How to colour artificial leather and plastic - For professionals

  • Vinyl and plastic parts should only be coloured with experience in colouring with spray guns and an equipped workshop (airbrush, extraction system, breathing protection etc.).
  • Changing the colour of leather surfaces is more work than refreshing the original colour. You need far more paint and time and a helping hand to colour in all folds.

 

CLEANING

  • De-assemble upholstery and covers as much as possible.
  • Remove any dust from the leather with a vacuum cleaner or with compressed air. Compressed air is better for the cleaning of folds and piping edges. Remove any remaining dust with a soft brush.
  • Clean visibly soiled surfaces with COLOURLOCK Cleaner for Artificial Leather. Remove dirt in the grain with the COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Brush.
  • Rub all surfaces with COLOURLOCK GLD Solvent ND. The surface will turn dull and sticky, which is important for the colour adhesion.
  • Smooth hard plastic, which doesn`t get sticky when cleaned with GLD-Solvent, have to be primed with Plastic Primer. This will generate the required adhesion. Only spray on a thin layer and start colouring before the stickiness is gone.

 

REPAIRS

  1. Carefully smooth rough or cracking surfaces with the Leather Sanding Pad. Wipe off the dust using a moistened cloth.
  2. Stick together the edges of rips with COLOURLOCK Leather Glue. Fill cracks and rips with COLOURLOCK Leather Filler. Let the filler dry and repeat the procedure where necessary. Important: Extremely old, brittle and weak parts should be replaced entirely.

 

COLOURING

  1. Filter the COLOURLOCK Leather Colour before filling it into the spraying pistol and mix with 3% to 5% of COLOURLOCK Crosslinker DC and stir well! Use 3% Crosslinker on soft vinyl and 5% on hard plastics. Apply the colour at low pressure (approx. 2 bar/15-32 psi) evenly and not too thickly. Always apply several layers and dry with a heat gun before applying the next layer until the surface is evenly coloured. Apply the colour only as thinly as necessary: Thick layers of colour affect stability and grip of the colouration. Pull apart folds and piping edges and treat those first. Always wear breathing protection during spraying. Work only in a well-ventilated space.
  2. Mix filtered COLOURLOCK Top Coat with 3 % of COLOURLOCK Crosslinker CD. Stir well! Spray the mixture thinly over the dried colour and dry with a heat gun. Repeat if necessary. Mix only as much Top Coat with Crosslinker as you need in the following two hours. The Crosslinker is reactive and should not get in contact with water. Keep away from skin and eyes!
  3. Primer, Leather Colour and Top Coat can be dried with a heat gun and the steps should be performed successively to ensure that the fresh layers connect well.
  4. Smooth down rough areas with COLOURLOCK Polishing Pad 4000. Then, if necessary, again apply colour or only Top Coat.
  5. After 24 hours, rub a wet cloth on the colour to be sure that the surface has sufficiently been treated with Top Coat. In case of discolouration, the surface has to be treated with Top Coat again.
  6. Care the coloured surface with COLOURLOCK Leather Shield in order to protect it against wear and scratches.

Required quantities for a complete furniture

  • COLOURLOCK Cleaner for Artificial Leather
  • COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Brush 1 unit
  • COLOURLOCK Solvent Cleaner 1 litre
  • COLOURLOCK Leather Sanding Pad 1 unit
  • COLOURLOCK Leather Filler 7 ml tube
  • COLOURLOCK Polishing Pad 4000 1 unit
  • Plastic Primer Aerosol 400 ml please ask for details
  • COLOURLOCK Leather Colour 2 litres (price / litre!)
  • Extra charge for colour matching according to sample
  • COLOURLOCK Colour Filter 3 pieces (price per filter!) please ask for details
  • COLOURLOCK Top Coat Car & Furniture 1 litre
  • COLOURLOCK Crosslinker CD 50 ml
  • COLOURLOCK Leather Shield 150 ml

The quantities above are sufficient for a complete set of equipment. Minimum quantity for matched colours is 1 litre. Most other products are also available in 250 ml bottles. We will be happy to adjust the quantities to suit your individual requirements.
Leather Cleaning Brush normal
The Leather Cleaning Brush is ideal for:  Using with the Mild or Strong Leather Cleaner to remove ingrained dirt Using with the COLOURLOCK Cleaner for Artificial Leather to remove ingrained dirt from vinyl or plastics Brushing up nubuck and suede Polishing shoes and boots with COLOURLOCK Elephant Leather Preserver Amount: 1 piece. One brush is usually sufficient for cleaning a car interior or a set of furniture multiple times.With its durable bristles and high-quality wooden handle, the Colourlock Leather Cleaning Brush is great for removing dirt and stains effectively and gently from leather car seats, sofas, chairs, clothing and handbags. It can also be used to clean Alcantara and other Textile materials as long as it is used gently.
Brush Size

US$5.99*
Leather Shield
Leather Shield protects new leather from wear marks and dirt.Application area: New smooth leather, pigmented or surface-coloured leather in cars, furniture, jackets and handbags. Do not use on porous leathers, suede, or nubuck. Application Always test any products first on a hidden area in case they affect the colour.Moisten a terry cloth slightly with COLOURLOCK Leather Shield, lightly wipe the moistend cloth over the leather and let dry. Do not buff or polish immediately after application. One application is sufficient. Repeat every three months on strained surfaces or heavily used areas. Prior to application, clean off any dirt with COLOURLOCK Mild or Strong Leather Cleaner.These products are also suitable for "Cool Leather/SRT (SunReflective Technology) Leather"!
Available Sizes

From US$22.69*
Leather Sanding Pad
The Leather Sanding Pad is ideal for:  Smoothing rough areas before applying COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh or COLOURLOCK Liquid Leather. Cleaning greasy areas on nubuck and suede. Careful sanding during professional colouring in the workshop. Amount: Pack of 5 Application Rub the leather gently with the pad in a circular motion. Avoid gouging and deep scratches. Both faces of the pad can be used. It can be washed out with water.  Before colouring nappa leather, the surfaces should be sanded carefully. Our Leather Sanding Pad is ideal for this step.

