Dying a leather sofa. See the dramatic transformation

We were given this white (beige?) leather sofa set and my sofa has seen better days thanks to my pets.  The leather set was in pretty good shape but the color was loud for me.  A friend described it as "Godfather-like tacky italian" lol.  

I decided if it was going to stay, it needed a makeover.  A local guy dyes sofas, so we called him.  $3000.00!  WHAT!  I could get a new sofa set for that!

My first thought is, if he can do it, so can I.  All I needed was the product he uses and I am sure he wouldn't want to share his secret, so I googled leather dye. 

www.rubnrestore.com has a product, and lots of product support, testimonials etc that looked pretty simple.  What do I have to lose?  If I ruin it, I didn't want a white sofa anyway..and if it turns out, I salvaged a nice set.

This will NOT rub off on your clothing when it is dry and sat on it 15 minutes after dying it. 

I wasn't sure how much I would need so I over bought.  I got two of their large size bottles and a bottle of the primer/clear. It was about 150.00...but they take returns and I didn't even open one of the bottles. I decided to keep it around for future projects though.  about 90.00 for one bottle of mahogany dye and one bottle of clear coat/primer.  One bottle did both sets. I can't believe it. 

 Here are some before and after shots...it was nearly impossible to get good lighting but I did the best I could. 

I am SOOOOO happy with the results and it was simple.  It did take a little muscle to get into the cracks (the cushions on this set do not come off so getting down in the cracks took some work but I got a good arm workout).  Anyone can do this. I can't believe someone charges $3000.00 for this. I got it done in one day.  It dries in minutes and is ready for the next coat. Because it was a dramatic change, it took about 5 coats...but it was fast and easy.  

People also dye purses, boots  and even some old dashboards with this stuff (look on their website and also search it on pinterest).  

 I am not affiliated with Rub N Restore, I do not gain anything by raving about their company, except that I hope to turn people on to them, to keep their business booming so I can come to them in the future and know they will be around for a long time.  

I did not use the clear coat on the top.  I like the shine it offered with just the dye..but I may clear coat it in the future.  I did use the clear coat to prime it.  

Love Seat Before

Sofa before

Rub N Restore (I only used one of those bottles of dye for both pieces)

First I cleaned it with vinegar and water. 

I kept a spray bottle to keep my sponge moist but not too wet. 

first coat

first coat

after first coat (we liked the distressed look but kept on going) 

first coat on half and second coat on half

second coat 

third coat

done after 5 coats 

sofa complete

sorry for the glare

I highly recommend this product. Its available in so many colors and you can restore yours to the color it was when you bought it, or change black to white or white to black, etc.  

After seeing this, 2 people I know who have white leather sofas that were given to them, want me to help them dye theirs. Why did so many people buy and give away white leather sofas?

I do want to add that I used a hair dryer to get into the cracks and dry it faster..it will stick and pull the color off before it dries if you don't.
This will NOT rub off on your clothing when it is dry and sat on it 15 minutes after dying it.