In previous articles "Do-it-yourself steering wheel padding" and "Heated the steering wheel with your own hands" we have reviewed the first steps in the interior renovation. In this article « » I will continue the collection of instructions on the topic “ Tuning the salon with your own hands ".
Even if your car has an ideal appearance and good technical condition, and the inside of the car will have a shabby appearance, the overall impression will not be the most positive and your car will be perceived as second-rate, and frankly speaking, being in an elephant of such a car will not be pleasant.
Do-it-yourself seat upholstery
First, decide what fabric or leather you will use for upholstering the seats (the most common fabrics are velor, suede, eco leather or natural and alcantara) and its colors, then everyone chooses according to their financial capabilities, it will not be a secret for anyone that leather will be the most expensive and most practical material. You can also combine materials and colors (For example: black leather with a beige fabric insert in the middle). But it must be borne in mind that the process of constricting with one type of material and color is much easier.
Also consider the fact that do-it-yourself car seat hauling will take more than one day of your time.
In order to get started, you will need the following materials and tools:
- Sewing machine
- Large and sharp sewing scissors
- Gel pen, marker
- Foam rubber about 5 mm thick
- Glue aerosol in cans
- Selected fabric and thread type
In order to get to work and drag the car seat, you need to perform the following preparatory robots:
- It is necessary to remove the seat from the car, use "Manual for the repair and operation of the car"
- On each element of the old car seat cover, make notes with a marker and if the waistband will consist of several colors (types) of fabrics, you must indicate what material you will use for each element.
do-it-yourself seat hauling photo 1
- Then you need to pull off the old covers from the seats, in order to remove them, unclench the metal brackets that are in the back of the seats.
- Now you need to measure the removed covers and calculate the required amount of material for the seat upholstery. The resulting result must be increased by 30%, this eliminates the errors in the suturing of the material.
Step-by-step instruction
First, make patterns for all the elements of the new cover, for this we take the old pieces of the cover and apply them to the new fabric and circle them with a gel pen and cut them out with scissors. Important: If you are using Alcantara, carefully make sure that when combined on all elements of the pile lies in the same direction.
do-it-yourself seat hauling photo 2
Then all the elements that you cut out for the new cover must be strengthened, for this you need to cut and glue the foam rubber with glue to the back of the fabric.
do-it-yourself seat hauling photo 3
do-it-yourself seat hauling photo 4
Now you need to glue all the cuffs of the seams, and cut off the excess pieces of fabric and foam rubber, at the final stage we degrease all the cuffs and glue them together.
After the glue has completely dried, it is required to beat off all the seams; this is a very simple procedure that is performed with a regular hammer.
do-it-yourself seat hauling photo 5
When all of the above points are completed, you need to sew all the cuffs with a double finishing stitch.
do-it-yourself seat hauling photo 6
The final stage
To correctly put on covers on car seats, you must adhere to a certain sequence:
It is necessary to unscrew the covers, you need to start pulling from the back of the car seat.
The process of pulling on a new cover is quite simple, you need to fix the cover to the spokes intended for this with special clamps, then continue to gently stretch the cover along the contour of the chair.
If the seat is upholstered with genuine leather, then before you start putting on the cover, it must be well heated with a hairdryer, after which it is put on the seat. After the cover is dressed, you need to steam it with an iron through a wet cloth.
In the end, all that remains is to clean the surface of the glue stains and fingerprints and install the over-tightened seats back into the car.
A car can have an ideal condition of the body, wheelbase, have a powerful and not worn out engine, but if its interior looks "worn out", then the whole impression of the car will be ruined, and it will be perceived as second-rate. In this case, one of the best solutions would be car seat upholstery, which you can do yourself without any problems.
Let's not be cunning, the independent hauling of the car seats, although it can be done without unnecessary problems, will require maximum concentration of your attention and will take a lot of time. If funds allow you, then it is better to give this work to professionals. If you are determined to update your car seat covers yourself, then in this article you will find all the information you need.
What material to take for upholstery of car seats?
There are five of the most common seat upholstery materials in a vehicle: flock, voile, alcantara, suede and genuine leather. Usually, the color of the material is chosen based on the color of the upholstery of the car, but if you want something special, then no one forbids you to choose a different color. Also, it is worth noting that you may well not cover the seat with material of one color, but make inserts that will improve the appearance of the car's interior, although, of course, one-color seat covers are much easier to make.
During operation, not only the technical parts are worn out, but also the interior of the car itself. Most often, car owners have to deal with seat upholstery repair or replacement of covers. Let's figure out how to rehabilitate the seats with our own hands and save not only money, but also time.
If your seats are made of leather, see our material on the professional, in our other material.
