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How to Resolve Mold and Mildew on Leather

Source of Mold and Mildew

Spores of fungi and bacteria are present in the air. High humidity, warm temperatures, and poor ventilation provide the ambient conditions that allow mold growth. Generally, stagnant air above 80% relative humidity may support mold. If above 95%, the humidity will certainly encourage fungi and bacteria to grow. Soiling, organic residues and stains will enhance the growth of mildew on leather and fabrics. Removing Mildew from Leather and Fabric Surfaces First, remove loose mold from outer coverings of upholstered articles with a soft bristle brush. Do this outdoors, if possible, to prevent scattering mildew spores in the house. Wash brush before re-using. Run a vacuum cleaner attachment over the surface of the leather and fabric panels to draw out more of the mold. Remember that the mold spores are being drawn into the bag of the vacuum cleaner. If the vacuum has a disposable bag, remove and dispose of it immediately. If not, empty the bag carefully (preferably outdoors) to avoid scattering mold spores in the house. Do everything conveniently possible to dry the leather - use an electric heater and a fan to carry away moist air. Sun and air the article to help stop mold growth. If you have finished leather (leather with a topically applied pigment coating), and mildew remains, sponge lightly with thick suds of soap and wipe with a clean damp cloth. In doing this, avoid getting the leather wet with excessive amounts of moisture. DO NOT USE THIS STRATEGY UNLESS YOU ARE SURE THE LEATHER HAS A FINISH ON IT (see our leather care page on our ADVLeather.com site to help you identify your leather type). In all cases, do a test in a non-obvious area of your leather to ensure that the suds will not darken, stain or discolor the leather. If you have cushions with zipper access, and you suspect the fungi or bacteria have migrated into the internals of the cushion, remove the cushion cores and treat accordingly, or replace with new. If necessary, a final step to remove mildew on upholstered leather furniture is to gently wipe it with a cloth moistened with diluted alcohol (1 cup denatured or isopropyl alcohol to 4 cup water). Dry the article thoroughly. Once again, apply this strategy only if you are sure it’s finished leather, and only after you have tested in a non-obvious location on your furniture. Be aware that this alcohol solution may adversely effect the top-coat and surface finish of your leather so only do this as a last ditch effort and only after thoroughly testing on a hidden part of your leather. If mold has grown into the inner part of your furniture frame, open the underside dust cover, then dry and air out the internals as best as possible. You may need to send it to a reliable disinfecting and fumigating service. Such services are often listed under "Exterminating and Fumigating" or "Pest Control" services in the yellow pages of the telephone directory. If they have an “ozone chamber,” have them put your furniture into the chamber for at least 48 hours.

Here are some tips on preventing mildew.

