Home upholstery 101

[72240z]

This is something I know very little about and its proving hard to find out info. People seem to be very tight lipped, job security I guess. Has anyone dabbled or int he trade and willing to throw me some advice?

 

I would like to cover my dash and plastic interior pieces with Ultrasuede. For the hard plastic pieces I was thinking of just 3m glue praying them and smoothing fabric over each piece. The pieces are fairly simple in contours so I feel its straightforward. The dash is what worries me. I can sew well so I would most likely double seem stitch it but matching the contours on it have me worried.

 

Can anyone chime in? thnx

[Llittle_Llama]

I was planning on doing pleather, but decided to go lazy as shit and do the fuzzy stuff like PCD did, I have lost interest in doing the show truck I was planning and want to just make a nice truck for the weekends. I have no issue trying to do it in the pleather first and posting up some pics of how it turned out cause if it looks like ass I can just recover it with the fuzzy shit.

[slodat]

Maybe check some of the videos available to rent at smartflix.

[Llittle_Llama]

that smartflix looks bad ass! I think I might get some of the culinary art ones, thanks for the link slodat!

[bagged_datsun]

my dad does this for a living but do you think i payed any attention....noooo

 

 

i can do a lot of it on my own but telling someone how to do it is hard.. lol

[Creepy Cruiser]

The biggest secret is using the right glue. Don't use anything that comes in a rattle can, lol, it will release in a few hot days. Go to an upholstery supply palace and get what they call "Landau Top adhesive" and then get yourself a cheap gravity feed paint gun from harbor frieght for like $12 and you're golden. It's a high heat contact adhesive, so you spray both the part and the covering and then let them both almost dry before you put them together. Make sure you get it lined up right though, because once it touches, you're done, lol. Hope that helps.

[MikeRL411]

I went to my local adult night school and signed up for an upholstery class. The instructor was fascinated that I was proposing the reupholster my car seats and spoiled me with attention and good tips. Seats came out looking factory new. The process is really simple, all in knowing where to cut and where to glue or sew. The landau top glue sounds like the right stuff, weather strip glue would in fact release in direct sunlight.

[LAYEDOUTB2K]

yeah, definitely dont use that 3m stuff, it wont last. like brain dead said, its all in the glue you use. ive tried tons of different rattle can glues and nothing stayed together more than a couple months.

[hang_510]

be sure to start w/a smooth surface. big cracks make it look like crap when your done.

 

i didnt do it, but i have a recovered dash that had all but 1 crack repaired perfect, i notice it, but its not bad at all.

[Llittle_Llama]

yeah, definitely dont use that 3m stuff, it wont last. like brain dead said, its all in the glue you use. ive tried tons of different rattle can glues and nothing stayed together more than a couple months.

 

guess what i am using, well shit :mad::mad::mad:

[72240z]

I have used the 3m for small projects, but on cars I have sold so Idk how it holds up. I will heed the advice and use pro quality. I'm pretty squared away on most of it, just the gauge bezels have me stumped.

 

The vids are a good idea I'll check for torrents. Boobtube has a few but none show what I need to know.

 

I was going to use a cracked dash and sell mine because its perfect. Thinking I'll just fill it with caulk because I'm planning to spray a fine layer of foam so it's nice and supple. I want it to be very Ferrari ish, even going with a gate shifter.

[mklotz70]

Brain Dead is right about the heat, but you can get high temp in a spray can. The $14/can 3m Super 77 is crap....don't waster you money. I bought my glue from an upholstery shop in town that advertises that they sell upholstery supplies. I've also seen it at Jo-ann Fabrics in their upholstery section.

 

Here's a link to another thread where I posted a lot of pics from redo-ing Paula's 521. If you can sew....I'd sew up the ends, then glue it. Not sure about suede, but with vinyl, you can heat it up and get some stretch around the curves.

 

http://forum.ratsun.net/showthread.php?t=5221

[72240z]

That came out nice mike.

[72240z]

Here is an example and some patterns I have mocked up. Feel free to let me know what you guys think.

 

Here is a fine example of the style color and stitch I'm going for.

 

Here is the bare dash to be wrapped.

 

Here is a pattern I would maybe use if the material can be stretched because filling all those gauge bezels would be impossible with no stretch, esp the tach and speedo, they are so deep set.

 

Here is a pattern I would use if there is no give in the material. Basically a single sheet over with a sleeve for every indentation.

Edited February 17, 2009 by 72240z

[Duke]

What about a combination of the two. I really like the concept that you have going here. Should look very clean if you can pull it off.

[mike]

Unless you're going aftermarket gauges and vents that are smaller in diameter make sure that you take into account the thickness of the material in all guage openings, glove box door, vent openings and the heater control/ console area...

