Cognac Vinyl & Leather Finish
$16.00 – $70.00
Cognac is a rich saddle or butterscotch color. It is similar to our Mocha but more golden. It is darker than Honey and lighter than Tobacco or Walnut.
How much do I need?
Use our conditioning colors to restore:
- absorbent aniline and semi-aniline leather
- non-absorbent full-grain leather
- and vinyl upholstery.
Our finishes won’t sunfade or backstain like leather dyes. They won’t alter the feel, flake or peel like spray paints. Each bottle comes with gloves and stir stick. Sponge sold separately.
Do not use on fabric, suede, nubuck or faux (bonded) leather.
Do I need Flite cleaner?
Does the material absorb water?
Absorbent leather should only be cleaned with denatured or rubbing alcohol.
Non-absorbent leather and vinyl should be cleaned with:
- our Flite™ cleaner (Formula 409® is okay too),
- followed by denatured or rubbing alcohol.
All surfaces, regardless of absorbency, should be tape tested to ensure adhesion of a new finish.
If painter’s or masking tape strongly adheres to the surface, such that you have to pry it off with a fingernail, you’re ready to proceed with restoration.
If the tape does not stick well or curls up at the corners, continue to clean and re-test until good adhesion is achieved.
Do I need to repair?
If you can feel the damage, such that a gentle sanding won’t correct it, then it would benefit from repair.
Isolated cat scratches, small scrapes or nicks on real leather (like the images below) are best repaired with tiny beads of super glue catalyzed with sanding. Learn how here.
More severe ‘scratching post’ damage, scaliness, cracking, and vinyl should be repaired with a flexible filler. Any holes must first be subpatched, before filler can be applied. This article has more info and a video demonstration. For holes larger than 3" in diameter, consider glueing a top-patch of similar material to the subpatch before applying filler.
We do not recommend repairing peeling faux leather or bonded leather. Learn how and why here.
Faux leathers that wear more naturally down to their fabric backing can be painted using these instructions. No filler is needed.
Filler is available in 1 oz. and 2 oz. tubs either alone or in a kit with application tools and sandpaper.
| Type of Damage | Total Area of Damage | Filler Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Scaly, cracked, worn or thin but no large holes or voids | 4 sq ft (2ft x 2 ft) | 1 oz. |
| Scaly, cracked worn or thin but no large holes or voids | 8 sq ft (2 ft x 4 ft) | 2 oz. |
| Holes or tears (requires a subpatch & more layers of filler) | 12 sq in (1 in x 1 ft) | 1 oz. |
| Holes or tears (requires a subpatch & more layers of filler) | 24 sq in (2 in x 1 ft) | 2 oz. |
Change color or match color?
Changing color is fun but not for everyone!
| Change Color | Match Color |
|---|---|
| More product needed | Less product needed |
| More labor required | Less labor involved |
| Touch-up likely and varies | Little to no touch-up |
| Available now | Wait until sample received; our turnover is swift |
| May be as expensive as matching, depending on scope of project | Matching fee; 8 oz. order minimum for Advanced Custom Color |
| Discouraged for auto, RV, boat interiors | Recommended for auto, RV, boat upholstery, primary or secondary colors |
Absorbent leathers are the best candidates for a color change. The following are not good candidates due to the greater potential for touch-up:
- damaged, scaly, thinning upholstery;
- loosely upholstered furniture with lots of wrinkles and folds (and therefore stress);
- pieces that receive a lot of contact with chemicals / liquids or rough kids and critters (particularly dog claws);
- changing from medium, dark, or bold colors to very pale colors;
- or bonded, faux or polyurethane (PU) ‘leather’ which resist all coatings (including their own).
Here's what wear can look like:
Touch-up is easy and minimized by:
- choosing a color that complements the original or has a similar value (light vs. dark);
- dabbing, stippling, or printing the color to create a marbled or distressed appearance, rather than a solid color, so future wear looks natural and intended.
Whites and off-whites get poorer coverage. If you are changing from dark or red to pale, you may need 2-3 times the quantity of color. Consider a coat of Stone grey as a primer to minimize this.
Do I need a clear finish?
Worked perfectly!!!
If I could give you 10 stars I would.
So easy, and looks incredible.
Amazing product and made in the USA too!
Now I am redoing my headboard!!
I’m so glad I found your product and so is this little guy sitting on his new favorite chair.
I used alcohol, 2-3 coats of cognac / Prep n finish glaze with a faux finish sponge (keep it damp!), dry in between coats, and 2 coats of Prep n finish. The only negative is that the leather felt a little dry after finishing the process. The second clear coat helped. All in all, so happy! My emerald green sofa will be my next project! And minimal to no odor!! The color looks great!!
(Slight color differences in the two photos as one was taken in the morning and one at night.)
I did experience a bit of anxiety becaus...More
I did experience a bit of anxiety because I initially wiped off parts of prior coats each time I tried to add another. I started to worry i didn’t clean it enough, etc (but it’s been a month or so of heavy use and it’s wearing great so ?♀️?). It was completely dry so wasn’t that. In retrospect I think maybe my sponge was too wet—and then not wet enough, LOL. Anyway i switched to pouncing the sponge which worked great AND I found that allowed me to add a bit of... I dunno, subtle variegation or dimension to the color/finish. Happy accident since I think it looks better than having it just one completely even color anyway.
We...More
We used a 16oz and 8oz of cognac dye plus an 8oz of clear prep. We did 5 coats of dye, then a 50/50 with clear prep. It was still shinier than the original so we did a 6th coat of dye only to get the satin effect. There is still plenty of dye and clear prep left for any repairs in the future.The 20 year old dark green leather looks ok in photos but was rather tired close up as we brought up 3 kids who jumped all over it for years on end! It was also too dark for our current home decor. The Cognac looks fabulous and fits very well with our decor.
Many thanks for your helpful suggestions as well as the excellent product.
The cognac dye covered permanent ink, deep head sweat stains and unknown spills. I used the clear pr...More
The cognac dye covered permanent ink, deep head sweat stains and unknown spills. I used the clear prep between coats, with the dye on some coats and alone for the final coat. I did this inside with pets all around, and the dye was pleasure to work with and made no mess while drying quickly.
After going through your website information and videos I was ready to try it and I am SO impressed!
I ordered the desired color, which arrived SO quickly; prepared the chair, as directed; then I chose to pretreat with the Prep & Finish, which turned out to be REALLY helpful as the now pretty 'raw' leather didnt absorb the dye as quickly and I could 'move' it around easier. Finally I added some Prep&Finish to my dye to give the chair more of a satin finish and Voile!! I am SO pleased with how easy the whole process was--took about 4hrs start to finish! And beyond thrilled with the finished product!!! THANK YOU LADIES!!
Wow, just wow. Thanks for great, easy to use product.