My leather wheel finish was worn thru finish and stick/nasty such that i used a camo cover for past couple yrs.

Refinish leather steering wheel is uber simple. Seriously. Wish i had done it sooner.

1.remove airbag and pull wheel . takes 10 min . directions online.
2. Wash wheel with soap/water to remove grime
3. Wipe down goopd with denatured alcohol
4. Lightly wet sand to smooth out worn areas with ~ 400-800 grit. Dont sand lacing you will make it fuzzy.you. want wheel smooth.
5. Wipe good with denatured alcohol. This dissolves the old finish and dulls it, new finish will adhere like its one.
6.paint in light coats
7. reassemble.


Heres the thing. What you do is go to paint shop and have them mix SEM sure coat waterborne and put it in a rattle spray can for you. $25. Its an outstanding interior finish, especially for leather. My wheel is like new. In feel, and look, (except for grain that wore away) Its ...awesome. I brought in a trim piece for them to match color. Took 45 min. I thought it would show rough leather texture thru in worn spots, but it doesnt.

Dont screw around with any other finish, paint, or dye. The SEM surecoat waterborne is the shizzle.

1 rattle can and i repainted my wheel and scratched up/peeling front window/doorlock trim pieces. Its amazing how much the little things add to enjoyment of your truck when its clean and looks good inside. Maybe best $25 i ever spent on it.

 

I would imagine that with any paint that is subjected to friction that it will start wearing off over time. And I'd be curious what the msds says with respect to having your hands all over it. Cool idea, never thought of painting leather like that but I don't think I would do it myself.

 

Why not clean and re dye?

 

Any finish will wear off. Original did.......duh.

Msds for a cured crosslinked finish? Nope. Check out msds for aniline dye though btw, quite toxic.

The leather used in most furniture items like this isnt dyed top grain leather. Thats a fallacy. Except maybe on the king ranch with natural finish.

Its a split leather, where a polyurethane coating is applied and fake grain is embossed in it. Its cheaper, thinner, with consistent texture and no scars and repairs from barbwire. Most leather is actually painted to finish it, not dyed.

Even if use dye, you need to clear coat it to protect from hands for durability.

Point is, the sem surecoat waterborne is an excellent finish for leather like this. After several months, couldnt be more satisfied. Not too expensive to habe custom mixed in rattle can. Should have done years ago, and on previous vehicles too where it wore out too.

 

You said you painted the steering wheel. My msds crystal ball on the product you used is broke right now.

 

I sanded mine down, taped, draped, mixed tempura paint to color match, mixed that w/ epoxy & rolled it on w/ a roller that had some fine texture to it before the epoxy dried...& then threw away the roller, roll, and my shirt. That was four years ago, hasn't worn a bit...dumb luck.