I've been working with leather......for a long time. I just upholstered an ottoman in leather. Yes...I dye it. The problem is it doesn't dye evenly. It paints evenly..... yes they sell a spray paint for leather. Do you have a Tandy's Leather store near you?

What kind of dye will you be using? What applicator have you chosen to apply the dye? How are you deglazing it? Are you sure it's glazed to begin with? and you need to keep it from becoming suede....raising the nap when deglazing is an issue.

Deglazing with acetone, dying with Fiebing's Pro using those pompom looking wool daubers.

If I splotch it up, I still have slipcovers I can use but I'm hoping it will come out well.

Ok....I've used Fiebings. It's a good leather dye. The little wool daubers are too small for your dye job....you'll streak it badly. Deglazing with acetone is good. I'd use an old white sock on my hand and rub quickly, rolling the sock around my hand to get a clean part. The acetone will get the leather wet and it will look uneven until it drys.

I'd try a test piece of leather. Maybe try putting the Fiebings dye in a $1 spray bottle, then rubbing it lightly to get an even application. The pressure of an applicator will effect the evenness of the dye. More pressure......and it soaks in more. It's NOT like staining wood.

I'd really recommend a test run on a throw away piece of leather. Do you have something?

Also if your just going a shade darker? Mink oil will stain leather. Or leather conditioner will stain it. ....or I dilute shoe polish for light jobs. If you use oil...or have used oil in the past?...it won't accept dye well after that.

Cannot spray in apt. Will experiment with the underside of the chair.

Here's a link to a type of leather paint.....applied with a big sponge. This would work

Fiebings dye is too wet....it soaks in too fast. It's great for new leather belts or new leather purses. ♥ It's also very hard to clean up. I've dyed my fingers for days with it!

If you watch THIS video.....see the arms? This type of wear will always look "bad". There's no fixing it. Sanding it and multiple applications of dye will help. The seat can be dyed....and will look new. Dying couch with this thick dye/paint.

So what have you used on your larger projects, the ottoman and so on?

Great job! What do you use as a sealer/finish coat once you are done?

If you use paint, like in the videos...the gloss/finish is in the paint. (I know he's calling it stain...but it's not). Tandy's sells leather "varnish".....but my experience is....it rubs off & flakes off after two weeks of wear n' tear. Tandy's "varnish" is made for tooled leather, it works well for that. I put a coat of Scotch Guard leather sealer, to guard against water. That's it!

Those who use stain,not paint, say it sometimes rubs off, there are products such as 'resolene' sold as stain sealers. Is the Scotch Guard a similar sealer?

No. Scotch guard is silicone based. It's a "light-weight" sealer. It does not alter the patina of the leather.

Resolene: Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene is a top finish that will give your project a medium shine and provide some water resistance. Resolene will darken the leather..

Considering that only one person has offered advice (thank you Nicole) I 'm thinking that this sort of restoration is not popular. Is it because it is a lot of work, or is it difficult to get acceptable results?

Lucille, I painted a leather, tufted, wing back chair with Fusion Mineral Paint. Turned out great. It's in my mom's den. I can't share pics from my phone here but, if you have Facebook I can try to share a link to my pics on their group.

Mineral paint is I think similar to chalk paint which I've used in the past. How did you seal after painting?

Fusion Mineral Paint doesn't have chalk. It's considered an all-in-one paint. It has a built in top-coat so I didn't seal. They do offer a separate top coat, though. I guess people just feel better sealing things. But oddly enough they don't recommend it for dark colors. I painted the chair last summer. I've also painted my bathroom cabinets with it this summer. I didn't seal those either. I've repainted some white door trim outside. Once cured it's supposed to be stain proof and waterproof. It's the easiest paint I've ever used. Goes on smooth, dries fast, cleans up easily. A pint is $20, and goes pretty far. You can buy tester sizes for $4, I believe it was. Dark colors typically need 2 coats, light colors may need more than 2.

Let me know if you need more details.