Repairing an Old Friend

Fixing worn fabric with a self-adhesive patch kit

The thought of parting with a chair or couch that has offered the utmost in comfort — and possibly better quality than some new offerings — can be disappointing. Fixing worn fabric with a self-adhesive patch kit can save money and retain that nostalgic relationship.

By Bill Gehr / Photos by the author

ike many people, I like the feel, comfort and look afforded by leather furniture. This fabric is easy to clean and tends to be resistant to stains. Most RV environments feature Ultraleather, which is one of the most popular fabrics used in the RV industry, and its synthetic (polyurethane) properties are designed to offer good longevity under active use; leather fabric, meanwhile, is usually found in some higher-end motorhomes and fifth wheels. Some owners will ultimately replace furniture with leather counterparts, however — especially office chairs. In all cases, either material takes a beating under RV use, particularly when kids and dogs are part of the traveling family.

Consequently, it’s common to find spots where the fabric has worn, rendering the furniture unsightly, even though most of the seating surfaces are still in good shape. The driver’s seat in motorhome cockpits, for example, usually takes the brunt of the punishment — and ugly wear patterns are common.

Unfortunately, completely re-upholstering any furniture is expensive — and slip-on covers only mask the damage. For example, we had an arm rest between recliners re-upholstered at a cost of $300 — and estimates for the two recliners ran $1,000. So, when the fabric on the arm rest and a portion of the seat on my favorite office chair in my fifth wheel became too large and ugly to “conceal” with tape, I went on a quest. My mission? To find a way to repair and retain this piece of furniture without breaking the bank.

While surfing the Internet, I happened across a roll of self-adhesive leather repair material. It looked interesting — but the claims reminded me of those shown on TV informercials. Nevertheless, I ordered a repair kit, figuring I only had 20 bucks to lose. The Shagoom 17- x 79-inch Self-Adhesive Leather Repair Kit had a pretty rosy write-up on Amazon (which can also be suspect) but the reviews supported most of the claims. Color options are not extensive but fortunately my chair was black, which is one of the colors offered by the company. When it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised that the color was a very close match to the leather on my chair.

The process was fairly simple because the adhesive is part of the fabric, but preparation was the key to success. The fabric can be cleaned with alcohol if it’s not very dirty or greasy; otherwise, you’ll need to use a quality leather cleaner before wiping down with alcohol. If there are any pieces of material sticking up or are loose, be sure to cut them off so that the new patch will lay flat. You don’t need a very big table to spread out the material, but you will need one that can make it possible unroll a large piece of repair fabric and let it sit for a while so that it becomes flat; it was rolled up for so long that it had built up memory curling.

The worn-out arm rest was covered temporarily with vinyl repair tape that wasn’t expected to last long. All the old tape must be removed before replacing with the new patches.

There’s not much to the kit, which is comprised of a 17- x 79-inch piece of self-adhesive patching material and basic instructions. The Shagoom kit sells for $20.69 on Amazon.

Making the repair does not require a lot of technical expertise, but you can make the measuring procedure much easier if you use a fabric tape measure instead of a metal one. The first step is to determine how big of a patch is needed. When measuring the patch, go beyond the cracked/damaged area by at least an inch or more, if possible. Rounded surfaces will be a little bit challenging, and you may need to make a few relief cuts in the material to get it to lay flat.

Applying the patch takes some patience; going too fast will result in a mistake. When applying the patch to the damaged areas, start from the center of the patch fabric and smooth the material outward in all directions. For this job, I was able to pull the material up in sections carefully without stretching to get a better position when laying the patch on the chair. Satisfied that the leather patch is in place, a hair dryer was used to heat and set the adhesive (use extreme caution if using a heat gun). Keep in mind that the patch material is no longer workable once heated by the hair dryer.

Although there were no instructions as to how long it takes to cure the adhesive, we decided to stay off the chair for 24 hours, which worked perfectly. If you’re attempting to patch areas that are subject to a lot of flexing, try laying a bigger patch, overlapping the first one by at least 2 inches, if possible. Use the hair dryer again on the second layer to make sure that the glue is set.

removing the slick surface on Ultraleather with careful use of acetone

Use rubbing alcohol on a soft microfiber cloth to remove any glue, oil from human contact and dirt before attempting patch any area on the chair. You’ll need to remove the slick surface on Ultraleather with careful use of acetone, but don’t do this step until just before applying the patch.

arm rest being measured to determine the dimensions of the repair material

The arm rest is measured to determine the dimensions of the repair material. It’s best to use a cloth measuring tape commonly found in fabric and sewing stores.

Measure the width of the material that will be cut from the roll to make the repair. A 12-inch ruler makes it easy to draw a line based on necessary measurements.

Given our success with the office chair, we elected to try using the product on Ultraleather. We had our doubts whether the leather patch would adhere to Ultraleather and, admittedly, our first attempts did not work very well, but after some experimentation, we learned that if we removed the (slick) surface tension of the material with acetone, the patch formed a strong bond. We also discovered that you’ll have to be very careful when working with acetone on Ultraleather — the acetone will melt the fabric and if too much is applied, you’re going to have a mess. We used just enough acetone to tone down the slick surface and then put the patch into position immediately. The jury is out whether the patch will hold for a long time, but what the heck: If you need to repair the material, the furniture is ruined anyway. If nothing else, using the patch kit on Ultraleather is a great way to make emergency repairs.

After making the repairs and allowing the adhesive to cure, we subjected the leather chair to harder-than-normal conditions — and the patch held without complaint. Again, whether it lasts for the long term remains to be seen, but even if we get a year out of the patch, we’ll be happy.

Tools needed are minimal and include the aforementioned tape measure (available at fabric and hardware stores). You might as well have one of these fabric tapes in your toolbox so you don’t have to raid your sewing cabinet. You will also need a large scissors that are sharp enough to cut the patch without stretching the material. Plan, too, on using a straight edge that’s at least 12 inches long unless you have a larger patch. Last, but not least, grab the family hair dryer to set the glue.

For all those people who consider a good chair an old friend — and not wanting to part with something that has “molded” to their lifestyle — the self-adhesive patch kit makes it possible to cuddle with nostalgia.

adhesive being exposed after removing the paper backing

If you want to make accurate cuts, use a high-quality scissors. Cheap scissors will result in frayed edges and lots of frustration. The adhesive is exposed after removing the paper backing. Refrain from touching the adhesive in order to benefit from complete holding power. Do not allow the patching fabric to touch itself or you’ll not be able to pry it loose—and it will end up in the trash.

Apply the patch starting from the center of the damaged area and move outward, which allows for a straighter line. At this point it’s still possible to remove and re-position, if necessary.

Use a microfiber towel (instead of your fingers) to smooth out any possible wrinkles and bubbles. Apply a light to medium amount pressure — in other words, don’t push it too hard or the patch will become distorted.

Set a hair dryer to the High setting and heat the patch evenly, moving back and forth without overheating the material. If you can touch the patch surface without pain, the amount of heat is perfect. The heat cures the adhesive. As you’re heating the patch, contour the ends while the glue is being cured. It might be necessary to make a few relief cuts to allow the patch material to lay flat.

Although the instructions didn’t specify a curing period, we decided to allow the patched area to sit without use for 24 hours to give the adhesive enough time to make a strong bond.

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