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[ajnegus]

I will be using some fabric for re-trimming some seats and the fabric will come without any backing foam. I will therefore need to apply some backing foam to the fabric but I'm concerned about the glue leaching through onto the top side of the fabric. Is there a way to prevent this or is it not generally a problem if you use the correct type of adhesive? I think the fabric is a jacquard type and I would be using something like 2 or 3mm (1/8") scrim foam.

many thanks for any assistance anyone can provide.

[John]

You dont actually want to glue the fabric to the foam. You can run into problems with wrinkles that way. All you do is use some cheep spray can adhesive and very lightly spray just enough to hold the fabric in place so you can sew a stitch around the edge. Then trim the foam flush to the fabric.
Here is an example of the type glue I'm referring to https://www.albrightssupply.com/ES2000- ... Click=3957

[ajnegus]

thanks very much for the advice John, on some practise pieces I just ran a line of stitches around the outside edges to join everything together and it seemed to work out ok. I have however seen others gluing foam onto the fabric and wondered if I was doing it wrong. I suppose I was concerned that the foam and the fabric might move around independently of eachother in the centre part of the piece if they were not physically joined together but it sounds as if that's probably not going to be a problem.

[IvanD]

I use just cheap spray glue and don't even spray whole piece if it's bigger. Just do light spray around perimeter.

After I stitch around I usually even pull foam from fabric so they get unstuck.

[ajnegus]

very useful information, thanks very much

[Pays0n-UK]

General related question, do people usually glue vinyl to scrim foam? I am rebuilding some Volvo seat covers and the worn pieces I am replacing have the scrim foam glued to to the vinyl (or are produced that way with a foam backing). What do you folks think?

[Cody]

@Pays0n-UK normally speaking the same would apply for you as it did for the original poster. Light tack if need be, but perimeter sew the foam to the vinyl. ESP on car seats that tend to have a lot of shape. You can run into wrinkles otherwise. I sometimes lightly tack down when sewing pleats or diamonds just cause I don’t have a long arm machine and while rolling the material up to fit, it keeps everything in place.

[Pays0n-UK]

Thanks, Cody. The VW camper seat covers I was copying were done in the way you describe: sewn around the perimeter and not glued. I am a persistent copier but in the case of autoupholstery I just haven’t learned yet whether the ones I have been copying are best practice or not!

[Cody]

@Pays0n-UK tjere May be a time when gluing is a good option. I’ll let someone else chime in on a case that may be. But it would have to be a flat area I’d think. But so far sewing the perimeter is all I have done

[John]

Some people glue the fabric to scrim foam and some dont. Lol this is a never ending debate in the upholstery community.
I personally rarely glue the fabric to scrim permanently because you have to let the glue completely dry overnight and it can cause creasing problems when you install the cover. The factory probably buys the material already backed with foam to save time in manufacturing. Auto manufacturers have access to all kinds of products we dont.

[Pays0n-UK]

I’m gonna give it a go. I’ve got some seat covers from a local mechanic who buys and sells Volvo. He just wants a few pieces changed out and stitched back up for an OK price. A little bit of a bother to unpick but I treated myself to a ceramic seam ripper to try out. I’ve taken a pattern because if there are a few of these a month it should be good to be able to quickly cut out the pieces.

[Cody]

How did the seam ripper work out? I’ve always used razor blades but never hurts to try something new.

[Pays0n-UK]

Hey Cody,
I’ve never used a ceramic blade before. The advertising says it doesn’t really cut if you slip. I was interested in the fact that the tip is blunted and rounded off so if you slip during seam ripping then it won’t poke through the material in the worst case scenario. Using razor blades is definitely good as they are sharp and it does seem the ceramic blade is not as sharp. But the slipping and cutting the surface a bit that can happen with razor blades does seem less likely with this ceramic blade. That being said you do need to push or pull a bit more to get it to cut unlike with a razor how if you get tension in the threads you can literally just touch them and they will split. Handle is longer and bigger than any seam ripper I have had which is a bonus so you can relax your grip a bit and not have to hold it with only your fingers in a death clamp grip. ;)

[Cale]

To pick back up on this subject. Why do we attach the scrim foam to the outer fabric anyway?
Is it possible to sew the seat covers with just the fabric, mainly vinyl or leather?

It seems to me that there is probably an obvious reason but I haven't been able to find a definite answer. Anybody have the obvious answer that I am looking for?

[Sully]

Its mostly used to give the cover a more "fuller" look when installed. It is also a good way to hide small imperfections in the seat foam. You don't have to use scrim, it all depends on the seat design, and your own preference.