Refinishing Captain's Chairs

[dale farley]

We have a Captain's chair (driver's seat) and an over-sized recliner as the co-pilot chair. They are covered in very soft leather that is starting to show its age where the color is wearing off. Before having them recovered, I want to make sure there is no way to have that leather refinished.

There are no tears in the leather, so I am really reluctant to have it changed if there is any way around it. Has anyone tried having the leather redyed or any other type of refinish?

[garyde]

Hi Dale. Several years ago I had a expensive leather jacket dyed where I had gotten white paint spray on the jacket while walking thru a jobsite. The dry cleaners who did the work did a great job ( they specialized in leather cleaning) and it looked great. Your seats can be done but the wrinkling may be hard to get an even color.

[dale farley]

Gary, Maybe I will see if I can find someone in the local area who specializes in auto seats, etc. I am also getting prices on having the seats recovered, but I don't think the new covers will be as nice as the original leather. Thanks.

[ken&ellen]

D&P, Yesterday I was on the phone with Classic Coach in Lakeland, Fla. and we kicked around the recovering vs replacement. Dennis, the owner of Classic, feels that his group can recover at 60% of the cost of new and with their experience you will not be able to tell the difference from new! Additionally, you have a wider selection of fabrics, leathers, finishes, and of course color. Currently they are dong a complete interior overhaul on a '92 Marathon and he invited us down to have a look. Dennis has many years of experience with Prevost from the manufacturing side. Check out their website. Ellen & I are going to make the trip down in the near future. Ken & Ellen

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Dale, I think Marathon upholsters their own chairs and Isri seat. FYI Your coverings may be Ultra Leather make a test of anything you apply in some inconspicuous area.

Sometimes with things like this I wish I had left well enough alone

Oh, what is the A dim. indicating in your image?

[dale farley]

Jim, I knew someone would ask about the "A" dimesion. I was sending some pictures to a local upholstery shop, and I sent several dimensions based on an accompaning picture that had A-E so they would know where I was actually measuring. The tape was only serving to hold the piece of paper. The shop is giving me a rough estimate, so I can determine if I want to proceed in that direction.

What are the implications, if my seats are ultra leather?

[Jerry Winchester]

Dale,

We had our front seats rebuilt with the headrest extended and memory foam added with new ultra leather covering. They are way better than the original ones and it was done by an automotive upholstery guy.

JDUB

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Jim, I knew someone would ask about the "A" dimesion. I was sending some pictures to a local upholstery shop, and I sent several dimensions based on an accompaning picture that had A-E so they would know where I was actually measuring. The tape was only serving to hold the piece of paper. The shop is giving me a rough estimate, so I can determine if I want to proceed in that direction.

What are the implications, if my seats are ultra leather?

I am under the impresion that Ultra Leather is synthetic and therefore would not react the same as leather to dyes and or cleaners. I may be wrong, but check into it before you jump in.