Car dashboard plastic repair

How to reupholster a car interior with your own hands

Almost every car owner, while operating his car, sooner or later is faced with the need to partially or completely replace its interior covering. There can be many reasons for this - from normal wear and tear of the material to a simple desire to change the interior of the vehicle.

However, given the high cost of such pleasure, car enthusiasts are increasingly thinking about reupholstering the interior themselves. And for good reason.

Hand-made car finishing allows you to significantly save on work and also opens up unlimited space for self-expression with color and texture. But before enthusiastically proceeding directly to reupholstery, it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparatory measures, approaching the issue with maximum responsibility.

Therefore, it is worth assessing your real capabilities in advance, creating a clear action plan and preparing the necessary material base.

When is a torpedo reupholstered necessary?

We are often contacted by clients who are preparing a car for sale and want to improve its appearance as much as possible so as not to lose value. Drivers who are dissatisfied with the appearance of the front panel constantly work with the tuning studio: the coating has worn out, cracks and abrasions have appeared on it. Replacement is also important when there are stains on the dashboard that can no longer be removed, for example, from oilseed materials or coffee. Regular customers who literally “live” by tuning their car, in particular the interior, therefore want to update the interior down to the smallest detail. Re-upholstering of the dashboard is indispensable when old cars are being restored in order to give them a new lease of life.

Immediately after replacing the coating in the cabin, not only the appearance, but also the microclimate improves.

You are just one phone call or online order away from a new torpedo without having to purchase a new car. Choose a convenient date, come to Grand Design and they will provide you with modern tuning. Many clients, coming to reupholster one part of the interior, are so satisfied with the service and price that they order work with other elements or a “full” set of services.

Interior tuning equipment

It is worth recalling that special upholstery is used for car interiors, which in its technical characteristics is fundamentally different from any other, for example, furniture. Therefore, you need to buy material for the interior of your car exclusively in specialized auto stores in accordance with its main criteria - aesthetics, convenience, practicality and functionality.

The modern car market offers a huge range of colors and types of finishing materials. This significantly expands the interior capabilities of the car, giving way to variability. Therefore, it is not at all necessary to tune the interior in a single color. On the contrary, different combinations of textures and shades will look more interesting and stylish.

The main thing is that all materials are harmoniously combined and complement each other. A short video on how to reupholster a car with Alcantara with your own hands.

The most famous and in demand among car mechanics today are:

Alcantara or faux suede . Composite material. Properties - softness, comfort, wear resistance, reliability, resistance to external influences, ergonomics. Combination: artificial leather, vinyl, eco-leather. Application: seat center, ceiling, pillar, rear shelves.
Almara or artificial Alcantara . Qualities - softness, velvety. Combination: eco-leather, vinyl, genuine leather. Uses: pillars, door cards, ceiling.
Genuine Leather . Eternal classic! Properties - strength, durability, aesthetics, resistance to mechanical loads and temperature changes. It is compatible with all types of coatings and can be applied to all elements of the car showroom.
Automotive leather . Combination - perforated leather, Alcantara, leatherette. Use - dashboards, handles, steering wheel, gearbox, handbrake, door cards, headrests, armrests, seats.
Leatherette or vinyl . Properties - budget cost, strength, waterproofness, wear resistance. Combination: Alcantara, genuine leather, auto fabrics. Application: side surfaces of seats, armrests, doors, dashboards, car covers.
Eco leather . New generation material. Properties: resistance to bending, various loads and temperatures, hypoallergenic, airtight, wear-resistant. Absolute combination with all types of coatings.
Automotive fabric . Properties - functionality, wear resistance, fire resistance, ease of processing complex reliefs. Types - retro fabrics, tapestries, pile, jacquard, ceiling fabrics, etc. Applications - ceiling, seats, doors, racks, trunk, shelves.

However, when decorating yourself, it is best to use Alcantara as a convenient and inexpensive material.

