recovering seats advice wanted

[Mark Shutt]

just doing my front seats and wanting a bit of advice for those that have tackled this job already! I'm using Aldridge covers and Paddocks foams for the seat backs. my question is the lower part where it goes round the curved part, do I have to trim the foam back to match the metalwork? I can't see any other way of making it fit! and yes I was stupid enough to strip both seats down so no reference to work with





done the base of one seat and it's turned out OK in the end, at 1st it had loads of wrinkles but I've managed to sort it out to a reasonable standard (next seat should be a doddle )

[Jeff]

Looks very neat to me!

[V Mad]

Yes you have to trim the foam. Reason is that foams are made the same each side but seats are not.

[Mark Shutt]

Yes you have to trim the foam. Reason is that foams are made the same each side but seats are not.

thanks Chris! just wanted confirmation before I started hacking at the foam!

[dasadrew]

That seat base looks really good. I used Aldridge foams and covers but the end result looks disappointingly like the old seat, with the side bolsters really flat and the whole affair looking a bit like the seat cover was a bit too big. I also couldn't get that deep tuck which you have. No matter how much I pulled the flaps through the base foam, it just pulled the whole thing sort of flat rather than make a deeper crease. Your foam looks like it's on steroids compared to mine. Was it also from Paddocks?

DSC01712 (Custom).JPG

[Mark Shutt]

I'm using the original foam bases, they're a bit soft but workable.. new diaphragms are helping and really firming things up a bit! don't praise my work just yet as I'm only a 1/4 way through the project and fighting all the way! this is my 1st attempt at seat covering so a very steep learning curve, hopefully the 2nd seat should be a walk in the park

as regards to getting the creases out, I was scratching my head for about an hour as I just couldn't get them out especially where the 3 faces of material meet in the where it gets pulled in. I realized you had to glue the seam into the split in the foam and the biggest help was tucking the foam right up inside the piping on the edges, then tugging and stretching in all directions eventually got rid of most creases to an acceptable level.

Mark.

[jleyton]

the end result looks disappointingly like the old seat, with the side bolsters really flat and the whole affair looking a bit like the seat cover was a bit too big. I also couldn't get that deep tuck which you have. No matter how much I pulled the flaps through the base foam, it just pulled the whole thing sort of flat rather than make a deeper crease.

If it's any consolation, you're not alone Drew - although my poor result was with original covers.

Cheers

Julian

[Guest]

Julian and Drew - same here - Aldridge covers and foams and re-covered seats look just like Drew's. That can only mean that the covers and/or foams are not correct for a Stag. However, they are comfortable enough.

[V Mad]

Mark's job on the seat base does look good, its not easy to get such a result.

One thing to note is, that to get the cover to follow the contour of the foam, you need to use glue in the recess just along the side edges - you will see that position on inspection of an old seat cover when removed.

[KOY 23]

The new foams are flatter, you need to add some thin foam to plump them up.

[dasadrew]

Interestingly, the amount of leathercloth left over at the sides to be clipped onto the base frame was really minimal. If I had made the side bolsters higher then there wouldn't have been enough material to reach the frame. This, I think, also contributes to the flattening of the foams. Oh well, when my fat ass has been on it everything will look different anyway!

[V Mad]

The new foams are flatter, you need to add some thin foam to plump them up.

Which new foams? Not the ones I have used so far.

[KOY 23]

The ones I bought some 18 months ago. Aldridge agreed and sent me some extra foam.

[Thom]

I'm in the same boat as you and Julian, so you're definitely not alone Drew. Mine turned out exactly the same as yours :-( Only did the driver's seat and was so disappointed with the end result I'm now considering asking a local upholsterer to tackle the rest.

Thom.

[jleyton]

I'm in the same boat as you and Julian, so you're definitely not alone Drew. Mine turned out exactly the same as yours :-( Only did the driver's seat and was so disappointed with the end result I'm now considering asking a local upholsterer to tackle the rest.

Thom.

That would be Rotten Cushion Volume for us then Thom - In joke to others

Cheers

Julian