JasonNOLA Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 We just acquired a 1994 Itasca. It's great but the upholstery and cushions are really faded and close to having runs or tears in them. Not ratty, gross, throw away...but definitely showing their 20 year age. Question: what do you all recommend for recovering these for people who are not super savvy with a needle and thread? Have any of you ever paid a service to recover the cushions (not talking couch, just the removable ones) and if so, how much does that usually run? I assume it's pricey. We are thinking about getting bed sheets and heavy duty safety pins and coming up with our own method but we also don't want to cut corners so much that we have something that doesn't work. With that said, what about the sofa? If anyone can share their upholstery recovering story or tips, we would appreciate it. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Sheets are light weight fabric. Not upholstery grade. Your rig is one of the newest ones and possibly quite valuable. Yes if you want to do it yourself you need to know how to sew. Shop around and get some estimates on new upholstery. What you spend will surely add the same value to your motorhome. Some adult education programs have upholstery classes. Maybe you can find one and do it right yourself. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1122 Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I had brand new cushions made by a great online company called VSTAR Products, They have outstanding customer service and will work with you to get the shape and size perfect. I'm super happy with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonNOLA Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Thank you for the feedback. I will take a look at VSTAR and will also give some thought to the "learn to sew" recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 If I was thinking of undertaking recovering my upholstery, I'd spend a few hours watching ... https://www.google.com/search?q=sewing+cushion+covers+video&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official#q=sewing+rv+cushion+covers+video&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=vid Then I'd get the cheapest fabric available to practice with. No way I'd expect my first attempt to be a success! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredNewell Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 For me, an RV is about the machine. For my wife, it is about nest building on a budget. I posted our upholstrey story under our old name "Fred3" elsewhere on this board. Here's the jist of it... My neighbors were these super talented older retirees who could fix or improve anything, it seemed. They did our re-upolstery for us. The had a semi-pro hobby of doing interiors for old classic cars. We asked who they knew that did seats (didn't know it was them) and they insisted they help us. We ordered - online from Portland OR - a bolt of 16 yds of 32" wide fabric. For some reason they sent us 33+ yards, so it covered our Dolphin seats plus an old Acrua, and we still have a lifetime supply. We paid very little, maybe $100 for the bolt. It was old stock. We carefully removed the old fabric for a good pattern. The lady did the new work for $250 and wouldn't take a penny more. What a gracious gift. It took her two full days, and it was perfect. She had the right machine for the job, and the skill set. A local upholstery shop offered to do it for $1200. We used the old foam. Foam is pricey. In hindsight, I wish I'd have replaced the foam for the cabover bunk, but I guess I still could. She stitched all of the seams, and did not leave a zipper, which was our choice to save on labor. We could still rip and re-sew a seam. No big deal. They look great. Then we ordered a set of Wet Okole seat covers for the cab in tan and blue, with rear pockets behind the seats, and a blue Dolphin stitched in for decoration. I think they were like 350 for the set of two. We also re-carpeted the cab, and re-did the door panels to match the new upholstery. This cost around $150 total. We made new curtains where needed, and kept the blinds that we liked. Cost of maybe $25. No shag on our floor. We have white vinyl linoleum that cleans easy, topped by rubber backed throw rugs from Kohls. As a result, our rig looks good, and smells good. For advice as for what to do if this is a long term investment... I'd say bite the bullet and get real nice upholstery, not el cheapo. Use throw covers in the meantime. Otherwise, just use it until you're done, then sell it. You probably won't get back all of your improvement money. RVs are a little hole in the universe where you flush money. The sewing is something anyone could do, but you have to understand fabric bias, and take care to keep the wrinkles out - and make straight even beautiful seams. Just an opinion. It's a cool skill to learn. Back in the Navy, I visited a sail shop in a shipyard that had a sewing machine that I swear could have sewed sheets of plywood together, but that's a different tale to tell... har! Thank you for reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Yeah it won't be cheap to have it done. Over $1,000. My friend, when she first quoted me the "friend" price, quoted $1,400. Luckily since then her parents bought a Mercedes RV and thought the foam was too firm, so they had her get new foam and reupholster it. So I got their old foam for free, had her reupholster it, and paid her very much a "friend" price for labor. It was still around $400, but that's a screaming deal on great, firm foam and new upholstery. But if you decide to practice and learn and do it yourself, that's great! Just have to pick and choose, at some point, what things you'll learn and what you'll pay someone else to do, given the short amount of time we have on this earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Fred, That's a nice story about your upholstery stuff. Wish I'd seen that sail shop! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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