Upholstery question

[daviscfad]

I have re sewn a bench seat for my liberator and i am trying to figure out something b/c i am no upholsterer..
Click here for a link to a bench seat like i am talking about... See the arms of the bench seat... I need to stretch my material around that but it wants to bind up and not lay down any suggestions? i tried clipping the back of the fabric but it still isnt laying down right.. Its almost like it needs more foam.. I used the exact same pattern that came off of there and remade the seat out of pvc sheets exactly like the plywood one that was in there.. Thanks for the replies

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

If you need a picture and dont understand let me know i will post some

 

[jdp8488]

Re: Upholstery question

im an upholster. it shouldnt need any more padding. we steam the vinyl to get more stretch out of it. you just have to really work it. if you cant steam it set it in the hot sun for a while to soften up the vinyl or use a heat gun, just be careful not to melt the vinyl if u use heat gun. i hate those kind of seats because its hard to get it perfect.

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

jdp8488

Thanks a lot for the response.. My mind was boggling about it... I have another quick question for you i have pleats and the dont seem to perk out like they should.. any suggestions.. I will post a picture

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

 

[jdp8488]

Re: Upholstery question

pics didnt upload right

 

[92Nitro]

Re: Upholstery question

im an upholster. it shouldnt need any more padding. we steam the vinyl to get more stretch out of it. you just have to really work it. if you cant steam it set it in the hot sun for a while to soften up the vinyl or use a heat gun, just be careful not to melt the vinyl if u use heat gun. i hate those kind of seats because its hard to get it perfect.

jdp8488 hit it on the head. I am also in the upholstery business and the only thing I might ad is that when you are instaling the cover you might try to pinch the seam and roll both pieces of material either up or down for the entire length of the seam. This is the material inside the cover. Heat is the key though, If you use a heat gun be sure to keep it away from any contact cement (glue) you might have used to install the foam or you will watch your project go up in a big ball of flames. As far as your pleats I dont have enough information to help you on that one pics would help. Good luck.

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

gotcha covered with the pic

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Upholstery question

What did you use for filling in the pleat?I normaly use 1/4 foam pad.I like to use scrim backe but you can put scrap fabric in behind the foam to help puff the outer.

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

i have 1/4 in foam back there
I also use a cloth backer but it is not sewed except on the outter edges. meaning where the green cording is

 

[jdp8488]

Re: Upholstery question

dont know what to tell you. if you sewed the pleats into the sew foam you should be good. looks like you did pretty good work though. we use headliner material for sew foam and use it on all inserts. sometimes u have to use 1/2 inch foam to get the pleats to pop out more. so if you didnt sew the whole insert on a piece of foam including all your pleats that may be it? im an apprentice and dont really sew much so i can only give you so much info. hope it helps.

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

yeah everything is great Thanks a lot for the info

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

Well this is how the top looks not to bad i dont guess for someone who has never done it

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Upholstery question

I think that came out real nice, especially for a first attempt, nice straight lines. I bet the few wrinkles smooth out after the sun bakes it a bit. Good job

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

I think that came out real nice, especially for a first attempt, nice straight lines. I bet the few wrinkles smooth out after the sun bakes it a bit. Good job

Thanks a lot fishrdan! Yea I think my foam since it is 20 years old is a little shot in some places.. It was a pain though trying to get it and i hate not having it perfect but it will never be that. I will keep an update as I get the seat sewed and the sun platform

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Upholstery question

Yeah, the 20 YO seat bottom foam might be shot, give it the ol' sit down and bounce test to see if it bottoms out. I recently had to replace the foam in the cushions on our living room furniture since it didn't have any support left. All of the fabric was in excellent condition so I replaced all the foam, just like new furniture now.

In my old SeaSwirl I put high density foam on the seat bottoms and topped it with a layer of softer foam. You could flop down on the seats and not break your butt

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

where is a good place to pic up some 2 in foam sheets?

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Upholstery question

See if you have a upholstery or foam supply shop in your town (a business that supplies upholstery shops), they will be cheaper than a straight upholstery shop. Either should be able to sell what you need though.

The place I've bought foam has 2 different grades (expensive or cheap) and about 10 different densities (soft to very stiff) in each grade.

I would avoid craft stores (Joanne's, Michaels) as they only have a one density of foam and it's very expensive... Or so I have been told by the wife

 

[daviscfad]

Re: Upholstery question

ok i will check around thanks... i really like the dry fast foam
http://www.thefoamfactory.com/outdoorfoam/outdoorfoam.html