How to Custom Auto Upholstery
Auto upholstery is the material that covers the seats in your car. Car owners may replace the upholstery to give their car a custom look. The primary skill required for this task is the ability to sew the heavy-duty material used for car upholstery.
Things You'll Need:
- Socket wrench set
- Seam ripper
- Upholstery material
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Heavy thread
- Foam rubber
- Remove the mounting bolts that fasten the seat to the floor of the vehicle. Some vehicles may require you to remove a bolt cover before you can access the bolts. Remove the seat of the vehicle.
- Disassemble the car seat into its individual components with a socket wrench. This step may be necessary to reupholster seats with multiple parts.
- Separate the seams of the upholstery with a seam ripper. Remove the upholstery from the vehicle, ensuring you do not tear the individual pieces of upholstery.
- Lay the material on top of a flat work surface. Place the old pieces of upholstery on top of the new material.
- Cut the pieces of new material with a pair of scissors using the old pieces as a guide. Stitch the new pieces together with a sewing machine and heavy thread. Use triple stitching to create strong seams.
- Discard the old foam cushions, and replace them with new cushions if necessary. Slip the new seat covers onto each seat component, ensuring the upholstery makes a tight fit over the seats.
- Readjust the seams if necessary, and sew the openings in the upholstery closed with a final seam.
- Assemble the seat components, and install the seats into the vehicle.