Keep The Leather Clean - Soiling can supply enough food for mildew to start growing when moisture and temperature are right. Greasy films, such as those that form on kitchen walls, also contain many nutrients for mildew-causing molds. Get Rid of Dampness - Dampness is often caused by condensation of moisture from humid air onto cooler surfaces. Excessive moisture may indicate that repairs or additional insulation are needed. Replace cracked or defective mortar. Some basements are continually wet from water leaking through crevices in the wall. Make sure outside drainage is adequate. Control Moisture - For waterproofing concrete and other masonry walls above ground, apply two coats of cement paint, tinted with mineral coloring if desired. Waterproofed coatings to seal absorbent brick and other outside surfaces may be needed. Spread a layer of moisture-barrier material over the soil in crawl spaces under houses. You can use heavy roofing paper or polyethylene plastic film. Good ventilation is important. If possible, do not enclose the crawl space. In extreme cases, a fan or blower may be needed to move the humid air from under the building. Cooking, laundering, and bathing may add 2 gallons or more of water a day to the house. If circulation is not adequate use some type of exhaust fan. If your clothes dryer is equipped with a vent, have it exhausted to the outside to remove moist air. Dry the Air - Cool air holds less moisture than warm air. Properly installed air-conditioning systems remove moisture from the air by taking up warm air, cooling it (which removes the moisture) and circulating the cool dry air back into the room. In rooms that are not air-conditioned-especially the basement--mechanical dehumidifiers are useful. A humidistat can be attached to the unit to control the humidity. Mechanical dehumidifiers, however, can add heat to a room. If you are using air-conditioners or dehumidifiers, keep windows and doors closed. Heat - Get rid of dampness by heating the house for a short time. Then open doors and windows to let out the moisture-laden air. An exhaust fan may be used to force it out. Circulate the Air - When the air outside is drier than that inside, ventilation allows the dry air to enter, take up excess moisture, and then be carried outside. When natural breezes are not sufficient, you can use electric fans placed in a window, set in a wall, or ducted to the attic to move air from the house. Poorly ventilated rooms get damp and musty during continued wet weather, and furniture in such a room is prone to mildew. Try to improve the air circulation. If necessary, lay the furniture on its back, cut open, or remove the dust cover under your furniture and run a fan into the open space to help dry the internals of your furniture. It may help to dry the inside by running a de-humidifier, pointing the air-flow into the internals of your furniture. Get Rid of Musty Odors - Get rid of musty odors as soon as possible to prevent further mold growth. Usually musty odors disappear if the area is well heated and dried. If the odors remain, the following treatment may be necessary. On cement floors and on tiled walls and floors, get rid of mustiness by scrubbing with a diluted solution of sodium hypochlorite or other chlorine bleach available in most grocery stores. Use one-half to 1 cup of liquid household bleach to a gallon of water. Rinse with clear water and wipe as dry as possible. Keep windows open until walls and floors are thoroughly dry. DO NOT APPLY THIS SOLUTION TO THE LEATHER. Copyright - 2011, Kevin Gillan

#Mold on leather #ADVLeather #mildew on leather

Why doesn't the color match perfectly?

Color matching is an art form. However, there is a bit of science to consider as well. Here are exerts of an e-mail sent to me from a leather technician experiencing the frustration of color matching.

"I can't understand why the color is really far off, yet it also changes drastically, depending on the type of lighting. For example, the pictures I sent you only show what the color looks like in the Sun, yet when in person (No Camera) it actually appears to be the exact opposite. Meaning the untouched cushion is actually deeper (more red and/or Organic Brown tones), and the one that I re-finished, is lighter and less Reddish tones.

"...it changes according to the light I view it under. I can get it pretty close outside in the sun, however, when I bring it in under all types of House lighting, it changes drastically and does not look close to matching."

So what's going on?

One word... Metamerism.

Read my blog entry from about two years ago. http://advleather.blogspot.com/search?q=metamerism

The solution is to match in the dominant lighting source of the room where the furniture is located and forget about all other locations (like outside in the sun) as they don't matter. If there are differing lighting sources inside, then pick the dominant source.

Keep in mind, the eye of a professional leather technician is highly tuned. Unless the pieces are literally touching each other, most people will not notice a slight difference. What they'll see is how the refinished piece looks compared to what it looked like before.

I always caution a client that if I do a partial refinish and not all the furniture there will be a "newness factor." The original color will have oxidized to some degree. Furthermore, there will have been some fading, particularly if there are any red tones in the original. The red will be leached out to some degree as reds always fade the fastest. Therefore, the newly refinished leather will appear different than the pieces that were not refinished.

This is a key learning experience in color matching, particularly with mottled colors. If you have a color variation affect, you will always have this dilemma to one degree or another.

The lesson learned is the lighting source is the most important element in perceived color. And, to complicate things further, the viewing angle also changes your eye's interpretation of the color. The color shifts when viewed on a horizontal plan versus a vertical plan, like the back rest to the seat top of leather furniture. This is called geometric metamerism.

Always prepare for this phenomena.

#metamerism #ADVLeather

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#ADVLeather #thumbtack.com

Advanced Leather Solutions Update

It’s been a while since I’ve posted to this blog. As always there is a lot going on at Advanced Leather Solutions, so finding the time to share with you has been difficult. Here’s a snap shot of what’s been going on for the past few months.

Our new production facility is now fully operational. Located in Anderson, CA, we have the benefit of much more affordable space than the high rent district we’ve occupied in the San Francisco Bay area. We reduced the shop size in Hayward to help off-set the cost of expansion. The Anderson shop is new, airy, with great light for color matching and our ongoing professional leather restoration process. But most importantly, it’s close to Jason’s (our senior technician) home in Redding. This has dramatically reduced his commuting time from hours to a few minutes.

