Fixing Ripped Upholstery

There is one part of the car that everyone pays attention to, without really paying attention to, and that is the upholstery. This happens by the simple fact that whenever we get into our vehicle and the upholstery is in good condition, we tend to feel better about the car and are more relaxed when we are driving around. On the flip side, when the upholstery is ripped, torn, snagged or simply in a bad shape then we typically feel the exact opposite—uptight and crabby. Here are a few options that you should consider when trying to restore the interior upholstery of your car.

• Leather. The easiest way to repair damaged ripped automotive leather yourself is to purchase a leather repair kit. These can be purchased for as little as $9.00 online, at automotive repair stores, and even at some of the major department stores. Make sure that you look around and match the color of your leather as closely as possible, otherwise your car seat is going to look more like a patchwork quilt than a car. Make sure that you follow the manufacturer directions closely, or you are likely to cause more damage to your upholstery than if you had done nothing.
• Vinyl. Just as with leather, there are repair kits that you can purchase for vinyl upholstery. These kits are more along the lines of cut and paste than what you normally see with the leather kits. Once again, you are going to want to make sure that you match as the colors as closely as possible, and that the area of damage is clean of any debris before you begin your repair. As always, follow the manufacturers directions as closely as possible.
• Cloth. Of all the types of upholstery, cloth is typically both the most difficult and easiest type of upholstery to repair. Easiest because, depending on the type of tear or rip, you can simply sew it back together. Most difficult because, well...you have to sew it back together. Use a thread that matches the color of the cloth as closely as possible. By using a few simple stitches, you can have your upholstery back to normal.