An article on how to choose a finish for decorating a car interior, the pros and cons of finishing materials, the nuances of work. An article on how to choose a finish for decorating a car's interior, the pros and cons of finishing materials, the nuances of work.
The content of the article:
- Materials for car interior trim, their pros and cons
- Leather
- Alcantara
- Wood finish
- Natural wood
- Interior fabric upholstery
- Carpet covering
- Vinyl
- Artificial leather
- Flocking
- Self-finishing the car interior
When choosing a car, its interior decoration is of great importance. There is a big difference between salons trimmed with natural leather and fabric, and not only in price. But it all depends on the buyer's budget, although every car owner always strives for coziness and comfort. The dream remains to create a special interior in the cabin of your car. Such dreams come true, because over time, the interior trim wears out, and the time comes when the upholstery is simply necessary.
Re-equipment and repair of cars with us are on a grand scale, and you can easily find a company that will make a "doll" from the old interior of your car within a certain time and money. The new upholstery will allow you to see it attractive and smart.
Recently, the interior of the car began to be decorated with airbrushing. The author's unusual drawing on the gearshift knob or on the dashboard decorates the interior of the car in an original way. You should always remember that you stay in the car for a long time, and the salon converted according to your desire will be much more interesting than the one offered by the manufacturer.
It should be noted that lighting is another important element of the interior renovation. You will be offered diode or neon lights of your choice. Do not refuse - they will decorate the interior of your car even more.
It should also be mentioned that the cost of interior trim always depends not only on the material you choose, but also on the car model and the services you choose.
Today, there are many companies that will cope with the quality of the interior trim of your car. You need to decide on the interior of the salon and the material for renovation, and after a while you will receive your car with a completely new interior. The range of finishing materials is quite extensive:
- Leather;
- Artificial suede;
- Carbon;
- Vinyl;
- Upholstery fabrics;
- Carpet, or carpet;
- Natural wood, as well as imitation of natural leather and wood;
- Flocking.
Advantages and disadvantages of each material
Padding of the salon with genuine leather
Prestigious and expensive cars from reputable manufacturers are available with genuine leather interiors. Only rich and respectable people can afford such a car interior (the cost of finishing 1 sq. M - from 2-2.5 thousand rubles). The leather interior creates an atmosphere of comfort and coziness. Special automotive leather is used for finishing. This is an expensive pleasure, but if you decide to save money using another similar material, then in six months it will not look quite decent.
Faux suede or alcantara
This finishing material is a great alternative to natural leather. It looks quite presentable, pleasant to the touch, does not slip. Very practical, easy to clean with various detergents. The material is much cheaper than genuine leather (the cost of finishing 1 sq. M of the interior with artificial suede - from 400 rubles, Alcantara - from 600 rubles), is acceptable and popular among many car owners.
Interior wood grain
The car interior with wood trim elements looks solid and very presentable. Wood trim elements are often used. Usually decorate the dashboard, door pillars and handles, steering wheel and other details. Wood trim is not very expensive and not complicated. To carry out these works, a special film is used that imitates any wooden surface. When using such technologies, the quality depends on the film itself.
To decorate the interior with wood, it is necessary to remove all the parts, apply a film on them, dry and varnish. You can apply a carbon coating, also in the form of a film. It is better in quality, applied with an industrial hair dryer, subject to the technology of applying a carbon film. It is a very durable material with a wide range of colors. Car interior trim with carbon fiber is very popular nowadays. It allows you to hide scuffs and cracks of some parts and makes it look more attractive and expensive. The negative aspects of the film are its high cost (from 300 rubles per 1 sq. M) and the inability to imitate the real texture of a tree.
Natural wood finish
This is one of the most difficult types of car interior decoration. Decorative wooden strips are often used - they are attached to the parts with special clips. It is very difficult to cover individual parts with a thin layer of wood - experts use thin veneer of natural valuable wood species for this. With this finish, every detail is removed. This is a rather lengthy process. It is not so easy to glue the veneer to each part - first it must be treated with emery until a rough surface is obtained, then degreased. Apply a layer of special primer. The primer will dry and form a layer on which the adhesive used to glue the veneer will hold. This is a special glue for wood veneer made on the basis of PVA glue. The first layer is applied to the prepared veneer pattern for a specific part and dries completely. Then a second layer is applied and dried in the same way.
Then the pattern is applied to the part and smoothed with a special iron. This technology allows the glue to soften and get rid of excess moisture. The result is a strong glue line. The part must be completely dry and only after 12 hours it can be treated with a fine-grained abrasive and covered with several coats of colorless varnish. The advantages of this method are durability and aesthetics, the disadvantage is too expensive a pleasure (interior trim, depending on the brand of the car - from $ 500).
Interior fabric trim
The cheapest option for interior trim (cost - from 200 rubles per 1 sq. M). The most popular materials are used - upholstery fabric of different quality, which is available to everyone. It is a relatively durable material made from synthetic fibers. The variety of fabrics is great, a good option for motorists on a budget. However, there are a number of disadvantages: the material quickly breaks down, breaks easily, gets dirty. Longer storage requires additional costs to purchase rubber mats. Cleaning fabric upholstery also requires a lot of effort and the purchase of detergents and stain removers.
Carpet
When carpeting the interior of a car, the so-called carpet is used, which means "carpet" or "carpet". People call it carpet. This material is much stronger and more durable. Due to its density, the material improves the acoustic properties of music audio systems. It is preferred by lovers of loud music, mainly young motorists. The cost of finishing 1 sq. m of carpeting - 300-500 rubles.
Vinyl upholstery
Vinyl is a synthetic resin that is used in car exterior and interior trims. The material is extremely durable and moisture resistant. It is in great demand among motorists of all budget levels, has a large range of colors, is not expensive (about 4 rubles per sq. