Can I rescue an old leather top on a table?

[LadyJ]

I have an antique side table that has an inlaid leather top. The leather has dried out and pulled up or bubbled up down the center. I thought if I could soften and restore some suppleness to the leather, I might be able to rescue the table. What do you recommend to try and restore moisture and suppleness to the leather?

[Myriam]

I once restored a dried up headstall with Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator. Didn't fix the few cracks that were in there but the leather became supple again. You have to apply several light coats, letting it soak in between applications.

In regards to your table, how bad is the damage? How is the leather finished? Does it look like it has some kind of lacquer on it? A close up picture of the table top would help. If the leather is finished with a lacquer, you would need to take that off first so the conditioner could soak in the leather.

[Timothy]

Try a light coat of Olive oil. Don't try to saturate it just use a couple of drops at a time on your finger or a cloth and rub it in. On large items keep repeating until covered. Let it sit for a few days and repeat. After 2 or 3 aplications the leather ought to soften back up.

I've brought back some old tack of my great grandfathers I thought was gone using nothing but saddle soap for cleaning and olive oil for conditioning.

Hope this helps.

Timothy

[LadyJ]

I once restored a dried up headstall with Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator. Didn't fix the few cracks that were in there but the leather became supple again. You have to apply several light coats, letting it soak in between applications.In regards to your table, how bad is the damage? How is the leather finished? Does it look like it has some kind of lacquer on it? A close up picture of the table top would help. If the leather is finished with a lacquer, you would need to take that off first so the conditioner could soak in the leather.

Hi Myriam,I will try and get a picture. I would not have thought about a finish being on the leather but I do have to admit that the leather conditioner I tried did not seem to penetrate very much. I'll go and do some checking.

Try a light coat of Olive oil. Don't try to saturate it just use a couple of drops at a time on your finger or a cloth and rub it in. On large items keep repeating until covered. Let it sit for a few days and repeat. After 2 or 3 aplications the leather ought to soften back up.I've brought back some old tack of my great grandfathers I thought was gone using nothing but saddle soap for cleaning and olive oil for conditioning.Hope this helps.TimothyHi Timothy,I thought about olive oil but was worried that it might darked the burgundy leather. Now I am wondering if Myriam is right and the leather might be "finished" or treated in some way. I'll try a little of the olive oil on a corner once I know that the leather can absorb it.

[LadyJ]

I have decided that Myriam is right -- the leather is actually finished on the surface so I started lifting the leather inset from the table as it was not good the way it was. I discovered that the leather is very thin and actually quite supple ONCE I GET THE 100+ YEAR OLD PASTE/GLUE OFF THE BACK. It was the glue that had lifted and bubbled up and made it feel and look like the wood underneath was damaged. However, in some places, the leather is almost paper thin and getting it up in one piece is turning into quite a trick. If I can get the leather up without ruining it, I will sand and refinish the wood and then try and return the inlay of leather to its historic place on the little table -- I am holding my breath and crossing fingers as I didn't know leather could be this thin.

Lady J

[Myriam]

Thanks for keeping us updated, LadyJ. I'll keep my fingers crossed too and hope you can repair it with no damage.

[bcurrier]

You might try moisturizing the leather. I was at an industrial woodworking machinery show last week and, of all things, there was a leather supplier there that specialized in leather for furniture tops. According to him, the best way to attach leather to a tabletop is with wallpaper paste, and - to the point of your current situation - most are actually done that way. If so, water will loosen the paste. The problem would be how to keep from spotting the leather.

Bill