How to treat shiny leather

Leather can have different degrees of gloss. Some prefer very dull leather, others like glossy leather. Most new leather and also a lot of old leather have been originally matt. A lot of shoes and patent leather are also shiny when new. Leather interiors in new cars are mainly very dull.

Due to care and polishing when sitting on the leather, the surface is polished and becomes shiny with time. This can be compared by observing the difference in the driver's seat of a vehicle to the back seat and the used and unused sitting areas of couches.

Occasionally, some of our customers express a desire to change the original degree of gloss. For example, parts of the leather are replaced but the original degree of gloss is not available on the market.

To remove unwanted gloss on pigmented leather, we recommend the following options.

Option 1: It is always best to reduce the gloss level by regular cleaning before attempting to do this with any other products. Clean with COLOURLOCK Strong Leather Cleaner and COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Brush. Apply COLOURLOCK Leather Protector after the cleaning to maintain the leather and keep the dullness.

Option 2: If this does not give the desired result, clean with the COLOURLOCK Strong Leather Cleaner and COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Brush. Then, degrease the surface using COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Spirit. This will dull the surface completely. Apply COLOURLOCK Leather Protector/ COLOURLOCK Leather Shield (depending on the age of the car) to regain desired gloss level. Ensure you do not buff/polish the surface after applying the protector.

Option 3: COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh Neutral GLOSS and DULL are ideal for altering gloss levels. With these products, the degree of gloss can be changed. It`s easier to increase the degree of gloss on a particular surface. However, we recommend contacting a specialist to reduce gloss levels especially on large surfaces as there is a risk of producing visible smears. A specialist would have the required tools to spray the product and achieve a uniform result.

The preparatory work is extremely important if you decide to do this yourself!

STEP 1: Degrease the surface thoroughly with COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Spirit.

STEP 2: Afterwards apply Leather Fresh evenly in thin layers. A spray gun application is recommended, but the work can also be done with a sponge. The smaller the surface is the less important it is to use a spray gun. Dry between layers with a hair dryer.

STEP 3: Recommendation for future maintenance: New dull leather should be protected with COLOURLOCK Leather Shield. Older Leather with COLOURLOCK Leather Protector. Important: If too much care product was applied, the surface gets shinier. Never try to remove by polishing! Use a slightly damp cloth to remove the excess. We recommend using COLOURLOCK Elephant Leather Preserver to protect and maintain glossy leather.

Interesting fact: A leather is dull, when it looks like a mountain and valley landscape in cross-section under the microscope. The reflection produces the dullness. The light is scattered on rough surfaces. Smooth surfaces reflect parallel and this looks shiny. Hence, when a dull surface is polished, it gets shinier.

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