When you need a car seat repair
Situations and reasons why you have to restore seats in a car can be very different - from physical wear and tear of the device to serious damage to the structure due to accidents (RTA). It should be remembered that using a vehicle, even with damaged seats, is fraught with dangerous consequences. Aged upholstery or sagging seats can cause maximum inconvenience and discomfort to both passengers and the driver himself.
In addition, the dilapidated upholstery of car seats does not look very aesthetically pleasing. With the help of modern finishing materials, it is quite simple to reconstruct the coating and return it to its former appearance.
Types of car seat defects
The most common car seat problems are:
- erasing armrests, upholstery and cushions;
- breakage of gaskets and the base of the car seat structure;
- damage to special springs;
- discoloration of the skin and its cracking due to temperature changes or ultraviolet radiation;
- mechanical flaws not related to the operation of the device - burn-through, rupture, breakage of bases or cuts due to inaccurate handling or exposure to external factors.
- deformation of the seat structure due to the activation of the car safety system as a result of an accident.
The choice of a way to solve the problems of car seats is made taking into account the type and nature of the damage. Tools and materials are also determined according to the situation.
Padding of vehicle seats
When changing the upholstery of a car, it is important to take into account the type of coating used and working tools. The complexity of the process itself and the quality of the final result depend on this. In order for the car interior to look harmonious after the seat constriction, the color scheme of the upholstery must be precisely matched to its main shade and not be out of the general picture.
Secrets! Most of the materials for the constriction, you can buy in China at the Aliexpress site! For example, artificial horse skin http://ali.pub/2jm5ix or alligator skin http://ali.pub/2jm6ii
DIY material and tools for changing seat upholstery
Car seat upholstery can be made of leather, fabric, leatherette or Alcantara. The latter is a material with a short pile, somewhat reminiscent of natural suede. It is necessary to work with Alcantara very carefully, taking into account the direction of the fabric hairs during cutting.
To replace leather coverings, artificial or synthetic leather can be a good alternative to a natural surface. It is more convenient to eliminate defects in velor upholstery or leatherette using special compounds that are available in any automotive store.
In addition to the coating material, the following tools must be available:
- a set of hand needles;
- awl;
- chalk or a bar of dry white soap;
- thick silk threads;
- glue;
- hammers;
- keys and nuts with washers;
- cold welding;
- towing belt;
- pliers;
- hacksaw;
- screwdrivers;
- machine vacuum cleaner.
Also, do not forget about the foam rubber for the lining of car seats. All this can be found on the Internet, including on your beloved Ali.
Step-by-step instructions for self-repairing car seats
- Dismantling and disassembling the seats for details. It is advisable to do this on the table, signing each removed element and fragment of the structure. The covers and the pillow should also be separated and marked for convenience in further sewing the upholstery. The case is removed by unclenching the metal clips on the back of the chair upwards.
- Ripping the seams of the seat upholstery. For quick and convenient cutting of threads, the working area should be slightly pulled, and an incision should be made along the line and stitching. If you have problem areas, you can use gasoline to soften the surface a little.
- Complete disassembly of the seat frame, upholstery, backrest and cushion designs.
- Preparing for the installation of new elements of the chair. Fresh patterns and sketches are created from the patterns of old covers, which are neatly transferred to the work surface.
- Assembling the prepared seat components. You can fasten parts with a sewing needle, glue or welding. At this stage, maximum attention is required for the correct and accurate gluing of the seams of the case and the observance of the drawn contours.
- Backrest repair. To fix the structure, a special stand is used on which all restoration work is carried out.
Do-it-yourself car seat repair is completed by connecting the pillow to the back of the chair and attaching the hinges with screws.
Secrets of replacing upholstery on car seats
- Any constriction of car seats should be accompanied by reinforcement of the upholstery material with foam rubber. This is an important nuance without which a high-quality car seat upholstery repair is impossible. A prerequisite for the pillow is the fabric base of the synthetic backing and its thickness equal to 5 mm.
- Minor scuffs, scratches or cuts are best repaired with small pieces of upholstery. The main thing is that the quality and color are in complete harmony with the main surface.
- The material is sewn along the edge of the parts, strictly following the labels. Deviation or violation of the outline of the sketch will ruin not only the material, but also the whole result of the work done.
- Glue foam rubber to upholstery fabric better with spray glue and before connecting the elements of the case. In this case, it is important to glue the foam rubber with the side opposite to its base, and in the case of Alcantara, place the flaps of the material with the pile in one direction.
- The cuffs of the back seam should be finished and smoothed. For this, a hammer is used, with which it is easy to beat off scars, and sewing needles with threads to secure the cuffs.
- It is always necessary to finish the restoration of car seats by steaming the overtightened parts and drying them with a technical hair dryer and a hot air stream. This procedure should be done carefully so as not to burn the surface.