In addition to upholstery material, for upholstery of the interior you will definitely need:

keys;
screwdriver;
glue;
knife or scissors for linoleum;
special elastic threads;
sewing machine - industrial or regular;
construction hairdryer

Now that the entire tool base has been assembled, you can safely begin tuning the car dealership.

Constriction technology

From this video, you will learn how to reupholster a car interior with leather with your own hands. Enjoy watching!

Whatever the interior decoration, complete or partial, it is simply impossible to do without dismantling the required elements. In addition, the amount of work will depend entirely on the financial capabilities of the car owner, the degree of need for tuning and the expected results.

The most common segments for upholstery are seats, door frames (cards), door inserts, ceiling, steering wheel, gear knob. Despite the difference in the dimensions of the parts and their functional purpose, the reupholstering technique is the same for all automotive elements and consists of a certain system of actions.

Dismantling a part that requires reupholstery.
Cleaning the element from old casing and any dirt, dust, or rust present on it.
Creating a segment pattern in strict accordance with its contour, while maintaining a 10-centimeter margin of edges for further gluing.
Sanding the surface of the part, followed by degreasing it with a special agent, gasoline or gasoline mixture.
Coating the element with glue at the point of contact with the finishing material.
Carefully gluing the material to the surface of the automobile segment using a hair dryer. In this case, special attention is paid to the bends of the part.
Securing the edges by pulling tightly and gluing along the perimeter of the element.

For greater effectiveness, the joints of materials or the edges of the upholstery can be finished with hand stitching using a “Cross” or “Pigtail” seam.

Do-it-yourself subwoofer for the car. A unique article on our website will tell you how to do everything right. Alcantara autopilot covers. Here is all the information about them!

In this article, you will find a picture of a road crossing sign.

Do-it-yourself car interior reupholstery

Over the years, every motorist has a need to update their car interior. After all, reupholstering the interior is not only a beautiful look, but above all it is comfort. And comfort for the driver is the most important thing, especially for those who spend a lot of time on the road. Therefore, if you decide to reupholster the interior of your car, then you need to take this matter responsibly. Since there are quite a lot of finishing materials available at the moment, you can create your own unique style. Of course, most people prefer leather, but you can find cheaper analogues. In any case, your interior will take on a fresh, aesthetic look and your passengers will be reluctant to leave your car.

In order to update the interior of your car, you don’t have to go to an expensive car service center and shell out a lot of money. You can purchase materials for upholstery of the interior in auto stores or auto markets, which will significantly save you money. And you can do this work yourself. To do this, consider the stages of work that are provided below. All work should be done correctly and efficiently so that reupholstering the car interior with your own hands is pleasing to the eye and lasts for decades.

What materials do we use?

For owners of premium cars, it is extremely important that everything matches the high status. As a rule, they rely on upholstery with genuine Italian leather. The following materials are also available in our catalog:

Alcantara;
artificial leather (eco leather).

Particularly in demand is the upholstery of the dashboard with Alcantara, a material that is resistant to various factors and has a fairly long service life at an affordable price. In appearance it resembles cut velvet and plush, but with a rougher texture, and very pleasant to the touch, like thick suede.

The materials used to replace the previous coating are resistant to various aggressive factors. Among them:

direct sunlight;
low or high temperature in the cabin;
high humidity.

Customers have a choice of different color shades: you can focus on traditional ones: black, brown, or rely on bold solutions, for example, white, red. Modern and high-quality materials do not leave fingerprints and are scratch-resistant.

The quality of genuine Italian leather, faux leather, Alcantara is not lost over the years and even with regular dry cleaning of the interior.

We reupholster the car interior with leather ourselves

Sooner or later, the car owner begins to wonder: shouldn’t the interior of his “iron horse” be reupholstered with leather? The reason for these thoughts can be anything. For example, the car is already old and the standard interior covering has become unusable. Or the car got into an accident and the airbags deployed, destroying half of the dashboard. The reason is not so important, the answer to the question is important: is it possible to reupholster the interior yourself? Can! Let's try to figure out how to make a tight fit correctly.

