Removing Paint from Leather.....

[imported_Luster]

I have a customer vehicle coming up in about a week. The owner said he is a residential painter and the leather seats in his Ford Explorer have some paint on them. Latex Exterior House Paint. (Sherwin-Williams "Super Paint" to be exact!)

Who has successfully removed this type of paint from leather seats and what was your process???

 

[Dream Machines73]

MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) may do it
I used it to remove paint overspray from interior door trims (leather and plastic).

careful (it really smells) and is overpowering if not in a well ventilated area

 

[imported_Luster]

MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) may do it
I used it to remove paint overspray from interior door trims (leather and plastic).

careful (it really smells) and is overpowering if not in a well ventilated area

Where can I buy this product? Paint store?

My biggest concern is that I don't want to damage the leather while removing the paint.

 

[imported_Luster]

I have also heard that Olive Oil will removed latex paint from leather.

Anyone tried this process?

 

[imported_gewb]

MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) may do it
I used it to remove paint overspray from interior door trims (leather and plastic).

careful (it really smells) and is overpowering if not in a well ventilated area

MEK is a powerful solvent and it will remove the dye colorant from the leather. It will also dry out the leather.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[imported_gewb]

...leather seats in his Ford Explorer have some paint on them. Latex Exterior House Paint. (Sherwin-Williams "Super Paint" to be exact!)

Perhaps you can find a junker with torn upholstery (seems every town has at least one junk yard) - cut out a couple patches and apply small thin amounts of latex paint (doesn't need to be the specific brand) then see what will work.

I'll check some DIY / construction forums.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[imported_gewb]

I have also heard that Olive Oil will removed latex paint from leather.

Sounds like your search closely matches mine! Numerous forums / threads about olive oil - it sounds promising. Typical posting:

"Let me add my tribute! I tried everything on very old white paint on black leather in my Ford ....nothing worked. Then I saw these postings and I cant believe it! Id sure like to know whats in the olive oil that reacts with the latex (in my case I think it was oil. No matter what, thanks so much to whomever posted this!"

Then there was this post on a Honda forum:

"The stuff i used is called Painter's pal. Its made by Goo Gone. just a few drops on a mr Clean magic eraser and it came off like it was nothing and didnt ruin the leather. It took out the shine but some leather car brought it back no problem."

The above product is "Goo Gone Painter's Pal Spray Gel".

Also had posts saying IPA and an old toothbrush worked.

Good luck and let us know what works!

Regards,
GEWB

 

[imported_Luster]

GEWB - Thanks for the confirmation. I've been doing some Googling and found that Olive Oil seems to be the most popular method and doesn't seem to have harmful effects on the leather.

I'll be sure to do a test patch to make sure there is no staining. After all olive oil is an "oil", which could cause dark staining, stretching, etc.

I'll use only the amount necessary to remove the paint, then wash thoroughly with saddle soap or Woolite and water, then condition with Z10.

 

[imported_Goose]

It's hard to gauge the condition without looking at it first, and the color of the interior leather may dictate the degree of carefulness to be used.

Hopefully they haven't tried to remove it and you can pinch the leather between your index finger and thumb and try to roll off as much paint as you can. Sometimes this technique will allow the paint to come off in bigger chunks

Last year, I worked on a Saab 900 that the owner has spilled nail poish on the passenger seat
I used the technique described above, and got some Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free available at Walgreens to clean up the rest.
This worked real well for me.
Again, depends on the color of the leather, you may want to first try on an inconspicuous area. The key is not to use too much down force (hard rubbing) as to not smudge onto clean areas. Just work it slowly and assess the progress
If possible, use a white towel. That way you can see check for colorfastness. (Easier to see that way...)

 

[imported_Luster]

It's hard to gauge the condition without looking at it first, and the color of the interior leather may dictate the degree of carefulness to be used.

.)

Yeah, I haven't seen the vehicle yet. The owner is out of town and said he would call me when he gets back. A test patch on an inconspicuous area is definitely the way to go!