Low cost leather seats
08-04-2010, 07:02 PM
#42
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They were pure dog**** when i first got them. I wish I had taken a before picture of the back seats. Didn't occur to me to put it up on the forum until I was done with those and I thought maybe someone else would be crazy enough to put the work into leather like I would.
Going to post a picture of the seats in the car some time tomorrow night probably. Got to let this driver's seat dry enough to rub protectant into it.
Going to post a picture of the seats in the car some time tomorrow night probably. Got to let this driver's seat dry enough to rub protectant into it.
08-10-2010, 11:21 PM
#43
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That was an awesome post... you gotta show some pic them installed. Plus you have to do a how to!!! I would love to do this for my already black leather... this is what I did with mine. I removed them and use a buffer after applying some leather balm and buff
08-11-2010, 06:36 PM
#44
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If you've let the leather go so far without conditioning, or worse used a silicon based conditioner, the actual structure of the leather will change and it will be very difficult to get it to be soft again. I would highly recommend using a moisturizing product without silicon in it to attempt to rejuvinate the leather. If that doesn't work you're going to have to go with something more aggressive like mink oil (again, without silicon in it because many mink oil pastes have it in it.) Mink oil will soften and oil a leather magnificently but will leave it feeling just a touch greasy at first. Has the added benefit of waterproofing the leather.
Lastly, you can always strip down the seats and redye them. Stripping them down will let you open the pores on the leather, sand down VERY gently the spots that are especially rough (1000 or 1500 grit,) and lastly rejuvenate the leather by using an oil based dye. It's cheap to do (less than 50 bucks,) but extremely labor intensive and time consuming.
Try as you might, if you've let the leather cook too much it's going to always be a little stiff. The actual structure of your hide will change with the appropriate combination of sun damage, heat damage, water damage, etc...
Good luck though.
Lastly, you can always strip down the seats and redye them. Stripping them down will let you open the pores on the leather, sand down VERY gently the spots that are especially rough (1000 or 1500 grit,) and lastly rejuvenate the leather by using an oil based dye. It's cheap to do (less than 50 bucks,) but extremely labor intensive and time consuming.
Try as you might, if you've let the leather cook too much it's going to always be a little stiff. The actual structure of your hide will change with the appropriate combination of sun damage, heat damage, water damage, etc...
Good luck though.
08-11-2010, 09:16 PM
#45
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They also have mink oil in small tubs so you can rub it in. Haven't tried it yet myself, waiting till another paycheck comes in. :P
08-11-2010, 09:18 PM
#46
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What's written in the first post is as close to a "how-to" as I'm going to be able to complete. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow of the seats installed. Totally forgot about it.
08-12-2010, 08:28 AM
#47
I've seen some guys use this leathertique shiit and I believe you don't have to dye the leather w/this stuff. The car seats came out great, just like in this post but no dying and the seats were as crappy as this post. I'm interested in bringin my leather driver seat back 2 life in my Volvo 850 GLT(I know its a Max site), which is par of my fleet 2 Max's, 1 Sentra, 1 Volvo 850. My 3rd gen Max has the dark brown plush interior which is like perfecto, really man. So I don't want to ruin a good thing. Maybe I might want to rejuvinate the leather in the 4th gen Max, which isn't bad but might want to change to black since seeing those black seat here in this post.
08-12-2010, 09:02 AM
#48
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Well, in my case, I had tan leather seats that I needed black. 
Dyeing was necessary. In yours, give it a shot! The labor would be less intensive and you'd probably save a few bucks. In the case of the seats I had I was breathing life into junker seats with massive rips and tears all over them. Dye was necessary.
Dyeing was necessary. In yours, give it a shot! The labor would be less intensive and you'd probably save a few bucks. In the case of the seats I had I was breathing life into junker seats with massive rips and tears all over them. Dye was necessary.
08-12-2010, 01:12 PM
#50
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So this is holding up wonderfully. The only areas I've run into problems are crevices in the leather I did not get dye into, a few cracks on the driver's seat that I didn't repair properly (because there were hundreds I just spread adhesive over the whole seat area,) and a few small spots where the dye didn't penetrate on the driver's seat due to me not stripping it enough that I will have to touch up because the dye was just sitting on top of the leather and not in it.
08-12-2010, 08:57 PM
#54
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They are awesome Jason for junkyard seats.... gotta give props when it's due... My seats are black already and would this be a plus for me?.... I have pic at a above post and what would recommend I start with and products?
08-12-2010, 09:05 PM
#55
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I'd say you could do all three seats in one day and have them back in your car within 4 days. Plan on it taking a week if you have any tears to fix in the leather.