Repair of the reclining mechanism of the car seat
The reclining mechanism is a complex technical device that is responsible for changing the position of the backrest of car seats. Elimination of a design malfunction is a rather laborious process and is carried out in the following sequence:
- removing the trim at the base of the cushion and mounting bolts;
- dismantling the back of the car seat;
- cutting off the upper link of the hinges;
- fixing the new mechanism with bolts;
- connecting the back of the chair with a pillow by means of an axis;
- fastening the hinges and back by welding.
In case of minor damage to the tilt mechanism or its jamming, it is enough to do with lubricating the device.
Car seat heating repair
This type of design assumes the presence of a security system (air cushion) and connection to the on-board computer. As a result, it is more reliable to carry out repairs, check the electronics of a machine or set up a computer in a service, service station. Self-adjusting the operation of the device without the necessary qualifications is fraught with errors in the electronic system of the car and the functional failure of the machine.
Seat cushion repair
Basic lining material for car seats- it is foam rubber on a fabric basis. In rare cases, it can be replaced with thick cotton wool. The upholstery is attached to the base or frame of the seat structure and upholstered in leather, suede or some other type of upholstery. Self-repair of the lining is carried out according to the same principle as the restoration of the face case.
Note! Before using the finishing agent, it is necessary to first test it on an internal or inconspicuous area of the sheathing in order to see the possible reaction of the materials to the effect of the substance. This is especially true if polish with fillers or spray paints are used in the repair.
To achieve a stronger adhesion of the upholstery with the lining and a better fit of the cover on the frame, you should thoroughly clean all elements of the seat structure from old materials and their remnants, degrease and dry the treated surfaces.
Repair of a sitting chair. Video:
Car seat lumbar support
The lumbar support allows the driver or passenger to maintain correct posture by evenly distributing body weight and providing a comfortable seated feeling. In the absence of a special mesh device, a homemade plate made of flexible material can be used as a support. Fastening is done by cold welding, a long bolt and glue.
Features of repairing a leather car seat
To restore the leather cover, it is allowed to use leatherette or special mixtures, for example, liquid leather. Self-repair of leather chairs begins with degreasing and sanding uneven surfaces with sandpaper. After that, a plastic mesh and the product itself are applied to the damaged area, which, after drying, perfectly emulates a leather texture.
author
Professional auto mechanic with over 7 years of experience at one of the largest auto mechanics in Moscow. I am well versed in cars such as Vaz, Kia, Peugeot, Bmw, Audi, Mercedes and many others. If you want to get a professional answer, leave your feedback in the comments to this material.
A clean and well-groomed car interior is, one might say, the "face" of its owner. Tell me, who is unpleasant to sit in a rather neat interior of a car, on clean and beautiful seats?
And in order to tune not the first "freshness" of the interior, you will need to do the hauling of the seats of your car. The renovation of the seat cover can naturally be entrusted to the professionals in their field. But if, however, you risk doing it yourself, you will even save money. For this business, you will need a sewing machine, since the work will be based on it, and the ability to cut blanks for directly sewing "clothes" for your car. Remember that the process of sewing car seat covers will not be easy, as it is quite time consuming.
Materialfor upholstering car seats
First of all, you will need to decide on the choice of material from which the covers will be sewn. It can be leather, velor, suede, etc. The color of the material is recommended to be matched to the upholstery of the car interior. But, if you want something different, then you can choose a color scheme to your taste. It will be much easier to sheathe the seats of your car's interior with material of the same color. But, the combination of several shades at once will definitely make your salon more fashionable and exclusive. Everyone knows that leather interior gives the most solidity to any car. Although it is expensive for its price, it will serve you for a long time and with quality. True, there is one, one might say, drawback. In hot weather, the skin heats up from the high temperature and sunlight, so it can create some discomfort when you are directly in the cabin. A universal option has always been and is the option of upholstery in velor, or Alcantara. These materials have been popular with many car owners for a long time. Both velor and alcantara are good in their performance properties and, in addition, they are quite economical in price.
Processcar dealership banners independently
So, tune in to the process, as it will be difficult and time consuming. In this case, the main thing is not to rush and follow the instructions exactly step by step.
First you need to do some preparatory work. We start by removing the seats. They are known to be fastened with four bolts. Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and disconnect the electrical wiring terminals, if they are in your car, that is, it can be heated seats. Sign all parts of the old cover, you can also indicate the type of material that will be used in this place. Next, you will need to remove the standard seat covers. In order to do this neatly and without problems, simply bend the metal clips on the back of the seat. Cut the old cover exactly at the seams, as they will serve as a sketch for you directly for the patterns of new seat covers. When you outline the patterns on the new material according to the old covers, be sure to step back another 5-7 mm before you start cutting them.
