Expert: Eileen Cronk - 6/28/2008

Question
Hi, I bought a desk at a resale shop and began to strip it so I could refinish it. The previous owners had painted over a leather top, and the leather top is in pretty bad condition now because of the paint stripper and paint. It pretty much just looks like discolored, splotchy cloth. What can I do? Can I buy a caustic produc to dissolve it off of the wood or can I just stain it with the rest of the desk and see what happens?

Answer
Hi Emily
Nice to hear from you.
There is no reason this leather could not be painted.
I don't feel the stain will hide the discoloration but what the heck you can try.
And the paint will be the last step anyway.
If the leather is firmly in place now it would be a shame to attempt to get it off. And you will have a mess to deal with underneath it.
I am thinking just a water based paint should be fine.
I fear an oil based paint would have a tendency to crack over time.
Good luck and great question
Regards
Eileen