Reupholstery

[todd99]

I am in the process of pricing reupholstering my bench. So far it seems very over priced; installation $150, new lower foam $300, houndstooth $360.

I am considering installing myself.

My question for you all is regarding the bottom foam.

Can I just go down to the local fabric shop, buy a block of foam, and cut it to fit? If so, how?

-Thanks

[72tutone]

Wondering about this as well, as I am getting ready to replace my bench seat as well.

[Sinister]

I had my seat redone by a guy for $250. New foam, fixed some springs and made the covers from scratch.

[cdowns]

"factory correct" stuff is a money makin machine

a good local upholstery shop can usually redo a bench seat custom covers and materials foam and installation for less than what a "factory correct" cover alone costs

they have thousands of fabrics to choose from lots a tweeds very similar to houndstooth or even original houndstooth will b available at your local shop

[cjohnson6772]

Originally Posted by todd99

I am in the process of pricing reupholstering my bench. So far it seems very over priced; installation $150, new lower foam $300, houndstooth $360.

I am considering installing myself.

My question for you all is regarding the bottom foam.

Can I just go down to the local fabric shop, buy a block of foam, and cut it to fit? If so, how?

-Thanks

I have a guy local that quoted me $300 on houndstooth for buckets. Those are the covers and all. And I think that includes tax. Pretty cheap.

[Gobbles]

I gotta find a new place, all the guys around me want $700 for foam and a cover. If we get some good info in here I will definitely try it myself.

[todd99]

The upholstery shops around here seem to be much more expensive. I am willing to buy the houndstooth, but I think I can manage installation. How hard is it to cut foam correctly?

[72CHEVYK1D]

the upholstery shop i went to is charging me $350 for foam and cover they are taking a long time to do it though it has almost been a month since i dropped it off

[68bucket]

my mother does upholstery when she first started doing it she used a old turkey carver to cut and shape foam. you can shape it by cutting out basic shape then round it out by shaving off corners till it meets your basic requirement.

[vectorit]

Seat foam can be tricky.
You don't want to use just any foam, since there are different types that react to compression differently (your butt).

It would be terrible if you spent hours on getting a seat together with craft shop materials, only to find out that you sink into the foam so much that it is uncomfortable to drive.

I personally have beat this issue to death, since I have 3 bench seats to do and the cost is high.

Fortunately for me, all of my original foam is still pliable and hasn't had and rot issues on the back two. However my front bench, particularly the drivers seat for obvious reasons is shot. So, I am saving up for the proper foam work for just the front bench.
Just about any upholstery shop focusing on car/truck seats can craft a comfortable foam base, then they use layers of different foam and matting to get the form and comfort one would want in a car/truck seat.

Lot's if not all of the vendors sell pre made bench covers, that are budget minded and not all about OEM authenticity. Trouble is, that a "good" upholstery shop can make one to. But, what are they charging you per hour to make said cover? I have found that it's cheaper to buy a pre made cover, at least with my local shops and their rates. Your area may be different, so don't just go by my word on this. Do some shopping, crunch the numbers and see what pans out.

In my case, I am wanting OEM 67/68 vinyl/cloth "Custom" seat covers just because I really like what my burb originally came with. Unfortunately for me none of the vendors are selling them, and if they are they are not selling the rear bench seat covers for the Suburban. Let alone my unpopular color combo.

Do some research, and shop all of the upholstery shops in your area. I also ask people at car/truck shows who did their upholstery work, that way you can see the work first hand and get a customers POV on how the business transaction went.

[todd99]

Thanks. I plan on shopping around some more before I decide. There is a fabric store here that advertises that they sell foam for car seats, I haven't seen it first hand.

[Sammy]

I have had 3 sets of seats redone in the past 2 years. One bench (houndstooth), 2 sets of BB's. The bench didn't require any foam, so I bought a premade cover. To have a bench custom cover with no re-foam runs about $300-$350. And for custom covers for BB's $150-$200 per seat. Just labor (providing all the covers/ foam)about $30-$40 an hr and an average bench seat 3-4 hrs work. Bucket seats are double the labor twice the work. During my search for houndstooth material in bulk and pricing it found it much cheaper just paying for pre-made covers and installing them myself but I didn't have to deal with any foam issues. Those hog rings are not the easiest to do on your own.