In February we conducted our first training program in our Anderson shop. Antonio Aleman who runs Dr Vinyl of Puerto Rico attended. With years of working on automobile grade leather and vinyl, Antonio came to us to learn about the world of furniture grade leather. He’s now armed and ready for the leather wars in Puerto Rico.

In March we will be launching a new micro web-site singularly focused on leather paint. We have great products that simply don’t get the exposure they should from our overly crowded original site http://www.AdvLeather.com. The new site is still under development and when launched can be found at http://www.Leather-Paint.com. Expect to see us up and running by the end of March. We welcome your comments.

Our DIY Leather Solutions (http://DIYLeatherSolutions.com) program continues to supply leather repair and restoration solutions with remarkable results. It’s indeed heartwarming for us to receive the consistent stream of positive feedback from our DIY client base. We certainly have a proven, mature system. Thousands of people have been able to restore their old, tired looking leather back to like new.

In our market of Northern California, we offer choices. We can do the work for the client or they can take on the project. Clients truly like that choice. For the frugal minded, it makes all the difference. It’s truly a win-win.

Other leather technicians have seen the merit. Leather professionals around the US and elsewhere have picked up the system and incorporated it into their solutions arsenal. We offer our kits to professionals at a considerable discount. They make the sale, profit a bit from it and we help them through support of the client. Again, it’s win-win.

People are now connecting the dots in other ways. They are going to CraigsList, consignment stores, Goodwill and other such outlets, finding furniture that has good bones but the leather looking a little shabby, faded, etc. Then with our help and our DIY system, they are turning furniture destined for the land fill into gems. It certainly demonstrates the “renewable” nature of our work.

We are steadily building an increased presence with our YouTube channel. Video documentation is a very powerful tool. We are strong believers in visual references for our clients. Whether it’s solving severe cat claw damage or simply restoring the color to a favorite old leather belt, with video you have the visual reference showing how to perform a specific function.

Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/user/KevinsLeatherCareAdv?feature=mhsn

In the last week of February, I was invited as a speaker for the clients and guests of the Design Within Reach (DWR) Berkeley, CA showroom. The topic was Caring for Classics. I presented some simple tips on how to prolong the life of leather furniture. As always, when I do this sort of seminar there was an extensive question and answer period as people were asking specifics about their own furniture. It continues to demonstrate that there is a hunger for useful information and a deep lack of knowledge at the end-user level about proper care strategies for leather.

We continue to strive to be an unbiased information source for both professional leather technicians and consumers. We pride ourselves in answering questions in a clear and concise manner. We don’t believe in holding back. In fact, we strongly adhere to the principle of “No Secrets” as was the theme of our last Professional Leather Technician’s Symposium.

As always, we’re here to help. Call me directly, 510-786-6059 or send me an e-mail and I will respond.

