Quality imitation leather for upholstery.

Heres some shots of my 32 interior. The outside edges are ultraleather and pockets are ultrasuede. I love the feel and they aren't hot or cold.
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Like I told the kid, "Your music's not too loud, its just like OKC, it sucks!"

 

The Miami Rubber Corporation I mentioned before is one of the largest suppliers of upholstery materials if not the largest. Most places are actually middle men for their products or products they have produced in bulk... http://www.miamicorp.com/

They sell tools, glue, foam, mock skins, convertible tops, leather hides, Naugahyde, Ultra, Allante, canvas etc. even carbon fiber vinyl for your Honda. What was nice is they used to have reps come to your shop every couple months with new demos and products but that seems to have died out in the budget.

 

It depends on the seat. Just measure the seat to each seem and add a inch at every seem joint. Then compare your measurements to the material you choose to see if you can get the length of the pieces at the width of the roll... If the roll is too narrow you will have to buy by the length which can be more costly depending on if the excess is large enough to be used for the sides of the cushion or pads thickness. You'll also have to consider grain orientation or if you care about it. Keeping the grain consistent often takes length wise cuts and more material. Just a note if your on a budget as this stuff has gone up considerably in the last few years.

 

The obvious problem is it's animal skin, you never know what type of scar, rough spot or or mass you may run into in the middle of an otherwise perfect piece of leather. I've had things as tacky as ostridge and zebra skin brought in before. The one thing about using a shop that does leather work often is they can use it later for smaller pieces if there is a flaw. Finding a place where you can inspect the hide in person before buying would be best. You also want to look for any ink marks or stamps as they can bleed to the surface later with heat and oiling.

 

thanks,! no carbon fiber here!! I have a basic old school interior, even crank windows. I used leather for my seating surfaces and imitation for the edges,backs, and I need to match this black imitation i used on some of the small pieces. how is the Alante in sunlight? I'm getting tired of recovering these compound curved pieces on the tops of my doors and quarters. When I bought the imitation for the seats, I bought it as an odd lot from an upholstery shop, so i have no idea who made it, it's holding up well though.

 

there is a new kid on the block,it is a rebonded leather product(backing) with a synthetic surface. It is much more hearty than your run of the mill(no pun intended) Alante,it has a better hand, it also stresses exactly like leather,it folds,sews,and feels like leather this stuff is the stuff! It doesn't lose it's color,it is not dyed. It doesn't get water damaged like leather does. When you have to get something like ink or oil,the matte finish on Alante will come off. It tends to look like some kind of bad skin condition!

 

And its called?
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Like I told the kid, "Your music's not too loud, its just like OKC, it sucks!"

 

lostforawhile, cool no carbon fiber for you....

turney33, I've yet to find it on the roll but I have seen it and installed motorcyle and 4wheeler seats covers made of a product like that. Sounds like a very cool option.... Do you have a source or price by quantity?

Allente holds up well in the sun, I've put it in old vettes and many O/T convertibles with no issues over the last twelve years or so. When we first heard of it my boss at the time had his whole party boat done with it on all the outside surfaces to match the leather in the cabin. Its never been marketed for marine use that I know of and he did not take good care of it much at all. The boat was on Lake Erie most every summer weekend. At the four year mark, when I quit it still looked decent the color was alittle more dull of course but nothing I would not expect from a better suited marine grade vinyl.

It's not the be all end all but it is a good product. I've yet to see it get to the point of bleaching even on a driver. It will tighten some over time in the sun. Over the years if not cared for or constantly exposed if will eventually break down like any material. Allante does get hot in the sun but not quite like what happens with standard vinyl. It doesn't nearly melt and then stick to you.

Some of my humble experience should it be useful to others....

*With all vinyls seats tops etc. I condition them just like leather to keep them supple. Look for something without animal fat in it (in other words beware most products like most of Armour All's line). Animal fat expands when it freezes so unless your garage is heated ( or you have no winter) it will break the vinyl faster then something not treated in the sun. An old trick is using Murphy's oil soap.


* For cleaning save scraps you can to test removing any stain or mark. Make the same damage and try removal on the scrap or unseen area first. I use RM 900 as my favorite for upholstery glue and most marks without damaging the material. PpG DX-330 was my old favorite but any wax and grease remover is you best friend in upholstery.

* On tougher marks like some inks, lacquer thinner, but darker colors will dull slightly if exposed to a large amount.The color does not often even come off on the rag but it leaves a milky look to the area. Lightly damp a rag and keep the area small. After that condition the area and the color will return.

* The only thing I have ever seen cause the damage Turney33 mentioned is Urethane reducer. I had a kid neglect to read the can, soak down a rag until it was dripping and smear the side of covered conversion van wall with it to get his pen marks off. Acetone, and Enamel reducer have done similar with cheaper grades. You always test to be sure even between the same products from the same manufacturers. Nothing is always the same...so what saved your ass today might screw you even worse than the original damage next time.

* I've never had a problem with oil or even tar... WD-40 and Howe's air tool oil actually works good to free some dried inks, it is vegetable oil based and that has worked to... Then clean with RM 900, condition if needed. ( Yes I will try anything)

* This is more of a cloth or canvas Fabric trick but has worked here to, is non-chlorinated brake cleaner. I have no proof but I've been told it is much like the chemicals used in dry cleaning. I do know it smells like a dry cleaned item. I've seen at least once on one of the TV build shows but I've been using this off a buddy's tip for years. This works good on permanent markers.

 

sorry guys,I know that was pretty lame but I didn't happen to have the book in front of me last night.It is simply called "recycled leather" charlotte fabrics of minneapolis,MN http://www.charlottefabrics.com It seams to be colorfast and remain supple in direct sun,have used this product for 2 years now, too soon to know it's natural life span. When the time comes it will be in my sedan!

 

It sounds very cool. Thinking about it I saw something like that on one of those History channel shows on textiles.

 

the side pieces on this panel are both imitation over sheet aluminum forms, also the piece over the gauge bezels is the same stuff. it's a panel with holes cut in it that fits over the gauges. I did the shift boot in the cheap stuff, and you can see what happened, several hours of hand sewing over the wire frame, and it has to be redone. I know there's a gap where it looks like the piece is off angle, but thats needed for clearance