Processmaking new covers
In order to start making covers, you will need some tools: a marker, scissors, a sewing machine, glue in a spray can, a hammer and foam rubber, which is approximately 2-3 cm thick.
So we begin our creative process. First of all, you need to attach the old covers to the canvas from which new covers will be sewn, securing it with weights. This is necessary so that nothing moves from the originally specified place. With a marker, carefully circle the old cover with a thin line and then cut out a new cover, departing from the line by 2-3 cm.If the material from which you will sew the covers for the chairs is ancaltar, then be careful that the pile goes into the same side on all the patterns you create.
To improve the quality of leather covers, or ancaltara, you will need to glue foam rubber to the material. This is done with glue, which must be applied not with a brush, but with a spray can.
The next thing you will need to do is sew all the patterns you created for the new covers. This should be done slowly, on a sewing machine.
After you have sewn all these patches, you need to glue the cuffs of the seams. First, cut off all excess pieces of foam rubber and material, and then, after degreasing and cleaning the lapels of the seams, glue them together. Further, as the glue dries, you will need to beat them off with a hammer. It is recommended to sew the cuffs with a double stitch, and it is not necessary to trim the loose edges that go beyond the edges of the stitching.
Howput the cover on the chair correctly
Before you install a new cover on your car seat, you need to make the straps. To do this, the covers must be turned inside out and pulled over the seat backs. Next, you need to pull the cover directly onto the "seat" itself. This is easy to do. Pull the cover itself to the base of the chair with plastic clamps threaded through special holes and securely fasten it to the spoke. In order for the edges to evenly "sit" along the contour of the seat, they just need to be well pulled.
As for covering the seats with leather, at the end of the process, you need to walk through it with a jet of hot air. Use a hair dryer for this step. It's important not to overheat and ultimately burn your skin, so be careful not to overdo it. Once leather
the cover will dry out, it will immediately stretch like a drum. After that, you need to treat each already upholstered seat with a steam iron and a damp piece of cloth. If you follow these recommendations, then the leather case will get a fairly smooth look and stretch well.
And the last step in the seat constriction will be cleaning the Alcantara or light-colored leather from the remnants of glue, fingerprints.
The car seats you tightened will serve you for a long time, and most importantly, please you. During the hauling process, it will also be possible to make changes to the design of car seats, and at the same time update the upholstery of the panels, doors and ceiling of your car. Car tuning done by your own hands at home will transform your interior and the car as a whole beyond recognition.
The leather interior in the car always looks dignified and luxurious. And if the upholstery is still made in combination (leather with Alcantara), then this is the highest level of style. Nowadays, you can do it yourself in the garage to drag the seats with leather. In online stores, there are enough offers of artificial and natural leather, Alcantara for pulling the interior of cars. In this article, we will tell you how to do it yourself and how easy it is to do it yourself.
The choice of material for the waist of the car interior
Car interiors are usually trimmed with leather, suede and Alcantara. Each of these materials has a different structure, different properties and colors. The following table lists the main materials and their properties.
Properties of materials for an upholstery
Preparing the car interior for skin tightening
Any hauling of the interior with leather or Alcantara is preceded by the preparation of the car. Any cutter knows that the creation of a dress or upholstery of furniture, seats begins with cutting the material, and this requires patterns. They can be taken from the factory seat upholstery - covers. If you're sure you won't go back to factory seat covers anymore, then they will make great patterns.
First, the seats are removed and taken out of the car. then each part of the factory cover is signed with a marker with the name and color of the material with which we want to replace it. After that, the cover is carefully removed from each seat, first you should find all its attachments on the seat. The removed covers should be unscrewed to obtain patterns. Having received the templates, you can start cutting the material purchased in advance (leather, vinyl, alcantara).
The process of restraining car seats
Before putting on a new leather and alquantara cover, it must be reinforced with a password so that it is constantly taut and elastic. To do this, use foam rubber on a fabric base with a thickness of no more than 5 mm. Each part of the cover should be glued onto the piece of foam rubber cut out according to the pattern, and the leather is glued not to the fabric base, but to the foam rubber itself. For gluing, use aerosol glue in cans, for example, Mah brand. After that, the glued parts will need to be sewn together into covers.
To make the leather case look elegant, it is necessary to flatten its seams inside between the leather base and the foam rubber. To do this, take an ordinary hammer, and flatten the seams with it, striking blows from the inside.
Now comes the hardest job - pulling the leather seat covers. It is very important that the cover fits snugly, without folds or air pockets. You should start putting on the cover from the back of the seat. The cover must be carefully pulled over the seat base centimeter by centimeter. Do the same with the seat cushion. Then carefully fix the ends of the cover with fasteners.
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