 

If you can get it to work out it will be worth the work.

[1971Datsupra]

My dash was all cracked up from the 30+ years it has set in the sun. I fiberglassed the entire top pad. If you want to go this route I suggest to wait until it is like 30-40 degrees out side, bundle up, and sling some resin. The cold weather inhibbets the resin from hardening up two quickly. I did this to my dash.

1. clean and degrease

2.mix and spread resin on dash

3. apply weaved fiberglass mat

4. apply more resin

5. apply another fiberglass mat

6. more resin

7. another mat

8. more resin.

9. move into a room tempurature setting

10.check all edges

11. trim where needed when it starts to gel up, wait until it is kind of tacky, but won't really move.

12. sand, prime, paint.

 

Apply all with a brush, working from the middle out to keep air bubbles from forming. Get extra mixing cups and extra brushes and a box of gloves.

[72240z]

My dash was all cracked up from the 30+ years it has set in the sun. I fiberglassed the entire top pad. If you want to go this route I suggest to wait until it is like 30-40 degrees out side, bundle up, and sling some resin. The cold weather inhibbets the resin from hardening up two quickly. I did this to my dash.

1. clean and degrease

2.mix and spread resin on dash

3. apply weaved fiberglass mat

4. apply more resin

5. apply another fiberglass mat

6. more resin

7. another mat

8. more resin.

9. move into a room tempurature setting

10.check all edges

11. trim where needed when it starts to gel up, wait until it is kind of tacky, but won't really move.

12. sand, prime, paint.

 

Apply all with a brush, working from the middle out to keep air bubbles from forming. Get extra mixing cups and extra brushes and a box of gloves.

 

Whats that to do with upholstery?

[72240z]

Unless you're going aftermarket gauges and vents that are smaller in diameter make sure that you take into account the thickness of the material in all guage openings, glove box door, vent openings and the heater control/ console area...

 

If you can get it to work out it will be worth the work.

 

I had considered that, was thinking of filing down the edges. That should be fine no? So long as I keep the same tolerances that is to say.

[mklotz70]

Whats that to do with upholstery?

 

It might be a bit of a stretch, but for me upholstery is typically considered anything to do with refinishing the interior. A lot of times, the fiberglass work is covered with fabric...or upholstery afterward. You guys were talking about redoing dash boards.....might have been more out of place if the subject was the seats.

[Llittle_Llama]

It might be a bit of a stretch, but for me upholstery is typically considered anything to do with refinishing the interior. A lot of times, the fiberglass work is covered with fabric...or upholstery afterward. You guys were talking about redoing dash boards.....might have been more out of place if the subject was the seats.

 

X-2

[MikeRL411]

When glassing a dash or any cracked or permeable surface, a good tip is to first apply a very light coat of unactivated resin to the cracked area and let it soak in. Then mix up the final coating and apply over the whole surface. The heat generated by the curing mix will set the first unmixed coat and insure a good tight bond into the cracks.

[72240z]

Merriam-Webster.....

up

Edited February 19, 2009 by 72240z

[1971Datsupra]

72240z

 

Sorry! I couldn't tell if you had any cracks in the dash. I thought that my experiance with other methods on redoin a dash would be helpful. This also gives a good base for you to apply leather. I have'nt had any trouble with my dash since. No cracks, bubbles, or pealing. Plus is it or is it not a "DASH BOARD" that you are working on? This was my soulution for my problem, I was simply stating that. No need to get panties in a wad!

 

Good luck with you project.

[72240z]

72240z

 

Sorry! I couldn't tell if you had any cracks in the dash. I thought that my experiance with other methods on redoin a dash would be helpful. This also gives a good base for you to apply leather. I have'nt had any trouble with my dash since. No cracks, bubbles, or pealing. Plus is it or is it not a "DASH BOARD" that you are working on? This was my soulution for my problem, I was simply stating that. No need to get panties in a wad!

 

Good luck with you project.

 

HEY HEY HEY!!!! YOU LEAVE MY PANTIES OUT OF THIS!!!!! lol

 

I was never upset or anything, it's just that you didn't say anything, just went into instructions for glassing it. No explanation what so ever as to why you were doing so. You also said paint at the end so I don't buy the "good base" thing. It did and still strikes me as if you didn't read the thread before posting. I had already said I was going to just apply a base foam over it all prior so glass and paint just makes no sense to me. I had responded after with the definitions because someone had answered my question incorrectly.

 

 

I appreciate the time and the attempt at help (no bs). I would just rather keep the thread on track because I already have a dead set result I'm trying to achieve and honestly I'm probably going to need help to do so. Side tracking doesn't help.