08-12-2010, 09:18 PM
#56
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Unfortunately the seats in a maxima are vegetable tanned leather with a protective coating. You're not going to be able to restore the sun faded color without stripping off the protective coating, along with a good share of the dye that is already in them, and applying new dye with a top coat of some type. I chose against a top coat and instead have chosen to apply bi-weekly leather conditioner with tanning oil in it to keep the seats supple and protect them from fading. It also looked like you had a few rough spots wehre the seats had worn thin past the initial grain patter. You can restore that by applying a thin layer of adhesive from a leather repair kit and pressing a texture patch over it and applying a heating tool to it. Then you would have to dye the spot. Hoping and praying you match the dye properly. The fact that your seats are already black would mean it would be MUCH easier to made them black than it was for me. A note, you can only dye seats darker not lighter. You can make tan seats black but you can't make black seats tan. You have to actually apply some form of paint-like dye to seats to create the lighter colors, I.E. white. Leather doesn't come in bright white, and there isn't a true "dye" that's white. It's more paint like in nature. Soaks in and adheres to the leather. Sooo, if you're going black on black the seats will turn out gorgeous; faaaar better than mine did. It probably wouldn't be nearly as much work either. A passenger seat in decent condition took me 15 minutes to strip and about an hour and a half to dye (taking 15 minutes between coats.) You could expect to spend 45 minutes or more if the seat is already black (less coats required.) The last thing you will need to do is let the seat sit for 2 days undisturbed and away from dust (or covered in a light sheet.) Then rub some kind of protectorate into the seat (I.E. lexol, pure mink oil, or a top coat product of some type.)
I'd say you could do all three seats in one day and have them back in your car within 4 days. Plan on it taking a week if you have any tears to fix in the leather.
I'd say you could do all three seats in one day and have them back in your car within 4 days. Plan on it taking a week if you have any tears to fix in the leather.
08-12-2010, 09:51 PM
#57
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Nice work, I'm contemplating repairing my other car, fortunately the Maxima has nice leather still, and it is tan too. Another kit I saw is out there, probably more expensive, and it's from England. They have filling compound to fill in cracks which my poor old volvo wagon seats have, (don't laugh it hauls a lot of car parts on occasion).
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Lea...ourant_Kit.htm
Check it out for ideas anyway.
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Lea...ourant_Kit.htm
Check it out for ideas anyway.
08-12-2010, 10:34 PM
#58
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Location: Baltimore, MD
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Nice work, I'm contemplating repairing my other car, fortunately the Maxima has nice leather still, and it is tan too. Another kit I saw is out there, probably more expensive, and it's from England. They have filling compound to fill in cracks which my poor old volvo wagon seats have, (don't laugh it hauls a lot of car parts on occasion).
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Lea...ourant_Kit.htm
Check it out for ideas anyway.
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Lea...ourant_Kit.htm
Check it out for ideas anyway.
08-13-2010, 03:36 PM
#59
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I think that's still a better price then having them re-skinned... After seeing this thread I know I would like to have something done. I have a few cuts and they are starting to crack and if something like this guy has done could save me hundreds then it's worth a try.
08-13-2010, 06:26 PM
#61
looks good. i've been comtemplating doing it to my 5th gen with a leatherique kit. depends on wether i get a new carpet or not. i conditioned my seats on my 4th gen and they turned out awesome with gliptone's.
08-13-2010, 06:31 PM
#62
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Usually the only thing truly retaining the carpet in these cars is the side footguard trim, the seats, and the center console. It's very easy to remove. The only part I had trouble with on my fourth gen was up underneath the dash but I just reached back there and cut the small piece holding me back in half. After that all you have to do is spray the rug down at a car wash for about $1.50 then put it in a plastic tub full of RIT Dye for a day or two. Super cheap new carpet.
08-13-2010, 06:38 PM
#63
Usually the only thing truly retaining the carpet in these cars is the side footguard trim, the seats, and the center console. It's very easy to remove. The only part I had trouble with on my fourth gen was up underneath the dash but I just reached back there and cut the small piece holding me back in half. After that all you have to do is spray the rug down at a car wash for about $1.50 then put it in a plastic tub full of RIT Dye for a day or two. Super cheap new carpet.
08-13-2010, 06:48 PM
#64
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i took the carpet out of my 4th and powerwashed it and it came out great. it was dark grey so it held up fine. in my 5th its light grey. the prior owner spilled bleach on it and spilled crap everywhere so it looks like crap. i would like a darker carpet, but i dont think it'll take the dye from what i've read.
08-13-2010, 06:50 PM
#65
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