Materials, craft and care
What is worth knowing before a boat, a car or a piece of furniture is upholstered: which material each use calls for, and why. No DIY recipes.
Yachts
Marine upholstery materials: what stands up to salt, damp and sun
Fabric, vinyl, foam, thread and fixings: what each layer of a deck cushion has to cope with.
Read the articleHow long a yacht interior takes to upholster, and why
The bench days, what comes before and after, and how to save time without rushing the work.
Read the articleMade-to-measure berth mattresses: what changes from one at home
The shape, the condensation you never get at home, ventilated underlays, cores and covers.
Read the articleFire-retardant upholstery on a yacht: what the rules require, and when
Which yachts it applies to, which test, inherent or treated cloth, and when to renew.
Read the articleHelm seats: upholstering the helm station
Flip-up bolsters, vinyl or technical leather, colour in the sun and suspension seats.
Read the articleSun pad cushions: measuring, shaping and fastening
Patterning on the boat, curves, a mesh base and how it is fastened.
Read the articleLeather or vinyl inside a boat
Marine leather, marine vinyl, where each belongs and the boat left shut.
Read the articleDeck cushion colour: which shade copes with the sun
Heat, dark shades that reflect, colour that lasts and what to ask.
Read the articlePink stains on marine vinyl: what they are and how to avoid them
What causes it, why it won’t wash out, the foam beneath and what to ask.
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Cars
Nappa leather versus standard leather: what actually differs
The standard’s definition, the grain, the finish, and what changes in a car that lives in the sun.
Read the articleAlcantara or leather: when each one makes sense
What each material is, where each works best in the cabin, and how each is looked after.
Read the articleRestoring a classic car interior: what to keep and what to replace
Conserve, restore or replace: how it is decided piece by piece, and what is recorded first.
Read the articleRetrimming a steering wheel: leather, Alcantara and what to know first
The airbag, the rim material, the 12 o’clock marker and the stitching: what is decided first.
Read the articleWhy a car headliner sags, and how it is redone
The foam, the heat, why a quick fix fails and what redoing it properly involves.
Read the articleDoor cards: what gets retrimmed and what gets replaced
The board, damp, retrim or remake, and how the original pattern is kept.
Read the articleThe seat bolster: why it wears first and how it is repaired
Why it wears first, the three stages of wear and how each is repaired.
Read the articleHeated or ventilated seats: what changes when they’re retrimmed
What lies beneath, perforated leather, the maker’s warning and the sensor.
Read the articleQuilting and stitching in a car interior: diamond, flutes or plain
How it is made, diamond or flutes, thread colour, placement and perforation.
Read the articleConvertible upholstery: what sun and rain ask of it
Sun, water, the hood, which material copes better and how to clean it.
Read the articleA leather-free car interior: what the materials are
Synthetic leather, microfibre, cloth, the parts you can’t see and what to ask.
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Villas & furniture
When it is worth reupholstering a sofa instead of replacing it
What lies under the cloth decides: frame, suspension, filling, and the right fabric.
Read the articleFabrics for a coastal house that stays shut half the year
What damp, dust, insects and light do to it, and how to leave the house when you close it.
Read the articleBespoke upholstered headboards: what to decide before you order
Height, fixing, finish and fabric: what to be clear about before you order one.
Read the articleDeep buttoning: what it is and what a buttoned piece asks for
What deep buttoning is, where it comes from, how it is made and what to decide first.
Read the articleVelvet upholstery: what to ask before you choose it
Pile and light, normal marking, water, care and what to ask first.
Read the articleLinen upholstery: what to expect from a natural cloth
Strength, creasing, shrinkage, light and what to ask before choosing it.
Read the articleLoose covers: when they make sense on a sofa
What it is, when it pays, when it doesn’t and what the care label decides.
Read the articleBouclé upholstery: what to expect from a looped cloth
What it is, snagging, pilling, looking after it and what to ask.
Read the articleDining chairs: which fabric stands up to daily use
Rubbing measured, spills, slip seat or fixed, and what to ask.
Read the articleUpholstery for a home with dogs and cats
Claws, hair, accidents, the scratching cat and what to ask.
Read the articleAntique armchairs: what to keep when they’re reupholstered
The frame, the tack holes, horsehair stuffing, the UK rules and what to ask.
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