White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Has anyone ever used alcantara material for their interiors? I want to head to a local fabric store and check it out. My plan is to wrap the following with black faux alcantara:
Headliner
Door inserts
Shift boot (make my own)

Right now, my interior is a tan/black/charcoal theme. A friend of mine suggested to keep it all black and tan, implying that the charcoal pieces will have to be dyed black to keep the theme proper. He said the charcoal/tan theme doesn't look right. I also plan to dye the carpet black.

Questions:
-Do you just use an adhesive similar to 3M Super 77 to adhere the alcantara to the headliner board and door inserts?
-Will the adhesive bleed through the material?
-When dyeing plastics, is there anything I should be concerned about or watch out for?
-Will the pieces have to be sanded to promote adhesion or will a chemical/spray adhesion promoter need to be used?

Here are a few pics of my interior as it sits now.

What do you all think?

Thanks,
Andrew









For reference, here is his BMW 525i interior, and is my main motivation:

DAVE00

iTrader: (10)

I have an 04 BMW 330I with Alcantara on the steering wheel, shift boot and park brake boot. Nice stuff and I bet it will look awesome in your ride, just don't wrap the wheel in it as it pills up and wears out with constant contact. As to the seats it was an option in my package bimmer and I know some guys that have it and it is extremely comfortable and pretty durable for the seats it's just the oil and sweat from the hands that kill it over time on the wheel.

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

I was going to get a Momo suede steering wheel but don't think it's a good idea like you stated.

The seats will be replaced with an aftermarket one when they need to be reupholstered/replaced.

Screamin_99

iTrader: (5)

The spray adhesive might bleed through so it would be wise to test a small piece before you actually apply it down. But im not totally sure on this as Ive never recovered a headliner before.

As far as dying the plastics go, I used the Krylon Fusion paint in satin black. It worked great and has held up much better than I expected it would for a DD. Clean the pieces with soap and water and then let them dry and then paint with light even coats until its fully covered. Might take 2-3 times to get it fully covered.

If you sand the panels smooth then the paint will more than likely adhere better. But with the Fusion paints you don't have to sand to get it to stick.

70hemicuda

iTrader: (33)

i used duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint. get it at oriellys and get flat black. it looks perfect. i painted my dash, console, and door panels. the rest of the parts i just got in ebony. especially the high traffic parts such as kick panels

BlueBird346

iTrader: (13)

Anyone know of a good place on the internet to buy alcantara or faux alcantara?

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

My local fabric store has it. Some people say that Walmart carries it as well- I have not confirmed that yet. Google it and see what you come up with.

DGageSS

iTrader: (9)

um and dying the carpet, you can buy a new carpet on ebay for like 125, might be a better option.

InsaneAuto86

iTrader: (60)

DO NOT use the 3M super 77. This is not for headliners and does not respond well to heat. ONLY use http://www.yourautotrim.com/perhittrimad.html You can find it at local shops aswell.

yourautotrim has the unisuede which is a high end microsuede for automotive use. ALWAYS buy quality material, as it will be thicker, UV protected, and last much much longer than cheaper stuff.

SEM landau black is what I have used and would recommend for dying/painting the interior. They also sell the SEM prep materials to make this project turn out excellent.

use discount code "scottkeen" for 15% off yourautotrim should you decide to purchase materials from them.

for the carpet I would consider black ozite instead of dying your stock one

squee

iTrader: (16)

I'm in the process of doing mine now, and my advice is, don't use any spray adhesive. Use something like DAP Contact Cement. As for the fabric, I'm using a black microsuede for just about everything. Unfortunately, it doesn't stretch at all really, so its gonna take alot of stitching. I got it for $6.50 a yard though, and it looks AMAZING, so I'm not gonna complain. I bought 9 yards (8 black, and 1 gray for the door inserts), the DAP cement, brushes, etc. all for about $90. You can't beat that...Not sure if you have one local, but I got it at Hancock Fabrics for 50% off since all the suede and some other **** was on clearance. To answer your question about the glue bleeding through, YES. It will if your not careful, which you have to be since its a brush on, not spray on. The DAP contact cement is about like the old rubber cement glue we all use to use in school as kids, just alot stronger.

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

@matt
Thanks for the reply. I will look into that stuff. Any pics of the pieces you had dyed/painted?

@Squee
Where did you source the cement? Any pics of the pieces you are doing?

Is this the fabric? http://www.hancockfabrics.com/Solid-...VVviewprod.htm

LT4vert

iTrader: (3)

I caution using the cheap faux suede at your local store . If its not uv rated it will turn purple and fade . Only use automotive rated brands that are reated for wear and uv . Ultrasuede , unisuede and alcantara are all rated for auto use and priced pretty different . Theres only 1 retail supplier of the real alcantara brand in the US, which is gulf fabrics. Get samples sent to you and really do your homework so you know what your buying and what you can be happy with, as theres a pretty dramitic difference in the brands. Imo, alcantara is by loooooong shot thee absolute best , and ultrasuede being a nice alternative . There both thick, plush and have excellent stretch properties. Everything else to me beyond those 2 is meh . The cheaper you go the thinner the material gets, less plush and its ALOT harder to stretch .

As far as adhesives i would ONLY recommemd the stuff from your auto trim( ive used this with decent but mixed reviews as it has fail me before ) or dap landau top and trim sprayed thru a gun. Everything else , i promise will fail you .

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

^^^^ Thanks for the response!!!

Any pics of things you have wrapped?

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

I ordered a sample of the following:
REAL Alcantera from Gulf Fabrics
Unisuede from YourAutoTrimStore

Once I get these, I can then head to the local fabric stores and compare the expensive from the cheap and decide from there. If I can save a few bucks and get the middle grade stuff, I will do that.

FYI- the REAL Alcantera is about $100 per yard (36"x59") and the Unisuede is about $50 per yard (36"x55").

squee

iTrader: (16)

Actually, this is the stuff I got. I figured for the price, you can't beat it. As for the DAP, you can find it at Lowe's, Home Depot, or Walmart pretty easily. I can get some pictures later perhaps.

LT4vert

iTrader: (3)

Yea it is pricey, if you wanna spend the money though, at least its worth every penny . Not sure if the Gulf rep told ya, with the Alcantara, theres a seating grade(thicker@$104/yd) and a thinner panel covering grade @ $99/yd. The thinner panel grade is still thicker than anything else Ive seen.

If you decide your happy with the cheaper local stuff, just make sure its UV rated . If not it will fade after 1 summer .

For the steering wheels that have microsuede, it is possible to keep them nice and plush for a long time. It just requires ALOT of maintenence wiping it down with a damp cloth to keep the oils from your hands off and regularly brushing it with a soft brush to maintain the nap .

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Post some pics of your individual projects. I'd like to see what it looks like installed.

Thanks