Leather??

[jojo]

Hi everyone!
I have a customer who wants his car seats done in leather. The only experience I have sewing leather is putting a chafe preventer reinforcement on dodgers, etc.
It's not so much the sewing I'm worried about; I have the proper equipment. BUT...where do I get leather? Is it true it's only sold in hides? If so how will I know how much leather to buy for a 2004 Acura interior?
Thanks for any info you can give!

[DBR1957]

Pretty sure you can get leather from Miami Corp. However, I believe the leather
seat kits are available premade for Acuras.

http://www.autoseatskins.com/katzkin-leather-upholstery-s/502.htm

[scarab29]

Katzkin is the way to go unless you want something really exotic in leather or some custom stitching.

I use this guy for hides. Pricing is usually by the sq ft. so that will get you close without buying the caw as it were.

http://www.coast2coastleather.com/

[kodydog]

Don't forget to check out our sponsors.
http://www.waterhouseleather.com/upholstery_leather_hides.htm

Is it true it's only sold in hides?

Most suppliers sell half hides

How about elk skin
https://hidehouse.com/products/?Category=Featured&Featured_Category=ELK

Check out these cool patterns
http://www.barbarossaleather.com/

And of course Tandy's been around for years with over 100 locations
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/Upholstery.aspx

[lruthb]

I just recently finished a mechanical bull and all the leather I needed and priced was the best at Tandy. Yes I had to order hides, sometimes half hydes. All figured by square foot. Tandy helps with all of this if your unsure. The customer knows of the overage all up front. PS: these are hides with inperfections. Some customers don't get this.
I would definately check with a distribiture of auto seats to save yourself.
Enjoy the transformation.

[Steve at Silverstone Fabrics]

JoJo, I have been a seller of leather hides (mostly Spinneybeck and Edelman) on eBay for over 10 years and the most important spec for purchasing leather for a car is, the hide must be designed  (UV rated) to be used in a car.

If you use furniture grade leather, your leather will not hold up in the heat and sunlight .....and you will have a customer that will come back to you very un-happy.

FYI: How to convert yards to square feet:  1 yard of 54" wide fabric is equal to 18ft2 of leather.......this formula takes into account waste involved  with the irregular shapes of the leather, but there are exceptions....some leather has a higher yield than others.

Steve

[jojo]

Thanks guys...very useful information! DBR, I like your suggestions, however, they don't have the kits for the year that I need...it only goes to 1998.  :(

[kodydog]

If you use furniture grade leather, your leather will not hold up in the heat and sunlight .....and you will have a customer that will come back to you very un-happy.

Thanks Sterry I didn't know that. Ya learn something new every day.

[Steve at Silverstone Fabrics]

Kodydog, You are very welcome.....it is wonderful to be part of such a giving community.

I just wish I would have had this resource 30 years ago when I was a "newbie" upholstery shop owner. The knowledge that is given so freely on this site will make our industry stronger. Steve

[stitcher_guy]

I'm with Scarab. Nothing against Miami Corp, but Coast2Coast beats them hands down on leather price, and the quality is still good. They also will sell leather by the sq. inch instead of requiring hide purchases.

Is he wanting a stock seat done? or something special and different? Bear in mind that many times when someone says they need a new seat, they simply need a couple panels repaired to get their seat back into condition. I do a ton of seat bolster replacement in leather (wears as you slide in and out) and C2C is great for the small pieces.

[Steve at Silverstone Fabrics]

SG, Thanks for giving us the lead on C2C. I went to their website.....very cool but they do not list prices. Do you have to contact them for every piece you are interested in?  I will get in touch with them after the holiday. Steve

[seamsperfect]

Hi everyone!
I have a customer who wants his car seats done in leather. The only experience I have sewing leather is putting a chafe preventer reinforcement on dodgers, etc.
It's not so much the sewing I'm worried about; I have the proper equipment. BUT...where do I get leather? Is it true it's only sold in hides? If so how will I know how much leather to buy for a 2004 Acura interior?
Thanks for any info you can give!

I work with leather all the time.  . Usually 2-2.5 yards per 50sqft hide, parts of the hides you can not use due to scars or pits.  So lets say min of 3 hides to get around 125sqft.
I priced coast to coast before at 10/sqft.  $1,500.00 in leather alone + you have your labor.  A less expensive option is set up an acct at hidehouse in Cali.  You can get good leather at $4.50 - 5 so half in materials costs then your labor on top.  Another option but limited to colors is Ebay, there is a guy that does buy outs and sells hides for cheap, I never bought from them so I do not know the quality of the hides but you might want to do a search. Also as someone stated look as  leatherseats or katskins, this  will be your least expensive options.  full leather for around $1,000.00 and matching vinyl/leather seating areas for $750. I never use them but some of their japanese and american kits are not too bad, at least  the ones I have seen.  Also check roadwire...  
Kevin