Recovering seats and interiors

[Yorkie]

After struggling for over a year in finding a whole interior that I like, Sam has suggested recovering the seats ourselves. ... IT sounds easy enough ... has anyone actually recovered their own seats and door cards? Any tips? ... Cheers.

[7ova]

What or which nova seats are you looking for?

[7ova]

Seen some mk2 SRI SR red seats on gumtree £50

[Yorkie]

Whole interior in white with blue trimmings or dark grey.... problem is.... I'm very picky so would like to do my own.

[dgbnova#1]

It's harder than you think even repairs are tricky id say best left to professionals IMO
is it sr type seats ure after or just standard ones re covered so no bolsters

[karisma]

It is not easy and this is coming from myself as a self taught automotive trimmer.

To do the job properly the very basic tools you'll need are a walking foot sewing machine and hog ring pliers, that's forgetting about using the correct thread and ordering the right foam to back all of your material. If anyone tells you old singers are strong and best for the job then they don't know what they're talking about.

I dont yet have a walking foot machine but I had a go at trimming up a rear bench for a mate anyway to see if its possible and this is the result. At a distance it looks great but the quality just isn't high enough to warrant offering it to my customers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/07689C5E-5C8F-4C55-8D41-FA6D1D6FAC2D.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/07689C5E-5C8F-4C55-8D41-FA6D1D6FAC2D.jpg.html)

By all means if you really want to have a go then go for it but there's a reason why it's so expensive to have done professionally. There really is so substutute for quality on car interiors.

Here is more photos of my work.

Nova doorcards in vinyl and alcantara
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/417EBC65-3171-450A-B7A6-2632B36899B5-2658-000001DE69E1F8E7.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/417EBC65-3171-450A-B7A6-2632B36899B5-2658-000001DE69E1F8E7.jpg.html)

Bmw e39 knob
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/FF18E471-7085-4DD3-AB8A-187FBEAF01FD.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/FF18E471-7085-4DD3-AB8A-187FBEAF01FD.jpg.html)

Audi a3 doorcards
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/null-49.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/null-49.jpg.html)

Corsa d gaiter and hand stitched knob
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/null-1.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/null-1.jpg.html)

[Benn]

Oh! You're the guy on Corsasport that does the trimming?! If i had known i'd have been talking to you here!
Love your work.

[Yorkie]

Wow that's amazing!!!!!! To me that looks good! .... The plan so far it take the material of my chairs and lay out the cuts and cut the new material into the same shape.... so the pattern will be the same just want to change the type of material and colour.

So if im only changing the material will need the foam too poof it out?

Also.... and this is going to sound really stupid but are they sewn to the actual seats or do you just pull them on? Like how is the material attached to the seats?

With door cards is it glued?

[karisma]

Lol yeah that's me benn. Thought you knew. Hopefully 2014 will bring full interiors

[karisma]

Oh Yorkie your asking questions that have taken me 4 years to find the answers to and perfect.

All seat retrims require a thin layer of foam behind every piece before you stitch the cover together. And the covers are held on differently dependant on age. Generally they use hog rings but newer cars use J clips and some newer cars are even using Velcro.

Covered are sewn you and fitted to the seat and secured at the oem points.

Doorcards vary. Sometimes you glue it all. Sometimes you only glue certain areas and stretch the material on.

Hope that helps

[Yorkie]

It does thank you :) .... please be prepared to recieve many messages for help when I attemp this :)

[Benn]

Lol yeah that's me benn. Thought you knew. Hopefully 2014 will bring full interiors

No i didn't click. Hhmmm there are a few things i'd like doing, i might have to fire you a pm over asking for special prices. ;)

[Yorkie]

If there are special prices ..... might save myself the stress lol

[karisma]

Mine is after.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/E93924B9-085A-4D1E-B347-E0C26B8F8A7A.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/E93924B9-085A-4D1E-B347-E0C26B8F8A7A.jpg.html)

[dgbnova#1]

That's a snazzy willy warmer you done there mate :O

Nice work look the part all of them items to me

[mowgli]

mrs mazz has retrimmed her own seats. she is a trained saddle maker iirc

[karisma]

That's a snazzy willy warmer you done there mate :O

Nice work look the part all of them items to me

Lol cheers. It's actually the key hole on a Citroen c2 steering column surround.

[dan23]

Ever thought of the white leather calibra seats they fit without to much fuss

[meritlover]

Mine is after.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/E93924B9-085A-4D1E-B347-E0C26B8F8A7A.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/E93924B9-085A-4D1E-B347-E0C26B8F8A7A.jpg.html)

your 'before' looks like my 'after'

[brainsnova]

Ever thought of the white leather calibra seats they fit without to much fuss

They were cream and calibra seats are to big looking in a small interior

[karisma]

That before is actually what a trimmer charged my friend real money for. He came straight to me and asked me to redo it.

[meritlover]

i would get him to redo it purely because it looks like an anoos.

[dgbnova#1]

That before is actually what a trimmer charged my friend real money for. He came straight to me and asked me to redo it.
Does that meen you take payment in Monopoly money then ?

[karisma]

Lol. Nah it's just we couldn't believe he thought it was ok to give it back like that. Only the best will do

[burgo]

Hmm who is it that has repaired two drivers bolsters by removing the passenger panel and made to gte solid rear benchs?

[dgbnova#1]

Don't know about rear bench but I've done the arm swop with success a few times now

[mikey093]

Now this is something i want my woman to attempt for me. My seats cant get any more dogger than they are

[karisma]

T4 seat base sewn up and cover loosely fitted.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/23AA7CD5-1EE2-4145-AA97-78EA7D22DA61.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/23AA7CD5-1EE2-4145-AA97-78EA7D22DA61.jpg.html)

[karisma]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vinny6/281620D3-FEBC-4784-BE35-2DB964920057.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/vinny6/media/281620D3-FEBC-4784-BE35-2DB964920057.jpg.html)

[Benn]

Looks very nice. Hope your still saving....lol