrates:

• 00:30 – Cut and insert the subpatch
• 01:20 – Glue the subpatch
• 03:14 – Clean excess glue
• 03:48 – Apply leather repair filler
• 05:16 – How to tell when the filler is cured
• 06:22 – Sanding (you can also try rubbing alcohol)
• 06:58 – Additional layers of leather repair filler
• 08:32 – Texturize and final sanding
• 09:41 – Recolor (from dark green to rusty brown)

Soft Filler is water-based. An incandescent bulb, heat lamp or sunny window are needed to warm the surface to 120º – 145º F (49º – 63º C). Hair dryers are no longer advised, as they can blow moisture inward and prevent proper curing. The filler will change from white to mostly clear, and is cured when no longer tacky.

Rubbing alcohol can also be used to correct imperfections in the cured filler. Less is more, and you can always re-work the repair. Click here for troubleshooting filler application.

Estimate Quantity Needed

Type of Damage	Total Area of Damage	Filler Needed
Chafed, scaly, cracked but no cuts or holes	one coat on 4 sq ft (or four coats on 1 sq ft)	1 oz.
Chafed, scaly, cracked but no cuts or holes	one coat on 8 sq ft (or four coats on 2 sq ft)	2 oz.
Holes or tears (requires a subpatch & more coats of filler)	12 sq inches (1 in x 1 ft cut, for example)	1 oz.
Holes or tears (requires a subpatch & more coats of filler)	24 sq inches (two 1 in x 1 ft cuts, for example)	2 oz.

Buy Repair Products