Leather Care, Repair And Restoration
South Canterbury

Leather Professional - Paul Ford

My name is Paul Ford and I've been in the leather industry for over 29 years. Being the webmaster of www.leatherhelp.co.nz I show many simple ways to keep leather in top condition but if you would rather have a professional do the job for you, then you've come to the right place.

If you live in Timaru, Ashburton, Oamaru or surrounding areas, and you would like help with your leather upholstery, I can certainly help you in the following ways:

• Leather Repair:- make scuffs, scratches and other unsightly marks disappear
• Leather Care:- If you would rather have your leather furniture cleaned professionally instead of doing it your self
• Leather Restoration:- Restoring faded, worn and discoloured leather back to its original look ane feel.
• Leather Training:- If you would like to master the art of leather restoration, I am offering one on one leather training at my home workshop in Timaru..

If any of the above strikes a chord with you, feel free to call me at my home office: (03) 686 4754 or mobile: 021 125 4055.

Here's some examples of work I've done ...

Restored Leather Couch

The owner of this leather couch had a quote for thousands of dollars to have it reupholstered.

As you can see, the cushions had lost their shape; the leather was worn and tired and she was seriously thinking about taking it to the dump!

After showing her some examples of other work I'd done, I got the go ahead to see what I could do with it.

The cushions were sent to an upholster to be refilled; the leather colour was stripped off and completely refinished to its original colour; the missing buttons were replaced and the rusted studds were replaced with new ones.

End result? When the owner came to pick it up, she was speechless! She seriously thought it was a new couch ... but without the big price tag.

Restored Leather Bently Seats ...

Here's another example from a 1951 Bentley which I restored. As you can see, the leather was rather worn, discoloured and cracked.

The owner wanted to keep the originality of the leather and was not concerned with the cracks

The old finish was stripped back and completely refinished back to the original colour.

You should have seen the look on his face when he came back to pick up his seats!

He was so delighted, he sent me the following testimonial ...

TESTIMONIAL

Terry Byrne, 16 Lachlan Place, TIMARU
31 August 2000

Dear Paul,
LEATHER RESTORATION WORK - MK VI BENTLEY
It is now some eight months since the restoration of the leather work in my 1951 Mk VI Bentley and it is appropriate that I should formally acknowledge the work that was done. In November 1999,1 decided that it was time for the seats and leather trim in the Bentley, to be restored. I was aware that an English Company provided kits for this to be done however, was unsure as to what the final result may be. The seats were showing serious signs of deterioration, were faded and badly cracked. I realised that they were in need of work but was unsure as to where this could be done.
By chance, it was mentioned that you undertook this kind of work and following my approach to you, I removed all of the seats and trim and left them with you to restore. I was insistent that the 50 year old character of the seats should not be destroyed and that the cracks should if at all possible be retained.
The result of your efforts is to say the least, outstanding. The colour match in particular was exactly that of the original and this only became apparent when I refitted the seats and had occasion to remove the drinks trays. To my surprise, the area behind the trays was leather and there was no noticeable difference between the colour of the restored seats and the area of old leather behind the trays. This was nothing short of remarkable. The restoration was such that the seats whilst new in colour and softness still retained the "old" character that I wanted.
Since the work, I have had several approaches from other vintage and classic car owners. All have commented on the very high standard of workmanship that you have done and the quality of your work is such, that I have had no hesitation in recommending you to them. I would be delighted to endorse your work to prospective clients and would readily make the Bentley available to others to view should they wish to see an example of your work.
I wish you every success for the future.
Kind regards,
TERRY BYRNE, OWNER, (1951 Mk VI Bentley)