I want to Reupholster

[Plainsman]

I want to try my hand at reupholstering the seats on the boat. Does anyone have a link to get the upholstery material? Also the foam.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: I want to Reupholster

Google marine grade vinyl or check ebay. Remember to use Stainless Steel Staples.

 

[Bondo]

Re: I want to Reupholster

These guys are reasonable,+ have Everything......
http://www.rochfordsupply.com/

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: I want to Reupholster

i've found excellant quaility & price at Jewett City Upolstery, dsarasen@sbcglobal.net. i've order from them several times, and very satisfied.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: I want to Reupholster

Thanks guys!
Do I need any special tools, i.e. heat gun, or does a hair dryer work ok?

I will get the SS staples.

Here is a link that was posted a long time ago that has me wondering about the heat gun.
http://www.winterssewing.com/drupal/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=slideshow.Slideshow&g2_itemId=1114

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: I want to Reupholster

http://www.perfectfit.com/about.asp

They are a complete one stop shopping for upholstry and great pricing.......... Ask them about there Trade Win's line great stuff and very inexpensive. Currently i am in the middle of a job and using the pearl, It is a pearl essence that is absoulty gourgeous..... good luck

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: I want to Reupholster

The foam is more expensive than you'll think. If possible, try to use your existing foam.

I've bought vinyl off of ebay and was very happy with the price.

 

[Bass-A-Holic]

Re: I want to Reupholster

As far as tools go i think you would want an air staple gun (which u may already have been talking about but wanted to be sure) and a hair dryer may do the job but a heat gun will be much more effecient. you may need more tools also but when i helped reuphlster in my dads car thats all we needed

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: I want to Reupholster

The foam is more expensive than you'll think. If possible, try to use your existing foam.

I've bought vinyl off of ebay and was very happy with the price.

Agreed here, im half done with a old 93 Starcraft and the foam was just fine, however it had been compacted over the years making for a bad fit if you use the old pattern to make your new one.

What i did was to steam the foam with a iron which brought it back to it's orignial size and shape.

Here you can see the ridges left in the foam from the old design, if you do not steam them out they will show in your new vinyl. I simply saturated the foam with water and used the iron on high heat to steam out the all the old imprint's and it expanded quite a bit to.

Here ive done the left side of the panel and you can see how it takes all the deformities out and increase's it's size.

Before again

After

And back on.

 

[jlinder]

Re: I want to Reupholster

You want to use marine or auto rated vinyl and thread (don't forget the thread). These are rated for the UV and temperature extremes.

I used http://www.yourautotrim.com/marinevinyls.html and was very happy with them.

I have also heard good things about http://www.rochfordsupply.com/

You might also want to look athttp://www.upholster.com/howto/ for some information

 

[Plainsman]

Re: I want to Reupholster

Well I finally got the upholstry and am having a hard time figuring out how to fold it aroung the corners. I don't like the "folded" corner look.

How do I make the corners look "smoother"?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: I want to Reupholster

You've got way too much material at the corners. Take more and smaller folds. Always a good ideal to take pictures of the old material before it was removed so you can see how it was done. It may have been sewn at the corners as well. With a thick seat, try starting in the middle of the corner. Pull the material (one or two fingers width) down and pop one staple in. Going one way or the other from the center, make a small fold (again, one or two fingers wide) and pull it tight. Repeat on the other side always working away from the center of the corner. Don't be afraid to ruin a cover. You are learning and the material will not break the bank. Before you go any farther, why not stop at the library and look at some "How To" upholstery books. A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[aerwin]

Re: I want to Reupholster

to not get the folded corners you have to sew the sides and front onto the seat piece. I did the same , I had a little knowledge of using a machine and I just took the existing seats and cut them apart and made new pieces and sewd them together. I didn't use marine grade vinyl, just the vinyl that wal-mart sells, I was on a really small budget. I looked at alot of seats and figured out how to make the seams. three passes to get a seem. it looks pretty good for the first time. I didn't have a good machine and that will make a huge difference

 

[bruceb58]

Re: I want to Reupholster

Here is a good book you can get and a good forum to get info from:

http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Up..._bbs_sr_1/002-3445691-9578406?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.get-up-and-go.com/upholstery-forum/index.php?board=1

Aerwin is correct...you have to sew panels on the side of the cushion to the top of the cushion before you can staple it to the bottom. However, you really don't want to do multiple passes to creat the seam...less needle holes=stronger seam.

Another suggestion...air stapler will work the best along with stainless steel staples.

 

[iwombat]

Re: I want to Reupholster

Cut pieces and pin 'em in place inside out leaving a little bit of slack. Remove the piece and sew up where you pinned. Turn it right side out and staple in place.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: I want to Reupholster

After seeing this I will take mine to a pro and to hell with the expense. Mechanically I will tackle anything but that looks like a nightmare if I attempted it !!!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: I want to Reupholster

After seeing this I will take mine to a pro and to hell with the expense. Mechanically I will tackle anything but that looks like a nightmare if I attempted it !!!

That was a pretty bad example of how to reupholster something. It would be the equivalent of taking a piece of fabric, cutting a hole in it and calling it a shirt.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: I want to Reupholster

After seeing this I will take mine to a pro and to hell with the expense. Mechanically I will tackle anything but that looks like a nightmare if I attempted it !!!

That was a pretty bad example of how to reupholster something. It would be the equivalent of taking a piece of fabric, cutting a hole in it and calling it a shirt.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I will try something small that does not matter if it goes wrong !! before anything on the boat. I am a good few years from re-upholstering but will bear this in mind.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: I want to Reupholster

You know what...the only way you are going to learn is to try.

I would start on a small flat piece like the picture above.

Not like working on your sterndrive where the consequences of messing up are magnitudes higher.

Good luck!

 

[iwombat]

Re: I want to Reupholster

The inside-out pinning technique is pretty foolproof for fitting vinyl to your form. It only gets hard when you want to put piping on the seams and the like. Give it a shot, you'll be surprised.

And what's wrong with my square hole-in-the-middle shirts? Huh?