What Type of Paint to Use on Leather: Types Compared

Use a water-based acrylic paint made for leather. Makers sell it as flexible, so it bends with the leather instead of cracking. Thin artist acrylics can also work on prepped smooth leather. Golden, which makes them, says they aren't leather dyes and doesn't recommend them for items that touch your skin.

Whichever paint you choose, thin coats on degreased leather matter more than the brand. This guide helps you choose. For the method, see how to paint leather, part of our leather dyeing and finishing series.

Key takeaways- Best all-round choice: acrylic leather paint, sold as flexible and non-cracking.- Artist acrylics: use thin, fluid lines only, and not where the paint touches skin.- Soft items: a fabric medium keeps paint softer, but it has to be heat-set.- Vinyl and faux leather usually need a primer or a vinyl-specific coating.- Thick paint cracks when the leather flexes, whatever the label says.

We haven't run our own wear tests on these paints, so this guide compares types using what their makers publish, not a ranking.

Leather paint types compared

How to choose the right paint

Will it bend with the leather?

Acrylics are thermoplastic. They turn brittle in the cold and soft and tacky in the heat, and the effect is worse when the paint is thick. Paint made for leather is sold as flexible. Even so, thick or built-up layers are more likely to crack.

Will it touch skin?

For jacket linings, collars, straps and anything worn against the body, skip artist acrylics. Golden doesn't recommend its artist paints for items that touch the skin and points to leather dyes instead.

What is the surface?

• Smooth, unfinished or vegetable-tanned leather: takes paint best.
• Factory-finished leather: strip the finish first with alcohol or a deglazer, and sand any gloss you can't remove.
• Oil-tanned leather: may not hold paint in the long run.
• Suede, nubuck and deerskin: every product Golden tested changed the feel, so test on a scrap.
• Vinyl and faux leather: plasticizers can block adhesion, so a vinyl primer is usually needed.

What finish do you want?

Standard acrylic leather paint dries matte. Metallic lines dry high-gloss. You can change the sheen later with a topcoat in matte, satin or gloss. Sealing is covered in how to seal leather.

Are you covering a dark color?

Dye can't make leather lighter, because the old color shows through. Going lighter means paint. Jacquard sells Neopaque as a super-opaque paint for dark surfaces.

Which paint for which project

Is leather paint different from acrylic paint?

Not in its base. Angelus describes its leather paint as a water-based acrylic. The difference is what it's made for. Leather paint is sold as flexible and non-cracking for leather goods. Golden says its artist acrylics aren't leather dyes and advises against them for skin-contact items.

Its advice would likely hold for other acrylics, Golden says, but it hasn't tested other brands. So test any craft paint on a hidden spot first.

In this video from Derivan & Matisse Paints, the paint maker's head chemist explains how to prepare leather for the company's own artist acrylics: strip waxes and polishes with detergent or alcohol, brush on a clear sealer or polymer varnish as a bonding coat, keep the paint flat rather than thick, then finish with a varnish. Keeping the paint flat matches this guide. Two points differ. The video suggests handbags and shoes, while Golden doesn't recommend artist acrylics for items that touch the skin. For faux leather it scuffs with coarse sandpaper; this guide's sources use fine 220-grit paper and a vinyl primer.

Will acrylic paint peel off leather?

It can if you skip the prep. Paint wipes off when there was no prep, too little drying time or a topcoat rubbed on too hard. It peels after poor prep or poor sealing. It cracks when coats are too thick.

The fixes are in how to paint leather. If the paint has already failed, see how to remove acrylic paint from leather.

Safety: the paint and the prep

• The maker Angelus calls its leather paint water-based and non-toxic. We couldn't find a current SDS on its site, so ask the seller for one.
• The prep is often the riskier part. Deglazers are mostly acetone and alcohol, and NIOSH gives acetone a flash point of 0°F (-18°C).
• Ventilate when you use paints and solvents, as the EPA advises.
• Heat-setting GAC 900 releases trace formaldehyde, so open a window.
• For aerosol coatings, SEM says to store them away from heat, sparks and flames, and to read the SDS and label before use.

Want the color without painting?

If you'd rather skip painting, start with the color you want. Leather Collection doesn't sell leather paint. If you're painting a jacket only to get a different color, Leather Collection custom leather jackets are made to order in the leather, style, color and fit you choose.

Quick answers

Can you paint directly on leather?

Not straight from the store shelf. Wipe it with isopropyl alcohol first to remove oils, waxes and coatings, and lightly sand any finish that alcohol doesn't take off. For a quick yes or no by item, see can you paint leather.

What kind of paint will stick to leather?

Acrylic paint sticks best when it's applied thinly enough to soak into degreased leather. Paint made for leather is sold for that job.

What is the best paint for leather?

For most projects, choose a flexible acrylic leather paint. For vinyl seats, use a vinyl coating, and for soft fabric parts use paint with a fabric medium. We don't rank brands without our own tests.