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OEM style vinyl with foam backing - what can I do with it?

2K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  DanTwoLakes 
#1 ·
Hey all,

Been lurking around here in the interior section lately. You guys are sharp.

I have a fairly good size roll of OEM style vinyl that was given to me - it was basically scrap. I think it's normally used for making the parts of leather seats that aren't actually leather, (sides, etc.). It has a very thin foam layer on the backside.

The fella that did my 48 Ford told me he couldn't use the material (for door panels, headliner, etc) unless that foam was removed from the back. Does that make any sense?

Also - can a person dye this leather-like vinyl at all? It's grey, but I need black for my camaro . . .

Thanks for any info!
 
#2 ·
You can use SEM classic coat aerosols (or buy it in bulk if you want to spray with your own gun) to change the color of your vinyl. First use SEM soap and vinyl prep on the vinyl. This should be relatively easy on new vinyl. Check out this website: www.vinylpro.com. Good luck.
 
#3 ·
BTW, yes, for the most part, the vinyl could be used just as it is for a headliner that hangs from bows or for door panels if you were sewing in pleats or just leaving it smooth.
 
#4 ·
Think of the foam back as primer. Ideally, you would want all foam backed vinyl for seats because it will hide some of the imperfections of the actual seat cushion, thus giving you a smoother surface. Don't dye the vinyl !! Even thought the products today are excellent, they should only be used when you absolutely have to. You'll spend more on vinyl dye per yard of material than you would if you were to go out and buy new material. Dan
 
#5 ·
What Dan (hemi) says is true, but most oem seats have 1/2" foam backing. What you have might be around an 1/8" at the most. I wouldn't do a seat with this stuff alone. Sem is not that expensive, even in aerosol cans. I doubt you would spend $20 to $25 a yard dyeing it, (which is the minimum you'd pay for good quality vinyl) and it would be easy working with brand new vinyl. Check it out.
 
#6 ·
My concern with using dye (especially on seats), is that eventually you will put a scratch on them, and the true color of the vinyl will show through, and as great as the products are today, they will never be as good as using vinyl. As far as the foam, the seating areas usually have 1/2 foam because that's how they get the sculpting effect on the seats. If the panels are smooth, then 1/4 or sometimes 1/8 is used. I'm in the process of sewing my seats as we speak, and I used all 1/2 inch foam everywhere and made a mess.( I ran out of 1/4 inch). The 1/2 was too thick for "French" seams, so I had to scrap the job. Will pick up 1/4 this week and start over. Dan
 
#7 ·
Dan: SEM claims that their product has superior adhesion and will not crack or peel. I don't think I'd take a chance with seats either, but the original question was whether the fabric could be used for door panels and a headliner, not seats. I was referring to the seating areas, not the rest of the seat when I mentioned 1/2 " foam. If you use soft foam with a low ILD ( indent load deflection), or IFD (indent force deflection) 1/2" will work just fine. By French seaming are you referring to topstitching (folding back the seam and sewing down the seam on one side), or folding the fabric back in both directions, adding twill tape to the back, and sewing through the fabric on both sides of the seam? (also called baseball stitching)?
 
#8 ·
Guys,

thanks for the info.

I think I will look into the spray can dye. Seems like that would be a reasonable thing to do for no more than I would need.

BTW, the foam on the back is very thin. Probably not even 1/8". It was for Toyota seats - they get their shaping from deep trenches in the "cast" foam pads they use - and hogring the seat cover into the little wires in the bottom of the trenches. I used to be a sales engineer for the company. . . .

So, can I use adhesive to attach the vinyl with the foam backing on it to black waterboard?? The foam won't come loose later???
 
#9 ·
I just re-did a Toyota 4-Runner seat, and the foam-backed vinyl you're referring to would be used around the perimeter of the seat and back. (Any "sculpting" would be done with the foam on the seat base, not the seat cover.) The center parts of both, whether vinyl or leather, are sewed to 1/2" foam backed with remay (a woven fabric ) or scrim (a non woven fabric like a thin tyvek). The backings are there to hold stitching. They are attached, as you said, with hog-rings to wires in listings and then to the seat base. Newer technology to do the same thing is Velstick with the companion fabric the Velstick attaches itself to. The 1" wide Velstick ( like the hook side of Velcro only stiffer) is attached (glued) to the seat base and the companion fabric is sewed to the seat cover at the seams where the listings would be . This allows you to easily re-position the seat cover if you need to (obviously made by Velcro and works the same way). Use contact adhesive (high temperature top and trim adhesive) to attach the vinyl to black waterboard or the panel of your choice. Scuff the waterboard slightly before gluing. (just scuff it enough to scratch the shiny skin) Just to be safe, you may want to sew the vinyl to the waterboard which is easily done with a commercial sewing machine. Good luck. (P.S. I 'm sorry I'm so wordy....... I got on a roll and couldn't stop.)
 
#11 ·
It should be O.K. to leave the foam on the vinyl unless it peels off really easily. There again, it might be a good idea to sew it to the waterboard just to be safe. What kind of vehicle is this going into?
 
#13 ·
DanTwoLakes said:
It should be O.K. to leave the foam on the vinyl unless it peels off really easily. There again, it might be a good idea to sew it to the waterboard just to be safe. What kind of vehicle is this going into?

68 camaro, but has a roll cage, so stock door panels won't work. plus i don't have any.

the stock panels have a metal trough type deal that goes over the top of the door and the w-strip (interior) attaches to it.

If you were going to do custom panels for the car, how would you treat that top area?? I don't have the metal pieces, but I could buy them new from Classic Industries or the like.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. I just want to put "something" in there so that the bare steel is not showing anymore.
 
#14 ·
O.K. I'm not sure if I understand your question exactly, but......if you're talking about metal trim pieces that go on the top of the door, I would match them to whatever fabric you're going to use on the bottom of the doors. You can glue (with contact adhesive) the fabric (vinyl, leather, etc.) onto the trim pieces, or simply paint them to match the car. I don't think I answered your question very well..........please explain what you want to do in more detail.
 
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