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Hiring a professional to reupholster your leather car seats can cost you four figures. Reupholstering them yourself will cost you far less and give you the added pride of completing the job on your own. The process of reupholstering can be compared to taking a puzzle apart, copying the pieces and then putting the newly made pieces together again.
Step 1
Remove the seats from the vehicle with the ratchet.
Step 2
Unscrew any screws holding the vehicle seat parts together. The screws in the seat are sometimes covered with an easily removed plastic screw cover that can be popped off.
Step 3
Use your utility knife to cut any sewn seams. Be careful not to cut the leather, because the existing leather will be used to create stencils for the new seats.
Step 4
Remove any hog rings or upholstery staples with the needle-nose pliers.
Step 5
Take the leather off the seat frame, marking each pieces location and adjoining piece. Separate each piece of leather from each other.
Step 6
Trace around each piece of leather on the butcher paper and then cut out. Make sure to transfer all identifying labels to the butcher paper.
Step 7
Cut out the new pieces of leather using the butcher paper stencils.
Step 8
Attach the leather to the seat frame with the hog rings or upholstery staples, if that was how the original leather was attached.
Step 9
Sew the pieces together (like a slipcover) and slip them over the seat frame, if that was the original way in which the seat was covered.
Put the seat back in the car and tighten with the ratchet.
Items you will need
- Ratchet set
- Screwdriver
- Utility knife
- Needle-nose pliers
- Butcher paper
- Hog rings, upholstery staples or sewing machine
