A Tale of Two Chairs

[rp2813]

<a name="preview"></a>

It was the best of deals . . .

<a name="preview"></a>

 

<a name="preview"></a>

I came across these two leather chairs for sale on Nextdoor.  I thought they were priced right at $45 for the pair.  After I got them home, I noticed a "CB2" sticker on the bottom of each one and looked them up.  They are still available from CB2 at $249 each!

<a name="preview"></a>

 

<a name="preview"></a>

The seller advised that she had given one of the chairs some TLC, and I'm pretty sure she was referring to the darker one on the left in the picture.  I'd like to get the lighter one to match, or at least darken up the stitching on it.

<a name="preview"></a>

 

<a name="preview"></a>

Can anyone recommend something to use on it?  I have some leather cleaner for shoes and clothing but am not sure that's what the chair needs.

<a name="preview"></a>

 

<a name="preview"></a>

TIA for any advice.

<a name="preview"></a>

 

[yogitunes]

normally I would recommend Saddle Soap....

but for a color change, I am thinking leather shoe dye.....

 

[ea56]

Ralph

I’d ask the seller what she used for her “TLC treatment”.  If you have no way of contacting her I’d try using some Lexol Leather treatment before I’d use any shoe leather dye which would be permanent and if you didn’t like the results you’d be stuck with it.  

 

Lexol is what I used on my leather recliner and on leather auto upholstery.  I think the oils in it will darken the lighter chair to match the darker TLC chair better.

 

Eddie

https://www.lexol.com/lexol/products?f%5B0%5D=field_product_type%3A84&msclkid=f11f5dae36f710566e01035b16dcd699&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BCM_ENR-US-LEX-Products-Br&utm_term=lexol%20leather%20conditioner&utm_content=Conditioners%20-%20Exa

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Martin & Eddie,

 

I do just want to darken the leather as opposed to dying it.  I'm sure she didn't dye the darker chair.  I'll contact the seller and ask her what she used.  Why didn't I think of that?

 

 

 

[pulltostart]

Ralph,

I've used Mink Oil on several pieces of leather and had good results.  I'm not sure if it would change the color, though.  Most recently I used it on the seats in my car and there was no noticeable change in the color.

 

lawrence

 

[rp2813]

I shot her a message and she got right back to me.  She said she uses this stuff for her car upholstery too.

 

 

 

 

[ea56]

I thought that the TLC was some kind of leather conditioner.  Repeated use is what gives the vintage patina that the darker of the two chairs has.  Glad you were able to ask her, now you should be able to get the other chair to match.  Funny though that she only treated one of the chairs?  They must have both been in different rooms.

 

Eddie

 

[sudsmaster]

A plain old fashioned wax shoe polish likely would have enough colorant to restore the original darker color. The trick may be to find the right shade - and the old Kiwi brand of tinned shoe wax - I don't know if that is even available in this day and age. In any case, I'd get several shades, and go from light to darker until you get the result you like.

 

PS-I actually prefer the look of the lighter chair. Looks cleaner and more comfy to me. YMMV

 

 

[rp2813]

Yeah, I'm not sure about why she only did one chair.  Maybe I contacted her so quickly after she listed them that she didn't get to the other one.  I wonder if the lighter one may have been in a more sunny location.

 

I actually like the look of the darker one.  It looks more vintage IMO.  In fact, she listed the chairs as "vintage" but it doesn't matter to me that they're not.  I don't think she bought them new or she'd never have sold them at the price she did, and she wouldn't have described them as "vintage" either.

 

Rich, I think I may have seen the Kiwi shoe polish available on line some time ago.  I don't know why I was even looking for it.  My dad used to have a whole drawer in his workshop with shoe polish tins in various shades, and different brushes for applying and buffing.  Some of those tins contained paste that was so old it had cracks in it.  I pretty much only wear dress shoes to weddings and funerals anymore so I don't even have to polish them much, if at all.

 

[ea56]

The reason for the one chair being darker is most likely due to this one was used the most, maybe even with a bare back coming in contact with the leather and the body oils and perspiration caused the darkening of the leather.  Think about how a brand new baseball mitt looks, and how it looks after its been used repeatedly.

 

When I was in HS I was the student assistant in Art and Crafts and when we were doing leather craft this is one of the things we were taught, that body oils darken leather.

 

They still make Kiwi shoe polish, but I’d be leary about applying it to the lighter of the two chairs, because if you aren’t happy with the results you just may end up being stuck with it.  I still think the leather conditioner that the seller advised she used is the safest thing to try.

 

Most likely the lighter of the two chairs was either in another room and seldom used, or just plain seldom used.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 6/26/2020-18:24]

 

[sudsmaster]

Me, I'd use some of that leather conditioner on the darker chair, get out those dark patches, and then let them both age darker naturally.