These Leather Repair Kits Help Keep Accessories and Furniture Looking Like New

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The art and technique of leather repair allows for creativity, keeping old gear out of the landfill, and saving money. Whether you’re reviving a favorite belt, repairing a worn dog collar, buffing scratches out of furniture, or building something entirely new, trying your hand at repairing leather isn’t as intimidating as it may seem—especially if you have a leather repair kit on hand.

While serious leatherworkers build their own kits from scratch, a pre-assembled leather repair kit is a convenient way to start out with fixing up and refinishing wares you already own. Not all kits are the same in terms of what they offer and the tools you need are going to vary depending on the types of projects you have in mind.

That said, there is some common ground. The best leather repair kits I recommend below all include durable, high-quality materials and tools, along with items that can help with both sewing and restoring.

The Best Leather Repair Kits

• Best Basic: Morfen Leather Sewing Repair Kit

• Most Comprehensive: Medoga Leather Sewing Tools

• Best for Furniture: Seisso Leather Repair Kit

• Best for Refinishing: Leather Max Quick Blend Refinish and Repair Kit

• Best for Professionals: Kingtool Advanced Leather Sewing and Supplies

What to Consider

Any given leather repair kit probably won’t have every single one of these items, but you can supplement the kit, replace used materials, and buy additional tools if needed. Since not all kits include every item, I suggest knowing the gist of what most of your projects entail—sewing loose seams or buttons versus refinishing the leather itself, for instance. Here are the most important items for a leather repair kit.

Basic Hardware

Snaps, rivets, Chicago screws, and buckles are the basic hardware necessities for repairing leather items. A lot of my own leather repair work involves replacing broken snaps and buckles. Replacing snaps requires a snap setter and replacing rivets requires a mallet (many kits include both), but setting a buckle is as easy as threading the leather through the buckle, then stitching or using a rivet to secure it. I use a lot of Chicago screws to set belt buckles, which are easy to unscrew and replace.

Dyes and Stains

You might have to buy specific colors separately, but look for a few different colors and tones that match the majority of items you own. I look for variations of black, dark brown, light brown, and reddish chestnut.

Applicators

You don’t have to be picky here. Leather is super forgiving, and I always have a few different applicator materials on hand. Many leather repair kits come with a sponge, lambskin stain applicator, or microfiber applicator.

Thread

A big part of leather repair is repairing broken pieces—a split belt, a torn eyelet on a shoe, or a worn-down purse strap. You can often stitch pieces together with lacing or waxed thread. Pro tip: Don’t use stitching to repair any load- or pressure-bearing pieces like horse reins or the strap to a heavy bag. In those cases, it’s better to replace the whole strap or use rivets rather than stitching.

Hole Punch or Awl

A leather punch is necessary for any project with buckles or snaps. My favorite is a rotating punch with a squeeze lever, but individual hole punches (a.k.a., sharpened metal tubes you whack with a mallet) are great tools as well. An awl, which is a single hollow needle with an eye for sewing, is my favorite option for punching small holes for stitching.

Leather Pieces

Some kits include small pieces of leather for patches for tears or worn-out areas. Since these kits are for repairs of common items, most include general weight leather (4 to 8 ounces). You should also look for vegetable tanned leather, which is already processed for repairs and leatherwork. Most belt blanks and belt leather are around 8 or 9 ounces in thickness and come undyed. You can also buy adhesive-backed leather patches separately, but they can look kind of cheap.

How We Selected

Leatherworking is one of my all-time favorite types of crafting, and I started repairing leather items and building my own more than 10 years ago. I used my own DIY experience to choose kits that included the items I’ve found the most useful. All of these kits have what you need to get started on a variety of leather repair and restoration projects, and you can always replace materials with additional items, or shop for supplemental tools and solutions once you start tackling more involved projects. These kits range from refinishing upholstery to hiding scratches in leather to stitching and decorating, so there should be something in there no matter what your project is.

Leather Sewing Repair Kit

With four waxed threads in common colors (black, tan, gray, and brown) and 16 needles—all in a 6-by-4-inch compact carrying case—this is a convenient and inexpensive way to cover your bases for small rips, tears, and repairs.

The waxed thread doesn’t fray when pushed through thicker leather, and it includes two high-quality awls for punching holes in leather up to 5 ounces, making it easier to stitch without punching through your thumb. The thimble and finger protectors aren’t the most robust, but using either awl (the set comes with a hollow and solid option) can help mitigate this.

Needles include triangle tip, curved tip, and multiple diameters for various upholstery and accessory weights.

Leather Repair Sewing Tools

Looking for a more robust leather sewing repair kit? This 44-piece kit comes with hole punches in 10 sizes, leather patches for repairing, a self-healing cutting mat, four thread colors, and a selection of hardware for repairing closures as well as sewing. You can also thin the leather sections with the skiving knife to make stitching easier, and the pronged chisel allows for even spacing with the stitches.

While I appreciate the convenience of a single-piece wheeled hole punch, these individual punches are made with heat-treated carbon steel and are admittedly nicer for punching through thicker leather than squeezing the handle of a rotating punch.