#DIYLeatherSolutions #ADVLeather

Shoddy Products Taint the Leather Restoration Industry

It can be frustrating and confusing for consumers who try a leather furniture restoration process on a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) basis. The market place is loaded with products that simply fail, giving the entire industry a black-eye. The truth is a "one-size-fits-all" solution may occasionally work but can not be effective for everybody. At a professional level, no two leather furniture restoration projects are treated identically. The products and processes applied vary based on the type of leather and specific issues present in each particular piece. Variables like body oil accumulation, cat claw damage, fading, print coat failure, etc. make each project unique. This applies to DIY projects as well. A successful DIY project requires a customized solution. The combination of the right products and "know-how" is essential. The person assembling a kit must have direct hands-on knowledge so he/she can analyze pictures of a project and prepare a customized DIY kit. The "know-how" is shared via a combination of DVD or internet based video and well written instructions. This is the essence of the Advanced Leather Solutions DIY kit. To amplify the point here is the text of an e-mail I recently received. "We have two dark blue leather couches from Sealy. We purchased them 9 years ago. I purchased a leather restoration kit from a place online that I no longer remember. The first color mix they sent me I thought worked well for the one couch so I ordered another kit from them for the second couch. The mix was a different color and also didn’t adhere as well and left a couple cushions almost ‘plasticky’ is best I can describe. I followed the directions the same for both couches, so not sure what the deal was. I contacted the company, they sent me a new kit with better looking dye and more of that alcohol based ‘cleaner’ to try to get as much of the other kit off as possible. I redid the second couch, even though 2 cushions still have a stiffer feel. That process held for a about 2 years. Kind of. "I ordered another kit from another site (who have their label on the underside of the cushions along wit a bunch of tags with ‘S’ on them), and ordered enough to do both couches together. That seemed to work better than my first experience. But I see there is a lot of fading and worn spots from where you sit now. They need to be done again. "Is this normal to have to redo the restoration every 18 months? I have a lot of brown faded in the cracks and where heads have rested on the backs etc. Do your products guarantee to adhere better? I did the cleaning and very light sanding and several light coats (I used a sponge brush instead of the spray can adaptor). On the 3 cushions from the second couch I have deeper cracks in the leather from the bad attempt. The leather is normally very soft and supple. "Thank you for any assistance you can offer. We really like the comfort of the couches and they are still in very good condition minus the maintenance with the pigment adhering. We would like to keep them for years to come but would like them to look nice too." The key questions....

Is this normal to have to redo the restoration every 18 months? --- No, it's NOT normal.

Do your products guarantee to adhere better? ---- This is the same system we use professionally for 23 years. If it failed that quickly we'd have been out of business a long time ago. the problem you now have is leather that is coated with who-knows-what. If that's failing, then my system on top will do very little good as the existing color coating is failing and will continue to fail. So, if you want quality results you'll have to strip thoroughly.

I have a lot of brown faded in the cracks and where heads have rested on the backs etc. --- Right... you have accumulation of body oils in the leather. That should have been extracted out first! Did either of these companies give you an oil extraction procedure? Oil is in the leather, not on the leather. Using a cleaner to resolve body oils is like trying to clean a tattoo form your skin. Our system includes an oil extraction chemistry for that purpose.

I did the cleaning and very light sanding and several light coats (I used a sponge brush instead of the spray can adaptor). ---- Our system is a wipe on system that includes a critical component - a primer that promotes quality adhesion.

On the 3 cushions from the second couch I have deeper cracks in the leather from the bad attempt. --- I would need to see photos of the cushions. If the cracking is into the epidermal layer of the hide, then your leather is ruined and those leather panels would have to be replaced. We can do that for you as well. If the cracking is just surface, then the leather can be saved.

The leather is normally very soft and supple. --- With our system, we think of leather on two levels, visual and tactile. In our system we include a specialized chemistry that penetrates deep into the leather fibers, bring back suppleness as much as the leather will allow.

What separates Advanced Leather Solutions from the rest of the pack? WE DO THIS WORK PROFESSIONALLY. We're not a marketing company. We actually restore peoples furniture as our main reason for existing. If we restore a $15,000 Roche Bobois sofa, it better be a permanent solution.

Our DIY system is a derivative of what we've been doing professionally for 23 years. We bring to the table a working knowledge of the chemistry and process. We know for example the system will fail if there is body oils present and the oil extraction process is ignored.

This allows us to customize each kit to the specific needs of the client and is the foundation of our success with our DIY system.

#ADVLeather #advanced leather solutions #DIY leather furniture restoration #leather furniture restoration

When Leather and Vinyl are paired together - Bad Things Happen

Look at this picture...

What you see is a leather seat top that is sewn to a vinyl side panel. The vinyl side panel has broken down. Once vinyl gets to this state of deterioration it cannot be effectively repaired. Note that on the leather side of the seam, everything is normal. This is a clear example of how quality top grain leather will outlast vinyl. All of the stress of weight baring is on the leather panel. The side panel is simply flexing as a person sits on the seat cushion, yet the deterioration of the vinyl is plainly obvious. This is a fairly common manufacturing process to intended reduce cost for the manufacturer. It is most commonly found on motion furniture (recliners). Here's a close up of the same picture.

