Keyair Report post Posted December 26, 2016 I am a novice, and have a big project ahead, so asking for help with planning, estimating, design, and execution! Here is my project... It is a 1984 Airstream Motorhome, that I am restoring. My master plan is to remodel the interior and retrim the seating. This is how it currently looks inside: I am replacing the squishy Pilot and Co-pilot seats with these from a Range Rover, and plan to strip off the covers and retrim.. So, I need help and advice! Have a Consew 206RB machine, and most of the stuff I think I will need, like pneumatic stapler, hog ring pliers, etc. I picked up some "furniture grade" leather... 5 full hides of "Black Oak" color(total approx 280sqft), and one Pecan color(59sqft) which I think contrasts nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 26, 2016 (edited) So, I am currently playing with designs.... but I need to know if I have enough material... I have 2 cockpit seats, 1 sofa, and one double sided dinette to trim. I may add another dinette/sofa later. How do I calculate my needs? Lets start with the sofa.. The Sofa seat base is approximately: 74"w x 26"d x 4", and split visually into 3 seat surfaces, so I may keep that cue. The Sofa backrest is approximately: 74w x 16" x 4" and as above, visually split into 3 surfaces. The 4" is the foam thickness. The backrest is unusual, and pulls forward, rotating 180deg and comes to rest next to the seat base to convert into a bed, so any design might need to visually follow through. I think the cushions are fixed to the frame, but have not investigated yet... In my minds eye, I am thinking about these options... Double contrasting stitch... Oak/Pecan combo... Anyone? Edited December 26, 2016 by Keyair error Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted December 26, 2016 The Range Rover seats don't look too bad. I've searched YouTube for 'repairing leather car seats';' how to restore leather car seats'; how to repair a leather tear in a car seat'; and there are lots of references Besides the actual repairs there would also be general leather clean & restoration, there are lots of kits available. Watch a few videos and see what you think IMO the oak/pecan is too garish Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 26, 2016 Thanks for the input Zulu. Yes, I have read and watched a lot to grasp the concepts involved. The RR seats might be the first step. The leather is in OK shape, and I did think about recoloring them as an option. A retrim sounds ok too, as it seems to be just a matter of removing, and cutting apart the original covers along the seams, and using them as patterns. I dont disagree with you on the Pecan combo... I want classy, not garish! Thought about a diamond quilted stitch for the center panels too, as I may well have some quilted aluminum in the kitchen area, but worry about it being too much... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted December 26, 2016 The Range Rover was, and still is, a top class vehicle, with trim & fittings accordingly - not to mention the price! Alright, perhaps I'm a bit biased, but when restored those seats would show classic British understated quality. So you can probably guess my opinion, which is to restore them to their original standard . This would obviously require some careful, patient work, but probably not as much as re - covering them completely. I think it would be extremely difficult to recolour black leather How old are the seats? If before 2002 they would have been covered with Connolly Leather; search for it on Google Over time the foam interior of car seats deteriorates, so check that as well There is an apocryphal tale of a millionaire Texan ranch owner who bought a Rolls Royce, but took it back after a couple if days as he was very annoyed to find that he'd spent a lot of money on a car, only to find that it was trimmed in PVC. The dealer had to explain that it was, in fact, leather; very good leather. It seems the ranch owner had never seen such perfectly smooth, blemish free leather before. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 26, 2016 (edited) Zulu, FYI, I am a Brit... Oxford born, and British Leyland bred, but now live in Southern California! Sah! The seats are from a 1998/99 P38 Range Rover 4.6 HSE... and I chose them specifically because we own and drive one every day, so I knew they are great seats for long drives and I have enough lumber and leg support for my 6' 4" frame. Ours is Oxford blue, with a Creme interior. I would have no problem leaving them as is, if the color were not black... there are also some deep cracks and a few parting/weak seems to... the California sun is not kind to leather. I don't think I have much choice but to recover them. Edited December 26, 2016 by Keyair Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tholek Report post Posted December 26, 