The Upholstery Forum

There have been earlier discussions on the best material for making interior panels. John has used ABS plastic for a long time and suggests it in his training courses. I have mentioned on occasion that I use the solid PVC board.

Long story short, I went to my local supplier yesterday to pick up a couple of sheets of PVC and found what they were stocking was much floppier than what I had bought previously. Surprisingly, they now stock ABS board also. I bought a sheet of both and will enjoy trying out the ABS, as well as checking to see if the new brand of PVC is acceptable.

My purpose for starting this thread was just to warn everybody, all 3mil PVC is not created equal. I am sure either material will work fine but be sure what you are purchasing is what you expect it to be.

John Long

Can you post a pic comparing the PVC to the ABS

Intrigued, please post some pictures as you compare.

The pictures won't mean much. Both panels are 3 mm thick. The PVC is white and the ABS is black but the only real difference is the ABS is less flexible than the PVC. It is also a bit more brittle and can be broken more easily. That can be good or bad I guess.

John's YouTube videos and his interior trim courses show excellent examples of how to work the ABS plastic. I will take this opportunity to recommend his classes. I found them to be well worth the money even though I have been around auto trim for years.

I have a convertible top on order for my '53. That will slow down how quickly I get very deep into these door panels but when I get to them I will be glad to share some pictures and thoughts on the comparison of the two.

Thanks so much for the heads up on the PVC boards!

I’ve became friends with several professional upholsters in the last few years... I probably drive them crazy with all the questions, but what I’ve learned is about every one of them does thing differently. Some also do things differently based on where customer lives and the climate at their location.

As far as the white PVC goes...I use it the most because it’s super easy to work with vs other materials. My local plastic manufacturer makes it anywhere from 1/8 to 3/4. Normally I buy 1/8 and if I need it more sturdy I glue two pieces together. The down side to the PVC board is extreme heat can warp panels. TheY mold And bend easily with heat. Probably won’t be an issue unless you live in super hot areas. Another problem is that if you have to take panels on and off a lot the clip holes can wallow out if you don’t use caution. In some areas I use 3m dual lock to hold kick panels and things on. I use the thin so it don’t push panel out.

Abs is a good material which I haven’t used much. But when I do, I make sure to scuff and clean with a wax and grease remover. The oils from the manufacture process can cause material not to stick. It is a little more expensive than the pvc in my area so I don’t use as much. Still a good product though.

A lot of high end shops are using thin aluminum. Not super cheap but very durable. They use the thin metal for the panel bases to be moisture resistant. Then go over top the metal with foam, pvc boards, ABS, etc. The aluminum also works well in trunks and kick panels because you can make some cool panels with a metal break.

1/4 wood panel isn’t bad. It would take a lot of water to make it rot or warp. Unless the car stayed outside it would be an issue. I have heard people putting a moisture barrier on the back side to prevent.

Hope this helps anyone curious on materials. I’ll probably stick with PVC because it works with my needs and easy to get.

Great information @Todds34rod Thanks for sharing! That's actually one of my favorite things about upholstery is there are so many different ways people do things and none of them are wrong. I love learning new tricks from other trimmers that I hadn't thought of before.

I have always made my panels out of ABS. I have a friend that is a custom trimmer and he was telling me about a horror story where he built a roadster interior using ABS, and it warped after being out in the hot Oklahoma sun for 45 minutes. He said it caused him to completely warranty the interior and start over. He suggested Baltic Birch as his go to.

Yep I have experienced the exact same horrific problem once when I was living in Phoenix Arizona. Its heartbreaking. I still use ABS on projects that I know wont be exposed to extreme heat like that. If the customer is going to let the car sit outside in the sun when its 100 plus degrees out side I use wood as well.

I need to make panels for my Jeep CJ, they're simple and were originally a cardboard type material. My cousin gave me some material that is used in the sign industry. It's layers of aluminum with a plastic inner layer, it's about 1/8" thick. I've cut it to rough size with a table saw but had to dress the edges to get rid of the sharp edge. I have not tried stapling into it but with a little roughing up and some good glue, it should work out great. No concerns with warping or expansion/contraction either compared to PVC or ABS.