Very happy with the final product.
Several things led me to start this project:
^ Found the material I wanted. An industrial-quality, high-traffic carpet. China Berry, it's called.
^ Cut to the preferred dimensions. Once cut, the edges of this particular red carpet had the ability to be cleaned up with a lighter. This step is optional, yet fun nonetheless.
^ Used upholstery vinyl for the backing. This vinyl has a very plush yet durable leather feel, much better than that of the stock z3 leatherette found throughout the car. It’s much like marine vinyl which I’ve used for motorcycle seats. I cut several long strips about 5 inches wide. Then turned them upside down and stapled them to the edges of the carpet to hold them in place for sewing. Gave myself 1/2 inch of space between the edge of the carpet and the stitch. This is pretty wide, but I wanted the binding to be as much a part of the show as the bright carpet.
^ Flipped over the vinyl and cut some slits to help pull it tight as I taped it down.
^ Using the edge of the binding on-top the carpet as a guide for the sewing machine, ran a second line to lock the vinyl in place.
^ Trimmed back the extra vinyl leaving about a centimeter of material from the stitch. This will be used to cover the edge of the rubber backing when it’s glued down.
^ Found some corrugated rubber material to be used for the backing. About $2.50 a foot. Glued it in place using some spray adhesive.
^ Tucked the edges of the rubber under the edge of the binding, using hot glue to make sure the edges of the rubber stay down.
^ The turpentine in black shoe polish works great to remove any unwanted adhesive on black surfaces. The polish also does a great job of dying the white edge of the vinyl black, hiding some of the imperfections. I love this stuff.
^ Using hot glue, glued down the edge of the vinyl binding, making sure the glue contacts the carpet and the back of the vinyl. It will not stick to the smooth rubber top surface.
^ Last step. Found an even thicker piece of rubber for the heel pad. I'm using some staircase mats here. $2.50 for a piece about 2 feet long. Cut a big piece off making sure to go larger than the stock pad, then rounded out the corners. This is when it's virtually impossible to get a straight line on the sewing machine and it's hard to hide any imperfections. This line worked fine for me.
^ Done.
Far from factory precise, but good enough for me. And only spent about $70 and have enough material left over to do several more. Getting through this project has got me really curious about working with uplostery....
Thanks for reading!
- Christian
Several things led me to start this project:
- I wanted something as durable and fun as cocomats, but at 1/3 the price.
- I wanted the interior to be more... red. More matching of the "passion" in the hellrot on the outside; something that would seem at home in an old alfa spider. The Z needs more of that Italian contrast in the dark black German interior.
- I haven't been too happy with the factory floormats. The fasteners pull up the carpet, the material is too soft and plush to get dirty, the backing is already coming apart and I feel they could be longer.
^ Found the material I wanted. An industrial-quality, high-traffic carpet. China Berry, it's called.
^ Cut to the preferred dimensions. Once cut, the edges of this particular red carpet had the ability to be cleaned up with a lighter. This step is optional, yet fun nonetheless.
^ Used upholstery vinyl for the backing. This vinyl has a very plush yet durable leather feel, much better than that of the stock z3 leatherette found throughout the car. It’s much like marine vinyl which I’ve used for motorcycle seats. I cut several long strips about 5 inches wide. Then turned them upside down and stapled them to the edges of the carpet to hold them in place for sewing. Gave myself 1/2 inch of space between the edge of the carpet and the stitch. This is pretty wide, but I wanted the binding to be as much a part of the show as the bright carpet.
^ Flipped over the vinyl and cut some slits to help pull it tight as I taped it down.
^ Using the edge of the binding on-top the carpet as a guide for the sewing machine, ran a second line to lock the vinyl in place.
^ Trimmed back the extra vinyl leaving about a centimeter of material from the stitch. This will be used to cover the edge of the rubber backing when it’s glued down.
^ Found some corrugated rubber material to be used for the backing. About $2.50 a foot. Glued it in place using some spray adhesive.
^ Tucked the edges of the rubber under the edge of the binding, using hot glue to make sure the edges of the rubber stay down.
^ The turpentine in black shoe polish works great to remove any unwanted adhesive on black surfaces. The polish also does a great job of dying the white edge of the vinyl black, hiding some of the imperfections. I love this stuff.
^ Using hot glue, glued down the edge of the vinyl binding, making sure the glue contacts the carpet and the back of the vinyl. It will not stick to the smooth rubber top surface.
^ Last step. Found an even thicker piece of rubber for the heel pad. I'm using some staircase mats here. $2.50 for a piece about 2 feet long. Cut a big piece off making sure to go larger than the stock pad, then rounded out the corners. This is when it's virtually impossible to get a straight line on the sewing machine and it's hard to hide any imperfections. This line worked fine for me.
^ Done.
Far from factory precise, but good enough for me. And only spent about $70 and have enough material left over to do several more. Getting through this project has got me really curious about working with uplostery....
Thanks for reading!
- Christian
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