Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Aquakleen Restoration Services on November 16, 2007, 02:26:32 pm
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I cleaned a suite today and the finish came off a seat cushion and a few bits and pieces here and there. Nothing too major but I told him he could have the areas resprayed but not by me. Does anyone do this? Give me a shout via the forum and ill pass his details on. Cheers
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/skywalker71/DSCF0001.jpg)
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easy john i will tell you how to do it 01914286740 tony
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I have a pretty good idea Tony but dont really have the time to be honest, thought someone might want it? Would you be interested? J
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yes mate post his details i wil give him a bell regards m8 ;)
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By the way Tony did a fella ring you up about a suite I told him u might be able to do? He sounded like a right one on the phone tho, so thought Id pass him on to yourself hahaha
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Any problems we do full leather restoration and resprays as well.
Aidan
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What product did you use as its looks patchy maybe just the photo.
If its well worn then you may have to 'paint' all the contact areas to blend it in.
Mark
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I bet you used the extracta leather cleaner, it's often too strong a product for pigmented leathers and will take the top lacquer off in a flash.
I brought this to extractas attention when they first started doing the leather products. It is an excellent cleaner but you need to dilute it down to 50% and you won't have any more problems.
When I did the leather course at LTT we tested it against their own Maxi clean and it was stronger than even that product.
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Are you sure this a pigmented suite, I know it looks shiny, but it could easily be analine
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Carpet guy, hope that is a wind up. If not you better get yourself on a leather course quick. ;D
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it needs to be preped and resprayed
carpet guy what you been drinking?
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Well the funny thing was it was a 2 seater and a 3 seater sofa I had to do. The photo shown was by far the worst of it. The rest of the suite was ok with only one or two small patchy areas no bigger than a clenched fist that were problematic.
I was pretty sure it was pigmented leather but I have to be honest it did cross my mind it could be analine leather. When I sprayed the cleaner on it seemed to be ok but maybe it was very slightly porus....oops! I did the nail test and no mark was left. It was a strange leather, unlike anything I had done before.
Yes I do get my chemical from Extracta, but upon saying that I have only just started to dilute it 50% with water. I must say ive never had any problems with it before even when sprayed on neat, the results have always been terrific.
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It is with out doubt pigmented leather.( could have a light top coat) and thats why it seamed semi porous.
The problem is that the top coat is very weak, this may be from poor application ( there is a lot of chineese leather on the market at the moment suffering from poor top coat application) or it could be the top coat has worn down with age/use or poor cleaning technique/wrong chemicals. The biggest problem i find with this ype of situation is that baby wipes are being used for cleaning the leather,a lot of baby wipes are alcohol based and this is causing damage to the top coat ( bet if you asked the customer what she is using to clean the suite, she will say baby wipes)
This is easily picked up on your audit before pricing the job and the use of a microscope is an important bit of kit that will help dentify the weak/damaged top coat.
Repair is straight forward, by removing the old top coat fully, then recolour( if necesary) then applying a new top coat. Note you will have to do the complete seat area not just the small damaged bit.
I would guess that if there are other weak areas then it may be necessary to top coat all the usage areas fully.
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Hmmmm thanks everyone. Some very interesting responses here! I have emailed my custy and let him know the situation. Thanks again to everyone who replied I am extremely grateful,
John
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I would never assume anything from a picture on a computer monitor and " it was different from any other leather he'd previously cleaned". Alarm bells !!!!!!
I agree it has the appearance in this picture of being pigmented, but the shiny effect could be from water , or "conditioner"and the picture is'nt clear enough to determine the reality, or otherwise , of the grain.
Get out the magnifying glass, unless you are certain of the finish
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Yes the shine would have been from conditioning (Extracta's Seal & Shine).
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carpet guy what orbit are u on the leather is pigmented end of story
if you had exp you would know that
dont give john advice untill you go on a course . dont mean to sound bad but we are trained m8 ???
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Sorry Vanguard you are probably right................I've only been cleaning leather for 20 years and only attended a couple of courses , which puts me at a huge disadvantage compared to someone of your experience and stature.
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so why could you not identify that leather m8 ???
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Not your mate and just wondered .................have you actually come across an analine suite. Also, my comment was simply, as any experienced individual would suggest to a novice like yourself, to stop and consider the possibilities, rather than make a costly mistake.
First thing you were taught on your course was, always use the magnifier, JUST IN CASE as things are'nt always what they seem.
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Seems funny to me that Judy from LTT isnt watching this thread.
Maybe she's had enough and gone elsewhere.
Go on Judy whats your take on this?
Murky
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All teaching companies advise caution, when presented with any level of doubt. The suite in question is not known to me from it's photo, which goes from dark brown to light tan, depending on the angle of my lap top screen.
The appearance is pigmented, but it might not be. On my screen, it goes from dark brown to light beige, depending on the angle of my laptop.
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Hi
Just a few comments from those that have been made.
Certainly from the photograph this would appear to be a pigmented leather. Aniline leather very rarely comes in this sort of colour range (although photos are deceptive as far as this is concerned). The sort of damage that is obvious from the photo would indicate a pigment.
LTT Maxi Cleaner is very strong and is only recommended for use on dye transfer and very well finished leather (auto leather can come into this range) and should not be used as a general cleaner, we have Strong Cleaner for this. Using products that are stronger than Maxi Cleaner will potentially cause damage to the finish (any weak finish either new or old will show up with Maxi Cleaner). The stronger the cleaner the gentler the clean should be and less agitation should be used as a caution.
Prior to doing your pre celan survey you should carry out the 5 Leather ID steps:
1. Visual
2. Feel
3. Scratch
4. Mositure Test
5. Microscope test (NOT a magnifier as these do not give enough information)
These tests will help you make a very clear decision about what type of leather you have but you must do all the tests not just some of them.
When you have done these carry out a pre clean survey and inspection which are crucial:
It will satisfy you of the type of leather you are dealing with
It will highlight any problem areas which you can discuss with your customer PRIOR to cleaning
It will test all areas of the leather so that you can select the correct products and know how they will react on each area. Doing a pre clean with a maintenance product will also cut your time down as some areas may not need redoing during the full clean.
There are 3 distinct areas of leather when cleaning a suite.
1. Leather that has received no flexing and will not have become overly dirty - outside back and arms
2. Leather that does flex but is not a contact area - Inside arms, front
3. Contact areas - seats and top arms
These areas will all react differently to your product and the cleaning process may be different for each area.
It is also important to try and ascertain what cleaning products have been used by the customer as these can also determine the problems that you may have. If you ask them in a positive way they will normally tell you.
If you do encounter finish peeling off (this is fairly common and can be caused by either weak or badly applied finish during manufacture or through use of incorrect cleaning and care products - baby wipes can cause this amongst others) then the affected area needs to be stabilised. This does not necessarily entail stripping off all the finish if done carefully. This can then be refinished as necessary (there is not always a need for re-colouring, it depends on the level of damage done).
Hope this helps
Judy