Note that the erosion of the vinyl is complete along the entire length of the seam. Why does this happen? The answer lies in the attributes of both materials. Leather is organic. It is infused with oils at the tannery to impart suppleness. Leather breathes. As such it looses its moisture (oils) through evaporation. Vinyl is a synthetic byproduct of the petrochemical industry. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is typically a solid. Think of the plastic garden pipe used in home irrigation system. PVC pellets are heated and mixed with an oil then this mixture flows over a cloth and when dry is now vinyl as found on furniture. The oil in vinyl is not molecularly bound to the vinyl molecule. Its free floating. As leather looses its moisture through evaporation, to equalize that moisture loss, it wicks the oils from the vinyl side of the seam. Thus oils vacate the vinyl, as they are sucked into the leather. This loss of oil gradually reduces the vinyl to its original solid state and it slowly flakes away as shown in the picture. The thinner the vinyl, the quicker this will happen. Once the vinyl coating of the cloth substrate disappears, it cannot be replaced through a repair. The only solution is to remove the offended panel and replace with new. To do that requires disassembly of the furniture which balloons the cost beyond reasonable. This vinyl failure is one of the perils of a leather-vinyl combination. Most people are not aware that components of there furniture are vinyl. Generally the piece is sold as "leather furniture" when in fact it's part leather and part vinyl. When I see this condition I recommend that the client not invest further in the piece. It's time to get new furniture. If you have leather and vinyl on the same piece of furniture, then to prevent this from becoming your problem, keep the leather moisturized. Properly and frequently apply leather conditioner (SG - 25 moisturizer) to ensure that the leather has no need to wick the oils from the vinyl. Copyright 2010 Kevin Gillan

#ADVLeather #leather vinyl sofa #advanced leather solutions #leather and vinyl #leather vinyl combination

Leather Jacket Color Restoration

One of the joys of this business is encountering people with creative flair. One such person is Barbara Carney in Chicago, IL. Barbara has been using Advanced Leather Solutions Do-It-Yourself leather color system in interesting ways. To see what I'm talking about, follow this link to see what she's done to an old leather jacket that she found at the Salvation Army. http://picasaweb.google.com/kpgillan/LeatherJacketColorRestoration# With our color system, people are changing color of all kinds of items, from ice skates to purses. There are no rules. Let your creative juices flow. Find an old abandoned leather "whatever" and make it uniquely yours with the leather restoration tools and products from Advanced Leather Solutions. Copyright 2010, Kevin Gillan

#ADVLeather #leather jacket restoration

Cigarette Burn in Leather - A Repair

Occasionally at Advanced Leather Solutions we're asked to repair a burn hole in leather. This can be tricky business and best left to the expertise of a professional leather repair technician. To solve the problem correctly involves a multi-step procedure.

1. The heat of the burn will distort and pucker the leather immediately surrounding the hole. This damaged leather has to be cut away, enlarging the wound to release the torque lines caused by the heat. And, the leather in the surrounding area is prepared, typically with alcohol to remove any inhibitors to quality adhesion of the color coat. 2. A "plug" of leather is cut to the shape of the enlarged hole. 3. Sub-patch material is affixed with the sub-patch adhesive to the back side of the leather under the hole to give the repaired area some strength. 4. The leather plug is glued in place using non-flammable contact cement filling most of the hole. 5. The gap between the plug and the original leather is filled with a leather fill compound. 6. Once the fill is cured, a coat of color is then added with a hand held air brush. Getting the color to match is key to disguising the repair. 7. A grain pattern is then created on the leather to resemble the grain of the surrounding leather. 8. The color coat is re-applied. Steps 7 and 8 may be repeated multiple times as the area may be sanded gently, re-grained and recolored . 9. A top coat is then applied that covers the color coat. the top coat is a clear coat that protects the leather. When done correctly, the end result looks like this.

Typically, this level of detail is beyond the scope of a novice. The low-end (cheap) repair kits generally don't produce the results expected as success is as much about the right application techniques as it is about the right repair products. Mastery of these techniques comes with proper training and experience.

The following URL will take you to a picture sequence of the full repair process.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kpgillan/BurnRepairSequence#

#Leather repair #ADVLeather #cigarette burn in leather