LEATHERWELD KIT

Seven air dry repair color compounds, a grain paper packet for matching surface texture, backing fabric, a piece of practice vinyl, a mixing bottle and a spatula. A color mixing chart is included to help you match your upholstery. Nothing here needs a heating iron, which is what separates it from professional vinyl repair systems.

Cracks and minor tears less than 2 inches long or 1/2 inch wide. Anything larger, or a tear that runs along a stitched seam, is beyond the kit. The backing fabric goes behind the damage to support the compound, so you also need to be able to reach behind the panel or work the fabric through the tear.

No, treat it as cosmetic. It restores the look of the surface but does not restore the strength of the material, so a repair in an area that takes body weight, folds or flexes will work loose over time. On a car seat, keep it off the part you actually sit on. On a folding truck bed cover, expect the fold line to reopen eventually.

If the cracks are shallow, skip the backing fabric and heavy fill and use the color compound alone. Clean the area, then apply the tinted compound thinly as a finish and let it dry. The backing fabric and built up compound are meant for actual holes and tears, where you need something behind the damage to build against.

About 10 hours to full cure if the layers are not too thick. Build the repair in thin coats rather than one heavy one, because thick compound stays soft underneath and takes considerably longer. Keep the area out of use until it is fully dry, and do your color matching on the included practice vinyl before you touch the real panel.

A little heat and careful prying is the best approach. Warm the compound gently with a hair dryer and lift it with a plastic tool rather than a blade, so you do not cut the material underneath. Expect to redo the color afterwards, and test the new mix on the practice vinyl before you reapply it.