Hello Andy, As far as I know about 'distressed leather' is a leather that looks worn and aged. It only has the 'appearance' but it never was weakened in the least.

We already know these 'appearances' are achieved in the tannery. But,if we want to do something similar, first thing to consider is the material; the ideal would be a 'furniture leather' with no 'sealer' on top. This way the procedure would be easier, so we could rub over another contrast color. Besides, if we would want to create a more antique look with spots, creases, etc. the rubbing alcohol and a thin sandpaper to rub off are useful.

After finishing the procedure add 3 coats of 'transparent sealer/lacquer' to protect your antique finish.

If you're trying out with 'automotive leather', it's not so easy, the first step would be to remove the sealer these leathers have on top. 'Rubbing alcohol' is useful by hard rubbing with a rag and cleaning with another. The issue is the original paint would come off. Perhaps, smoothly sanding off the surface to remove the lacquer would be more effective. There is an upholstery leather also called 'commercial leather' which was hard ironed/pressed in the tannery. As the 'sealer' was also pressed, thereby it's very hard to remove by using rubbing alcohol. It only can be defeated by sanding off the surface in case we want to repaint or add color spots.

I hope you find this information useful!

Cesar

@Andy Fabianski

Chrome tanned leather has a finish on it from what I understand. It will be similar to that of automotive leather like @Ceasar mentions here. You will need to break this finish.(make tacky) First clean off dirt with a water based leather cleaner such as z-7. The next step will be to remove any oils that might be present using a alcohol based cleaner preferably silicone wash(rinse step).. Apply wet application and let dry. Next leather prep, yes a heavy solvent.. No you will not damage the leather you are only trying to penetrate the color finish that is already there making it tacky to the touch. If there is no color finish present no need to use a leather prep. Next you will want to use a water based dye. Choose wisely , or mix the color yourself from primaries. I have found that a mixture of black and dark brown and violet will help to create darker colors. Rub your dye in using a paper towel. Let dry and continue this method until you achieve the finished look you are looking for. You will need to add cross-linker product to water base dye to prevent UV damage and improve adhesion. I would also add primer designed for leather adhesion in my first coat of dye mix. There are many available. After you achieve the color you like, you will need to add a protective water based top coating.

Hope this is useful, if you have questions or if i have misunderstood Id be happy to help you complete this project as I have dyed all sorts of leathers.

Kenneth O'Gorman
Fix N Stitch

Thankyou for the responses! I choose to just go with the color that I had and to not distress it. Im going to re-do the seat again because it's actually for my personal bike. I will keep all these suggestions in mind when re-covering it once again.