Interior Cushions

A

ACNETCOM

New Member
Nov 23, 2009
17
Plymouth, MA
Boat Info
1981 Sea Ray Vanguard 31'
Engines
Twin 454 Inboards
Good Morning, Hoping to get some feedback and or advice on the subject of re-upholstering our existing cabin interior. There are app. 12 cushions that I have removed from down below, and I need some help on what works for fabrics, styles and ballpark pricing. Thanks
 
ACNETCOM said:
Good Morning, Hoping to get some feedback and or advice on the subject of re-upholstering our existing cabin interior. There are app. 12 cushions that I have removed from down below, and I need some help on what works for fabrics, styles and ballpark pricing. Thanks
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We bought our fabric by the yard from a local place called "The Fabric Mill". It's a big place that only deals with fabric. They have just about anything you want there. I'm sure there must be a similar type place somewhere near you.
We have a friend who does upholstery work and he agreed to strip and recover the cushions for a very reasonble price. Apparently there wasn't a lot of stitching involved when compared to the interior house furniture he usually does.
You may also opt to do it yourself by stripping it, pulling all the old staples, and re-wrapping it. Just make sure to lay out the fabric so the pattern continues properly from one cushion to the next. The other thing to do is to make sure you use stainless steel staples. You can pick them up, along with the big staple gun if you need one, at your local home center.
It's not a big deal to do. When we first got our boat I stripped the material off of the mid berth cushions, washed the fabric, and re-installed it myself. It came out great! I changed them a year later mainly because we wanted to update the fabric to better coordinate with what we had put up in the V berth.
I don't recall the exact prices, but I think the fabric was about 100 for the V berth, and about the same for the mid berth the following year. We had some extra fabric left over from the mid berth, so our friend made up some throw pillows with it that look really great back in there.
 
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ACNETCOM said:
Good Morning, Hoping to get some feedback and or advice on the subject of re-upholstering our existing cabin interior. There are app. 12 cushions that I have removed from down below, and I need some help on what works for fabrics, styles and ballpark pricing. Thanks
Click to expand...

The answer to this question can be all over the place. It all depends on what type of fabric you use and the cost.

I re-upholsterd all 6 cushions on my 1987 s-24 Sorrento. I went to a fabric store that specialized in upholstery-type fabric and they also sold foam. They cut all the foam for no charge.

In out '89 340 we used the existing foam and just bought a fabric we liked at Joann's.

Lastly, there are marine interior designers that will do it all for you or give you ideas. But the cost on this will vary greatly.

Have fun.
 
Thanks, both of your suggestions are really appreciated. I don't really know which way we'll go yet. May very well try buying the material ourselves then finding someone with sewing talent to make them up. What type material did you get for the marine enviroment?
 
ACNETCOM said:
Thanks, both of your suggestions are really appreciated. I don't really know which way we'll go yet. May very well try buying the material ourselves then finding someone with sewing talent to make them up. What type material did you get for the marine enviroment?
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The people in the fabric store should be able to steer you in the right direction. I don't remember the name of the products we went with, but I do know that they are pretty sturdy without being rough. They are at least as sturdy as what SeaRay installed from the factory.
You don't really need waterproof stuff inside the cabin. Plus, the waterproof stuff can be tough to sleep on. You also want something that will breathe so that it doesn't get musty smelling.
There is fabric made by Sunbrella that is water and fade resistent, but again it might be a little more coarse than you want.
Just go with something that you think is at least as durable and comfortable as what you would regularly sit or lay around on while watching TV at home or something.
 
I am in the process of re doing my forward birth. I decided to go with marine grade vinyl. I went to my local fabric store and purchased vinyl, foam, batting and material and it was about 450 total. The foam is the most expensive part, it was like 50 bucks a sheet for the birth cushions.

I am doing it myself, so it is very time consuming as I have to spend a lot of time tucking and folding and pulling so it looks good when done.

Good luck.
 
I give you good credit for taking that project on yourself. I am also leaning that way myself, I am just not sure I'll get it put back looking presentable. Good Luck on your end, I'll keep you advised on our progress. How much trouble can I posibly be getting into?
 
ACNETCOM said:
I give you good credit for taking that project on yourself. I am also leaning that way myself, I am just not sure I'll get it put back looking presentable. Good Luck on your end, I'll keep you advised on our progress. How much trouble can I posibly be getting into?
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Take your time and you can't get in too much trouble. Vinyl might be a little tougher to use than regular fabric. If you do go with Vinyl, just make sure it is warmed in the sun for a few hours first so it's easier to work with.
If you go with a regular fabric, just lay it out and cut so that the patterns continue from one cushion to the next. Tack it in with just a couple of staples at first to make sure evrything is lined up the way you want it, and finish up the stapling when you have it the way you want it.
I was very lucky when I did mine because the foam cushions themselves were in excellent condition so I didn't have to go though the expense of replacing them. the batting (which goes between the foam and the fabric) is cheap, and the fabric itself shouldn't be too bad if you go to a big enough place.
 
ACNETCOM said:
Good Morning, Hoping to get some feedback and or advice on the subject of re-upholstering our existing cabin interior. There are app. 12 cushions that I have removed from down below, and I need some help on what works for fabrics, styles and ballpark pricing. Thanks
Click to expand...

I reupholstered our previous boat which was a 1999 28' Crusier. We used a local shop that had done other work for us. They were able to get marine grade vinyl which ran $28/ sq. yd. The original covering was a floral fabric which was still in good condition but was hideous. The entire job was around $2,000 which included completely redoing the side bolsters and all cushions.
 
For some great prices on material check out newtoto.com. Also for some great tips and material try sailrite.com. Good luck on your project its not as difficult as it seems
 
With the positive last few replies, and the quote I just received from a local furniture upholstery shop($4,860.00), decision made, We'll try it ourselves! I should of taken that home ec class back in high school!
 
It is not that tough, I am doing a cushion a week since I have all winter! So far they look great, but it takes me about 3-4 hours to complete each cushion as I am being very careful. The biggy with the vinyl I have found is keeping it tight and working the corners to keep the wrinkles out. I found some buttons at Joanns fabric for the pieces on the wall which came out very good too.

Good luck with your project. Once I get them all done, I will post some pictures.
 
When we bought our 340 3 1/2 years ago it had the original cabin interior and a lot of pink hard surfaces. In an effort to "tone down" the pink, my wife and I chose the fabric in the pics below. We used the existing foam, the old fabric for patterns and cut and sewed everything ourselves. That includes the curtains and the small panels on the windows.

We bought all the material at Joann Fabrics and an electric staple gun at Lowe's. Be sure and use stainless or Monel staples.

HPIM0609.jpg


HPIM0608.jpg
 
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