Selection of cladding material

When choosing genuine leather for interior trim, you should remember several important nuances. First of all, this material varies not only in quality, but also in physical properties.

Genuine leather: characteristics

On the surface of real, untreated genuine leather there are a lot of different defects: cuts, scratches, pockmarks. This leather is only lightly sanded and impregnated with acrylic emulsion. Due to impregnation, the material becomes more durable, but practically stops breathing.

There is a second option: leather without impregnation, with a completely preserved “natural pattern” (called mereya). This material is not very durable. But it is very convenient and incredibly expensive. The explanation for the high price is simple: only the highest quality skins that have passed the strictest selection are used to produce such leather. The material is not embossed or impregnated. And the resulting leather is only slightly colored with aniline dye.

The relationship between the durability of leather and the degree of its processing can be seen in the graph.

The graph shows how stain resistance varies depending on the type of leather treatment

On the top line is leather without aniline impregnation (aniline unprotected). And at the very bottom there is the so-called split leather (also known as split), which can hardly be called leather. But it is very durable. Today, the above options are used less and less for interior decoration.

Aniline and acrylic have been replaced by polyurethane impregnation, which makes automotive leather durable, resistant to temperature changes and mechanical damage.

Eco leather: reviews

Eco-leather is an artificial material created specifically for finishing car interiors. It appeared recently, but has already gained popularity among car enthusiasts. The reason is simple: in all respects, eco-leather is comparable to natural leather. And some characteristics of this material are even better than those of traditional leather (in particular, resistance to mechanical damage and temperature changes). It is for this reason that high-quality eco-leather, as a rule, costs more than natural leather.

The conclusion from all of the above is simple: the choice of material for upholstering the interior depends primarily on the financial capabilities of the car owner. If he needs an excellent result, it makes sense to spend once on eco-leather and forget about problems with the interior for many years. In cases where you do not plan to invest a lot of money in tuning the car, it is reasonable to upholster the interior with leatherette. Well, if a person is a supporter of everything natural, then you can “tighten up” with ordinary skin.

Choosing material for upholstery in a car + examples in the photo

Currently, there are several materials that car enthusiasts use to reupholster the interiors of their cars. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. Let's list the most popular ones.

Autocarpet.
Leatherette.
Vinyl film.
Alcantara.
A natural skin.

Now in more detail about each of these materials.

Autocarpet is the most affordable coating. On the one hand, it is a synthetic material. If you pull it too hard during installation, scratches will appear on its surface very quickly, which will be almost impossible to hide. On the other hand, autocarpet is an excellent heat insulator. In addition, it perfectly absorbs noise. It is for this reason that many owners of domestic cars choose it. It should be noted here that the autocarpet practically does not fade, does not fade, and it is easy to install.

Autocarpet for interior reupholstery

Leatherette is the second most popular material for finishing interior parts. It is cheaper than natural fabric, but more expensive than vinyl and velor. Only genuine leather and Alcantara are more expensive than leatherette. If the leatherette is of high quality, then in appearance it is almost no different from genuine leather. But its mechanical properties leave much to be desired. In addition, it does not absorb sound well and does not retain heat in the cabin well.

Leatherette for dashboards

Vinyl film is still considered exotic among domestic car enthusiasts. The person who installs it already has good heat and sound insulation. Interior vinyl is much softer than exterior vinyl. And therefore, it is easier to work with him.

This is interesting: A unique 900-horsepower hypercar from Italy will be shown in Shanghai

Vinyl film for car showrooms

Genuine leather is a very expensive material; the price per square meter starts from 2000 rubles. There is a reason for such a high price: leather lasts a very long time and absorbs both noise and heat well.

Genuine leather for dashboard upholstery

And finally, Alcantara (aka “artificial suede”). This synthetic material began to be used in car finishing relatively recently, but it already has its own circle of loyal fans. Yes, Alcantara is synthetic. However, it is very soft and durable. Resistant to mechanical damage. Doesn't shine or burn. Alcantara is softer than leather, so this material can be used to trim dashboards of even very complex shapes. Due to such a number of advantages, Alcantara is practically not inferior in cost to natural leather (and in some cases even exceeds it).