Leather Repair Kit For Furniture

This kit can be used on leather and faux leather materials, with four tubes in three standard colors that can be blended for different tones. The kit also comes with two brushes and a scraper to get the texture blended, and backing fabric to fill in larger holes and rips before painting over.

This is the best kit for scratches and cracks (we have a better kit for buffing worn areas below), and this can fill in nicely on furniture fallen victim to cat claws and small burn holes.

We recommend this for leather upholstered furniture more than clothing and accessories, but it’s versatile enough for a range of styles and finishes. Just be aware you probably won’t get an exact match, and the patch job will be more apparent on larger tears.

Leather Max Quick Blend Refinish and Repair Kit

Great for everything from jackets to worn leather chairs, this wide-coverage, smooth-application solution works well for restoring faded, dry leather. We chose this over the above listing for items with bare spots from repeated use (think the most worn-out cushion on your couch or the drivers’ seat in your car). It has a wider application area and blends well over larger sections, and there are ten different sets to choose from with a variety of tones and colors.

Each set does come with a limited range (three deep brown shades instead of a brown, cream, and black for example) but these are affordable and it’s worth getting more than one if you have several items that need attention. The oil stain blends well for easy color matching, and it can be used on both natural and faux leather.

Advanced Leather Repair Sewing and Supplies Kit

For DIYers and home craftsmen with space to spread out, this large-scale kit has nearly 400 items. We’re particularly excited about the impact-absorbing cutting mat, four different chisels for thinning leather for folding and repairing sections, a stitching wheel for precise stitch placement, and the durable steel awls with ergonomic handles.

All of this comes in a handy carrying case with slots for every item so you can see what you have, and has small containers for different sized rivets and snap hardware for connection repairs. This kit also comes with needles and three different waxed threads, as well as sheepskin-like applicators for stains and dyes, though you'll have to buy the coloring and conditioners separately.

Chicago Screws and Leather Rivets Repair Kit

If you just need to replace the snap or closure on a belt, or attach the handle to a bag and don’t want to sew, a rivet or screw is the best solution, easily assembled by folding the piece of leather, punching through with the hole punch, and attaching both sides.

While several other kits on this list come with a selection of Chicago screws, rivets, and snaps, buying a full set of these fasteners is a great way to guarantee you never run out. This kit comes with 110 sets of Chicago screws and rivets as well as the tools for simple installation, and with seven sizes between the two styles, you’ll have something for everything project.

Leather Tooling Repair Kit

Congrats! You’ve repaired your old leather accessories and refinished the worn-out patches of upholstery, and now you’re looking to build a new strap for your favorite bag or a belt for a special belt buckle. This kit is a convenient way to get started decorating and tooling leather without having to buy every item separately.

It includes everything from stitch wheels for perfect stitch placement to a bevel tool to create the perfect edges. The mallet has a sturdy poly head to ease reverberation, and it has a convenient starter kit for stamps and carving tools—perfect for learning stamping repeat patterns and decorating belt blanks.

This kit can also be used for repairs, with hole punches, needles, and thread for revamping split or cracked pieces. Like the rest of the hardware-type kits, the stain, conditioner, and cleaner have to be purchased separately.

Best Leather Repair Kits Q&A

PM: What’s the difference between dyes and stains?

MS: A stain is like a very translucent paint, with color that deepens as you apply more layers. It’s very forgiving, and enhances and enriches the tone of the leather. It’s harder to get bold colors, but if you want to brighten up old shoes, belts, bags, or even sections of furniture, use a stain.

Dye penetrates much more deeply, and there’s a smaller margin of error. Once you commit to a dye, that’s the color it’ll stay, and you need to make sure you’re applying it evenly or it can look blotchy. I use more stains than dyes, but if you want to entirely alter the color of your leather item, dye is your best bet.

PM: What’s the most important thing to buy that may not be included in a leather repair kit?

MS: I was surprised to see many pre-made kits don’t come with conditioner and cleaner, but these are an inexpensive and easy way to keep your leather in top shape between repairs. Conditioning your leather is the best way to remedy dry, cracked leather, and you should do it before starting any repairs. You can also buy a leather soap to help get grime and abrasive materials out of the leather, and the conditioner uses a blend of oils and natural cleaners to help restore leather to its original color and suppleness.

PM: What’s your favorite method for restoring leather?

MS: Antiquing is one of my favorite tricks to restore old leather or make stamping and carving pop. Antiquing is like a thicker staining agent that adheres to the divots and textures in stamped or carved leather items. Most of my original leatherwork involves stamping or traditional Sheridan-style carving, and swiping the antiquing gel over the finished product is the final step in making those designs pop. Swipe it on with sheepskin or another non-solid applicator, then wipe off the surface right away and let the antiquing settle into the design.

PM: What’s the best way to take care of leather?

MS: While I still recommend keeping a basic leather repair kit on hand, applying a conditioner and cleaning nice leather goods before they become dry, cracked, or split is a good way to avoid having to do any repairs.

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