Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Fix Your Leather Purse Handles with Edge Kote
With the success of my video that teaches people how to wrap their purse handles to protect them (and that tells you other ideas on how to get purse handles repaired by professionals), I decided to try to fix my own using a product I found on Amazon called Edge Kote. Read on to learn how to fix your leather purse handles.
DIY purse repairs are easy, quick and cost less than professional repairs. If you want to prevent your purse handles from daily wear and tear and add a little style, you can wrap them in skinny scarves. My article here shows you how to do it with pictures and short videos. While the scarves work, they sometimes come unwrapped and I wanted a more permanent fix.
While scarves work to hide purse handles, fixing them works better.
One of my TikTok community members told me she saw my video about wrapping purse handles in scarves to protect them or temporarily keep them from getting worse, and loved the idea. She told me about Edge Kote on Amazon, which I had researched and was wanting to try it.
What I used to repair my purse handles
It’s basically a leather paint that you can use to edge leather to protect it. We messaged back and forth and she decided to order it and try it. She messaged me again and told me it worked and looked good! This gave me the courage to try myself.
It’s always a good idea to try to fix things yourself if you can. It’s extremely sustainable instead of throwing things away. I love this article by This Old House about repairing a leather chair. Leather is very repairable.
How the leather edging looked before using Edge Kote
See my video of wrapping the purse handles in scarves and more ideas on purse repair in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
My TikTok community member said she had Coach repair some of her handles on other purses as the edging was coming off like mine, and she said they didn’t do a great job. I know this may not be everyone’s results, but I do have to report that.
After doing research on Coach’s purse repairs, I know it costs if it’s out of warranty and if you don’t live by a Coach store, you have to ship it off for repairs. Then it can take weeks or months to get it back. Learn more about it on their website here.
My DIY purse handle repair set up
If you are wanting to fix your leather purse handles on your own, it’s actually very simple, is quick and it dries fast! Here’s my process.
What you need (Product links go to Amazon.com or Walmart)
Edge Kote (it comes in a variety of colors and I got black for my Coach tote)…you can grab it on Walmart.com too.
Toothpick or small detail paint brush
See my quick tutorial for this project in the video above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
How-To:
First, I trimmed the leather edging that was coming off my purse with small scissors.
Trimming off some old purse edging
Next, I attempted using the toothpick to apply the Edge Kote and it worked. I shook the bottle while it was sealed, then dipped a toothpick in it and “painted” it on the leather edge of my purse handle where I trimmed the old edging. I had detail brushes on hand and used those to see which worked better. I liked the brush better, but that’s my own opinion.
Painting on the Edge Kote
I painted on one coat and it dried super-fast. It seemed to need to be “built up” a bit more, so I painted on 4 more coats (5 total), allowing each layer to dry for about an hour or less.
I noticed the layers did build up more and more as I added them, but even 5 didn’t quite make it as thick as the old edging. However, I am fine with it. You can barely tell and the Edge Kote stopped my bag’s edging to come off more.
The completed purse handle repair
In other YouTube videos, I watched some people remove all their edging using scissors and sandpaper, then paint the Edge Kote on. This could work for you if your bag is in need of it. I’ve read of people saying this same issue has happened with even more expensive brands like Louis Vuitton, and this process would work for most all leather purse or bag handles.
The Edge Kote was a bit shiny compared to my other edging, so I rubbed my finger over it to “buff it” a bit. This dulled the shine, but I noticed a bit of gray coming off on my finger. I continued to wipe and the gray stopped coming off, so make sure you rub yours to remove this leftover color before putting your purse on your shoulder or arm.
My Coach bag is fixed!
Overall, this is a great product that made my purse look great again and I’d recommend giving it a try!
If you loved this article, we know you’ll love this one too: How to Easily Fix Sagging Couch Cushions
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.