Alcantara, or artificial suede

The general conclusion is simple: when looking for material for finishing a dashboard, a car enthusiast should first of all focus on his financial capabilities. And ordinary common sense will not hurt the driver. It is unlikely that anyone will want to decorate the interior of an old domestic car with expensive Alcantara. And no one will tighten the dashboard of the newest Mercedes with a cheap autocarpet either.

Car interior reupholstery process

Before moving on to actually replacing the existing coating, you should select everything you need for the job. Here it should be said that the amount of leather for covering the interior can vary from 8 to 15 square meters. Exactly how much material is required depends on the specific car model. The same rule applies to materials used for sound insulation (in our example it will be foam rubber).

Tools and Supplies

To carry out the work you will need:

leather;
foam;
stapler;
hacksaw;
drill with a set of drills;
knife;
threads;
universal glue;
sewing machine;
Phillips screwdriver;
flat blade screwdriver;
marker;
pattern paper;
sandpaper;
plywood;
construction hair dryer;
masking tape.

Tools and materials

To reupholster dashboards or car panels yourself, you will need to prepare the appropriate set of tools and materials.

The standard set consists of:

The sequence of actions when reupholstering the interior with your own hands

Before proceeding, it should be noted that the process in question consists of three stages. This is the pulling of the doors, seats and ceiling of a passenger car.

Covering doors: instructions and photos

Do the work in this order:

Using a damp cloth, the door trim is cleaned of dust and dirt. Then it is removed using a Phillips screwdriver.

The car door panel is cleaned of dust and dirt
The removed casing is covered with masking tape, all protruding parts (except the handle) are outlined with a black marker.

To make a pattern, the door panel is covered with masking tape.
Next, the tape is carefully peeled off. Holes are cut in it in accordance with the previously drawn lines. It turns out to be a kind of stencil or pattern.

A stencil made from masking tape removed from the door panel will help in the work
This stencil is placed on a sheet of plywood and outlined with the same black marker.

A stencil on a sheet of plywood is outlined with a black marker.
The resulting shape is cut out with a regular hacksaw, the edges of the plywood are carefully aligned and sanded with coarse sandpaper.

A hacksaw is used to cut out the shape of a plywood door panel along the lines.
Using a drill, holes are made in the plywood mold for the window handles.

Holes for the window lifter handle are drilled in the plywood mold.
Now a layer of foam rubber is applied to the sheet of plywood, followed by leather (the leather must be cut so that there is a margin of at least 2 centimeters along the edge).

A layer of foam rubber and leather is laid on the plywood panel
The above supply of leather is wrapped and stapled on the back of the plywood form.

Excess skin is tucked in and secured with a stapler from the inside.
Then holes for the door handle and for the window lifter handle are carefully cut in the leather with a knife.
The resulting leather cover is carefully removed from the plywood blank.

Leather cover removed from a piece of plywood
The cover is stretched over the previously removed door trim, the edges of the cover are stitched manually from the reverse side.
Similar actions are performed with other door panels of the car.

How to cover the interior ceiling panel

Covering a car ceiling is a little more difficult. However, if you do everything carefully, the result will please you. To do this, simply follow the algorithm below:

The ceiling panel is unscrewed using a Phillips screwdriver and removed. The standard coating is cut off with a knife, then the panel is cleaned of dirt and glue residues.

The standard covering is cut off from the ceiling panel and accumulated dirt is removed from it.
After initial cleaning, the ceiling panel is sanded with fine sandpaper.

The ceiling panel of the machine is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper
The panel is applied to the skin and outlined with a marker. A piece of the required size is cut out of the leather (when cutting out a piece, you must leave a margin of at least 2 centimeters of material on each side).
Universal glue is applied to the middle of the sanded panel. Then skin is applied to it and fixed.
Now a strip of universal glue is applied to the edges of the ceiling panel (along the entire perimeter).

