The Upholstery Forum

Hi,

New to the group and a reasonable DIY'er but not really tackled any upholstery before. I'm looking to recover a cabinet from our old boat with vinyl leatherette. I'm guessing I'll have to use a 4-way stretch material and am happy to experiment but I'd really appreciate any advice on how to tackle the corners in the images. It appears to have been shrunk around these, but I'm not sure that's possible with any of the materials I can find, or the creases somehow flattened down.

Thanks

My guess is they used some heat. Regardless, make sure your vinyl is rated for marine use, additional UV resistant things are added to the mix so it holds up better to the sun.

Yes it's heat molded, i'd be more inclined to add a seam to it so you know it will lay flat without wrinkles

@orion1210 , with any luck we will learn the secret of that procedure. I have been trying for a long time and never get tit to lay down like that ever. I always get creases that are much larger and what color are you doing that in?

corners are always an interesting subject. Im looking for easier ways to do it as well .

I’m with Adam….. make it with a gusset, add some topstitching for strength with contrasting thread just for fun.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll have a go at sewing a seam... it won't be straight but I'll try

Another quick newbie question; what thread thickness is recommended for vinyl seams like this? Same thread top and bottom?

Tackling this at the weekend.

Thanks

Usually Tex90/D92 is used for upholstery, but you need an industrial sewing machine to use it.

Tex70/D69 is the largest a domestic machine can handle.

4 wsy stretch material is usually the cheap stuff and wont last. .the good stuff becomes butter with a heat gun. do the corners first just keep the heat gun moving or you will burn vinyl