2016 (edited) Quote Lets start with the sofa.. The Sofa seat base is approximately: 74"w x 26"d x 4", and split visually into 3 seat surfaces, so I may keep that cue. The Sofa backrest is approximately: 74w x 16" x 4" and as above, visually split into 3 surfaces. The 4" is the foam thickness. The backrest is unusual, and pulls forward, rotating 180deg and comes to rest next to the seat base to convert into a bed, so any design might need to visually follow through. I think the cushions are fixed to the frame, but have not investigated yet... Cool project! So thought I try my best to help you out here. This guide gives a general idea of how much fabric is needed to recover a sofa or chair. A small or medium sized high-back chair will, typically, require about 7 metres. A single lounge chair - part of a suite for instance - will need about 9 metres. A two seater sofa will usually need 14 metres. A three seater will generally require 18 metres and a four seater 22 metres. The lengths suggested are based on average sized chairs and sofas and the use of plain fabric. If you are using a patterned fabric you will require about 10-20% more, depending on the pattern repeat. If you can determine where the joins are in the fabric based on your existing sofa, then add on the vertical pattern repeat for each join. To get a more accurate figure measure each surface of the sofa which requires fabric and add these areas together, then add on 10-15% as a margin of error. It is best to begin with the outside back, then the inside back, then the outside of the arms, then the inside of the arms. Then add on the gussett and the area of each surface of every cushion. In short, simply split your sofa surface up into as many small rectangles as is necessary, calculate the area of each, add these up and then add on 15% more as a safety margin. We sell fabric by the linear metre, and the width is generally around 140cm. To calculate how many linear metres of fabric you need, divide the area (in square metres) by 1.4 Hope this helps. Edited December 26, 2016 by Tholek Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted December 26, 2016 Some of the best instructional videos for upholstering. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_8PUaXqvjSq3p1lYouXzQ He doesnt talk but they are very good videos. Also hop on the hogring forums, they arent the most helpful, they are actually kind of a holes to do it yourselfers but alot of good info there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 26, 2016 Yes, Huge fan and avid watcher of his videos! Very Inspirational! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 27, 2016 Ok, good advice so far. Let me break this down, and see if I have it right... 1/ Sofa base cushion materials, assuming I do a simple box shape (I am going to assume the non visible frame side is open, or cloth closed, so will calculate that separately) : A/ Base seating surface is 74" long by 26" wide... split into 3 cushions, so each upper surface is approx 26" x 24" . adding 1" selvage to each edge, would be 28 x 26. I assume it would be good practice to cut these panels to from one section of hide, so... 84" x 26"... which is 7' x 2.16' = 15.12 sqft? B/ Each of the cushions needs 4 sides, and foam depth is approx 4". So, including selvage I need 2 off 6" x 28", and 2 off 6" x 26", which is 6" x 108" per cushion, X 3, so 18" x 108" or 1.5' x 9' =13.5 sqft? Total leather needed for base cushion, is 15.2 sqft + 13.5 sqft = 28.7 sqft. 2/ Backrest of Sofa. A/ Seating surface is 74" long x 16" tall. Again, split into 3 cushions is 24" x 16" each, or inc selvage, 3 off 26" x 18", or 1 off 78" x 18" or 6.5' x 1.5' or 9.75 sqft. B/ Cushion sides: 2 off 24 x 4, and 2 off 16 x 4 each. So, inc selvage 80" x 18" for all 3, or 6.6' x 1.5' = 10 sqft. Total leather needed for backrest is 9.75 + 10 = 19.75 sqft Total leather needed for Sofa retrim is 28.7 sqft + 19.75 sqft = 48.2 sqft? Now, assuming I make the whole sofa from the the Dark Brown leather hides, and each hide is a minimum 53 sqft, and I have 5x to hand. I understand that I will NOT get the sofa from one hide, but if it was 1 1/2 , for the largest piece of furniture, am I in good shape? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 27, 2016 Oh, forgot to ask... In every video I see, guys glue a layer of foam to the back of the leather... Yet our AZ Leather sofa's have nothing behind them. Can someone advise/explain why and if I need to do it, what type/thickness? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