The adhesive is applied in an even layer around the entire perimeter of the car's ceiling panel.
The skin is carefully straightened from the center to the edges and glued to them (to do this, you just need to press it down firmly).

The leather is glued first in the center, and then fixed along the edges of the panel
The remaining supply of leather is tucked over the edge of the panel and glued to the back side. Using a knife, holes are cut in the leather for the mounting bolts.
The leather-covered panel is mounted in its original place.

The ceiling panel is installed in its original place

Car seat reupholstery technology

More experienced craftsmen will be able to remake seat covers. If this is your first time starting this type of work, scrupulously follow the sequence of actions below:

The seat is unscrewed and removed from the car interior.

The seat can be unscrewed and removed from the car interior
The old cover is carefully cut off from it. Moreover, the cover must be cut strictly along the seams (it is best to do this with a thin stationery knife).

The seat cover is carefully removed and cut at the seams
The resulting fragments of the old case will serve as a pattern. They are applied to the skin and outlined with a marker. Then fragments of a new cover are cut out of the leather (each fragment is cut with a mandatory margin of 2 centimeters around the entire perimeter - this is necessary for stitching the sections together).

Cutting new leather cover elements
The resulting pieces of leather are glued onto foam rubber. After the glue has dried, the foam rubber along the edges of the leather is cut off. Now the elements of the leather case have a foam lining.

Fragments of leather for the case are glued onto foam rubber
Pieces of leather with lining are sewn together using a sewing machine.

The elements of the cover and lining are sewn together on a machine with a thick needle
The resulting cover is placed on the seat, the resulting folds of the skin are slightly heated with a hair dryer and smoothed out manually.

The folds on the leather case are heated with a hairdryer and smoothed out manually
The reupholstered seat is installed back into the cabin.

The leather-covered seat is installed in the car's interior in its original place.

Video: reupholstering the seat with leather

Main stages of the process

If you decide that you need this element reupholstered, you should come to Grand Design or take a photo of the part and send it to us. Our specialists will analyze the condition in detail and calculate the required amount of material.

Process technologies

To begin with, specialists dismantle the front panel, remove it from the car interior and install it on their work surface. The following steps follow:

Removing old coating and sanding until smooth and clean.
Degreasing the working surface.
Formation of patterns. Please note that in our tuning studio, each time the patterns are made anew, taking into account the dimensions of the dashboard of a certain car brand.
Preparation of the adhesive layer, as a rule, is non-woven material. Leather and leatherette lie flat on it and smooth out quickly enough.
The prepared elements from the base material are applied to the surface, and if everything is accurate, then they are sewn into a single case.
Excess material is carefully trimmed from the reverse side.
Final measurement and, if everything matches in size, then the cover is glued.
Apply glue evenly to the dashboard and fix the cover from the top.
Waiting for the glue to dry completely. We use high-quality substances that polymerize in 1–2 days.
The finished instrument panel is installed and the order is given to the client.

We take a professional approach to solving the problem, so we carefully dismantle the instrument panel and maintain the safety and integrity of the electrical and control components.

All clients who contacted us for our service note the high quality - not a single seam is visually visible and the entire upholstery looks intact.

The technology is identical both in the case of reupholstering a car dashboard with leather and other materials.

The cost of reupholstering the interior in a tuning studio

It is very difficult to say how much it will cost to reupholster the interior, since the cost is influenced by several factors at once.

car category;
material price;
number of elements to be dragged.

The last point has a particularly strong impact on the cost of work, since not all car owners try to completely renovate the interior. Some limit themselves to just seats. Others reupholster the seats and ceiling, etc. The estimated cost of reupholstering individual elements is given below.

Do-it-yourself car interior reupholstery, instructions.

Over time, the upholstery of any car loses its attractiveness: scuffs and stains appear, and its color fades. There is only one way to solve this problem - reupholstering the car interior. The latter can be done in special automobile workshops, but it is much cheaper and more interesting to reupholster the car interior with your own hands. How? This article will tell you.