Im looking to buy some ultra suede so I can reupholster the headliner, “a”, “b”, “c” and rear parcel shelf in my e36. Here in NC they don’t have any good fabric stores that carry ultra suede. There are no Jo Anne fabrics or anything like that. Where can I get some good material online that will work well for my application?
I guess Im just looking for someone to point towards the correct fabric to use and where to get it. Some people have said that I should buy some with a foam backing on it while otheres have said that I can just use the run of the mill ultra suede with no backing. Which is correct and where can I get it?
I PMed him with a carbon fiber question and he never responded. I was gonna ask him about this too when he did respond.
I made my headliner flag out of the non foam backed stuff… I would think it would be advantageous to use foam backed if you could find it… The did not have it at JOANNE’s
here is LAFENGAS’ DIY thread
Ya Ive already seen that but if you read it, he doesnt say where he got his material from other than “The UK”
sorry, didn’t mean to ignore you. I got the PM on my phone while in vegas and i didn’t feel like typing up a response on the phone…then just forgot.
Anyway… Ultra suede is at joanne like everybody had mentioned, however the cool colors (like black) are seasonal and can only be found during the fall season. You can order it online though most anywhere, and they’ll give samples if need be.(google search it)
Ultra Suede does not fair well in the sun, UV will discolor in a couple months of summer sun. I found a UV protectant spray for cloth, but can’t verify how well/if it works yet.
“Alcantara” is what i used in my vehicle and i haven’t had a problem. It’s an upholstry grade material and much thicker then ultra suede. Plus, it does not discolor in the sun and wears really well.
There are only 2 places available to order Alcantara from in the U.S. One is “Gulf Fabrics” and the other is in NYC, but i don’t recall the name. “Alcantara” is fairly expensive though compared to ultra suede (ultra suede = ~$6/yd, Alcantara - ~$90/yd)
that’s all i have.
whew just a little bit of a price discrepancy!
^ no shit. Alcantara just got taken off my list of materials.
^not if you ever want to make your own seats. Alcantara is far more durable then the ultrasuede.
I wouldn’t skimp there. I’m talking about wrapping other things tho, like door panels and such.
I may still use Alcantara just for my dash. Does micro suede and Alcantara feel the same?
and how come so many companies use micro suede for seats if it isn’t durable?
as long as your headliner is in god shape( no holes, creases, sags etc.) you do not need foam backing. make sure you use a quality helmaprene glue. dont use any of those “headliner sprays” that autozone and the like carry. get a cheap harbor freight siphon feed gun and some glue and youll have much better results. if you want i have one thats new that you can borrow and i prolly have some glue as well…
any high end seat maker uses alcantara, not ultra suede, some companies or advertisers use the term as interchangeable but its not…
“Alcantara” is a brand name and only manufactured by a single company in Italy.
Yes, it looks very similar to ultrasuede, but the feel is a bit different. More plush if you would. To me, the biggest thing is its durability and resistance to wear.
this winter will be the 3rd time i replace the ultra suede on my A-Pillars because the sun ate it. Alcantara doesn’t stretch like ultra suede, so i don’t have much of a choice. This time, i’ll be using that UV protection spray.
that was going to be my next question. So i’ll be screwed on that as well. I’ll have to try and design my dash in a way where I won’t need to stretch the material as much, but I don’t think that’s entirely possible.
Have you heard of any reviews on that spray? and just how stretchy is ultrasuede?
Since Im not going to be using it on the seats, can I get away with using the ultra suede? Should I try to find some that is foam backed? Where?
If you can’t find any foam backed stuff, just go buy some from Jo-Anns as well and apply that first.
I don’t think you would have a problem with sun fade since it’s the headliner, and won’t be in direct sunlight unless you tend to park your car upside down.
If you aren’t using it on the seats it won’t wear out as fast, but I am guess it will still fade in the sun
My windows are tinted to 20% all the way around. I know the sun is gonna hit it but It cant do that much damage through the tint and Im going to look into the UV spray like suggested. I just dont know if the foam backing is gonna be a PITA to work with or make a difference compared to the non back version.