How long will it last if I have my leather upholstery refinished / “Connollised”?
Successfully refinishing anything will depend on adhesion. Once the surface coatings have worn off or broken through, the hide itself is very porous, like a chamois. It then starts to absorb impurities like, dirt, grease & any conditioning creams that have been applied over the years. The longer it has been left, the deeper these impurities absorb & the more difficult to gauge the success of the initial degreasing process. There is an additional problem in that we have to use the water-based coloured lacquers which are currently being used by the tanneries today. These need to be used on a totally grease-free surface. Another problem is the age of the leather requiring refinishing. New leathers rely on silicon or wax additives in the clear protective top lacquer to get them through the rub tests. This obviously will give adhesion problems unless broken down first. Many softer automotive hides also have a “crosslinker” added to the top lacquer which makes it virtually impossible to brea