impulse Report post Posted December 27, 2016 Use the existing fabric as patterns, but make sure you label which piece is from where. Calculate the sq footage needed, but because leather hides are an irregular shape, you need to allow 1/3 wastage. If the leather is of good quality there is no need to line with foam. I have successfully reupholstered 10-15 sofas and chairs using this method. Lois Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted December 27, 2016 Thanks Lois! Also, is there advice for leather direction? I know and feel leather has different stretch, and dont know if that is a factor for this type of work... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 2, 2017 Any comment on my question above? Also, what do you all use to mark the faces of leather that will come off? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark842 Report post Posted January 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Keyair said: Any comment on my question above? Also, what do you all use to mark the faces of leather that will come off? For that type leather I like silver marking pens like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leather-Tools-Silver-Marking-Pen-and-Clean-Pen-Kit-For-Leather-Craft-Total-11PCS-/331297528837?hash=item4d22df1c05:g:tyYAAOSwEK9T9mUA I didn't buy mine there but that was the first pic I found. They mark great and most leather you don't need the clean pen to remove it, just use a damp cloth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 7, 2017 I spent some time photographing the Sofa and Dinette in the Motorhome, to get some feedback on construction. This is the sofa... The backrest flips to make a bed like this... The underside of the sofa looks like this... Looks to have springing, foam and a steel frame. The backside of the backrest is just folded together and tack-stripped onto the wooden backrest. I am unsure how to do this so, I think I will tackle the Dinette cushions first! The dinette is simple... two facing couches with a a pair of simple cushions each side. The base cushion has a curved face. For some reason the pic I took of it assembled didnt make it! Here are the cushions.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 7, 2017 I think I will remake these cushions completely.... the foam feels too soft. It is about 4 or 5" thick. So, here are my newbie questions... 1/ What foam would you all advise to use or a 2 layer combo of foams? 2/ As I plan to remake these with new foam, and leather, should I use leather for the underside, or something else... If I use leather I am worried they will slide around! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tholek Report post Posted January 7, 2017 14 hours ago, Keyair said: I think I will remake these cushions completely.... the foam feels too soft. It is about 4 or 5" thick. So, here are my newbie questions... 1/ What foam would you all advise to use or a 2 layer combo of foams? 2/ As I plan to remake these with new foam, and leather, should I use leather for the underside, or something else... If I use leather I am worried they will slide around! I wanted to ask you if you was to destroy the actual sofas by the stitching line and unfold them would you not get the exact size your looking for? For your questions, I would personally use upholstery foam also they shouldn't slide around. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 8, 2017 Sizes: I could unpick the original cushions, of coarse, but as they are loose, ie, not fixed to the base structure, I don't think the actual finished size is critical if I am 1/2" or 10mm oversize! I think I will just take the measurements off these cushions and leave them intact. Not sure if what I wrote was clear... The sliding about I am talking about is the cushion on its structure... remember this is a motorhome, and people maybe sitting on these as its going down the road, or sleeping on them when they are in bed position. I don't want the base cushion slipping out of position, or the backrests falling over. The original cushions had hook Velcro on the base and backrest, so I am wondering if I add some "Tongues" or flap tabs with Velcro to keep them in place... Pic of original setup below. As far as the foam goes, I am not sure what "Upholstery Foam" is over here in the USA... maybe someone can chime in with advice of weight or firmness... remember the base is wood and these cushions are either seating or a bed... Having looked at the original cushions today, I note there are no zips or openings in them. I assume I should plan a zip into one of the depth panels? What type of zip is suitable?? So much to learn!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NVLeatherWorx Report post Posted January 8, 2017 @Keyair As a newbie you may want to have such a huge task completed by a professional. It is nice that you are wanting to put yourself out there and do you own recovering work but if you do not have experience with the materials and trade of making furniture you destined for disaster. Furniture finishers spend years learning the skills and techniques to do what they do as do the rest of us who are true tradesmen and craftsmen, it isn't something you just "decide to do" because it looks cool. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Thanks for the advice, and I understand why you said this, but I am going to do it myself. To clarify, I am not your average Joe, have a solid background, and have been making stuff and prototyping for decades. This is the type of thing I did every day as an Automotive Industrial Sculptor, in multiple Companies, and Countries across the world, before I retired... http://www.carbodydesign.com/gallery/2016/04/interior-design-process-at-buick-the-role-of-clay-sculpting/2/ The clay interiors were often covered with simulated leather grain material which I/we applied and glued in place, with simulated stitching if needed. Like this one... Under the various surface finishes, is clay, just like the first link, and it was part of my job to achieve the deception... http://www.auto-types.com/news-gallery-3/the-clay-model-of-the-jaguar-cx-16-8714.html I can do woodwork, veneer work, plastic, fiberglass, sheet metal, fabrication, welding, paint, polish, and powdercoat. I have been around trimmers and seen and admired their work. So far I have done several roof liners(admittedly strip, copy, and recover), several sets of sunvisors, a steering wheel, shift, and gear gaiters... This retrim project is just a natural progression... Edited January 8, 2017 by Keyair Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tholek Report post Posted January 8, 2017 Quote The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder,[1] which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic, automobile, airplane and boat furniture, and can be applied to mattresses, particularly the upper layers, though these often differ significantly in design That is from Wiki and what your looking for in usa is still upholstery foam check this out http://www.foamorder.com/foam/upholstery-foam.html But other than that you seem determined to get this done and I will try my best to help you out as much as possible. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 8, 2017 Thanks Tholek! My, you are up late! This has been my study course few the last few months... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keyair Report post Posted January 15, 2017 Quick update with my progress. Bought the tandy leather markers, but got silver instead of white by mistake, but they work! Not managed to get to the local upholstery store this week as I planned, but the list gets longer for when I do! So, I removed the backrest from the Range Rover seat, and stripped the seat base cover, and what I found was interesting. The front and sides are vinyl, and the very back of the base is a velour material. Both are backed with foam scrim, which is disintegrating to dust. The seat top is leather, but is pleated, and has a thicker foam scrim attached. There are listings, with a steel insert on the center cross seat, and around the pull down, and the listing was weak/rotted, and the seat cover came off without the metal. I. The cover was secured to the steel seat frame by plastic J strips, that were brittle and or broken and will need to be replaced. A/ looks like I have to have a seam across the seat to have the listing pull down.. B/ I was toying with the idea of doing diamond stitched seat panels, but am concerned about it looking "Too Busy", or wear/dirt on the stitching... Thoughts? So, I will need to buy some materials to move this forward. 1/ Some foam scrim to glue to the leather ... what type and thickness, and should I do thicker for the center panel? 2/ I need some "Listing material" and also something to bridge/reinforce the french seams... what should I get? 3/ New J strip to attach the new cover to the seat fame. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted January 18, 2017 Ya may wanna look into the debacle/debate on glueing the sew foam to the leather. Most usually dont glue it (maybe just around the edges) it is usually just stitched at the edges. http://www.upholsterysupplyonline.com/products/Sew-Foam-1{47}4".html I dont know this place but they will get you started in your searches. I personally only do MC seats occasionally and use the same thickness/type all around (little different I know). I also glue everything down because a MC seat is a little different then a car seat. Basting/listing/binding tape because I only do occasional projects I usually cut strips from the hide I am using, split it down or skive it on both edges and use that. http://www.perfectfit.com/15308/Bindings-Trims.html Both of these places I think have the J-strips but not sure if ya can order directly from them. I am no upholstery expert so take it with a grain of salt but I think a diamond pattern wont get any more dirty than the pattern already on there and IMHO wont look to busy as long as the diamonds arent too small. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