Variants from US$5.99*
US$29.31*
Top Coat
COLOURLOCK Top Coat is a clear transparent product which seals the colour coat. It gives the leather's surface a protective seal against water and dirt, making it insensitive against general wear and tear. The Top Coat is available in a "Dull", "Gloss", "High Gloss" and "Vehicle, Furniture, Vinyl" versions. All versions can be mixed with each other. Professionals usually use the "Matt" and "Gloss" version and mix the two to get the desired level of gloss.Companies that don't work with these products on a regular basis tend to stock the 'ready-to-use' satin Top Coat "Vehicle, Furniture and Vinyl". The Top Coat "High Gloss" is for surfaces where the "Top Coat Gloss" does not provide satisfactory results. The Top Coat always has to be applied with Crosslinker IC2. The Crosslinker provides the necessary stability for the Top Coat. Only on very soft Aniline, where the grip of the leather should be preserved as well as possible, very little Top Coat without Crosslinker may be applied. Important: This product will need to be sprayed using a spray gun. It is suitable only for professionals who repair leather on a regular basis and have experience in spray work.Please consult us before buying this product if you have any doubts or questions.
Top Coat
Available Sizes

Variants from US$23.00*
US$48.53*
Cleaner for Artificial Leather with Sponge
Efficiently cleans heavily soiled surfaces. Apply Cleaner on a slightly moistened sponge and press the foam out of it. Clean the surface with the foam.For artificial leather like Vinyl, PU & Faux Leather.Amount: 200 ml, 1 litreApplicationAlways test any products first on a hidden area in case they affect the colour. Apply Artificial Leather Cleaner on a slightly moistened sponge and press the foam out of it. Clean the surface with the foam. Use the Leather Cleaning Brush (not included) to remove dirt from the grain. Remove the dirty foam residue with a clean and slightly moistened piece of cloth.
Available Sizes

From US$27.73*
Leather Filler
Leather Filler is perfect for repairing scuffs, cracked leather, tears, rips and holes on leather car seats, furniture, sofas, settees, handbags, leather jackets, etc. The surface of COLOURLOCK Fluid Leather is smooth and matt once dry. To hide the repair, a colouration with COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh dye in the respective colour is necessary. Lightly dab the COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh several times with a sponge on the repair and dry with a hair dryer in between the layers until the desired covering is achieved. Smooth rough areas and scratches with the COLOURLOCK Leather Sanding Pad before starting any repairs with COLOURLOCK Leather Filler.The Leather Filler has a removable cap. Remove the cap and fill the damaged areas. Evenly spread the filler with a Spatula. Let the repair dry according to the amount used - max 1-2 hours. Repeat the procedure until the repaired area is as full and smooth as possible. Use COLOURLOCK GLD Pen to make the surface smooth. Finally, repairs with COLOURLOCK Leather Filler must be recoloured with COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh to balance differences in colour and gloss. In order to cover the COLOURLOCK Leather Filler sufficiently, the COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh should be dabbed onto the area several times and dried in between the layers with a hair dryer. For purposes of care, the leather should be treated with COLOURLOCK Leather Protector a day later.Please Note: COLOURLOCK Leather Filler is only recommended for damage where a filling is necessary. Scratches and general wear and tear on the colour surface do not require a treatment with COLOURLOCK Fluid Leather. In such cases, we recommend to smooth the surface with the COLOURLOCK Leather Sanding Pad and to refresh the colour with COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh dye.
Colour

Variants from US$26.47*
US$205.15*
Polishing Pad
Very fine sanding surface for retouching and finishing repairs Comes as a sponge pad to soften the pressure when sanding Soft padding allows it to sand different shapes Can be washed and reused Made in Germany Application areas: Car Leather, Furniture Leather, Shoes, Bags & Accessories, Leather ClothingThe COLOURLOCK Sanding Pad 4000 is used to sand newly applied dyes and top coats. Its extremely fine grain helps achieve a perfect smooth surface after the spraying process denibbing any imperfections trapped on the paint layer. The pad can be washed with water for reuse.

Variants from US$10.00*
US$72.48*
Leather Colour
COLOURLOCK Leather Colour is the best choice for recolouring or changing the colour of pigmented Napa leather, vinyl and plastic. Leather Colour is applied with a spray gun or an airbrush. The leather colour has a high covering power but still maintains the features of the leather. It can also be used for converting nubuck to napa and aniline leather to pigmented leather. The Leather Colour is a water based formula that gives extremely high adhesion values if used correctly. It is fully approved for use by leading manufacturers in the automotive , furniture and the aircraft industry. The COLOURLOCK repair method requires that you use Primer, Top Coat and Crosslinker for best and long lasting results. Available in 22 primary colours. Additionally, we offer a pallet of five luminous colours that can be mixed with the 22 primary colours.Note - This product will need to be sprayed using a spray gun. It is suitable only for professionals who repair leather on a regular basis and have experience in spray work.
Colour
Available Sizes

Variants from US$33.40*
US$53.57*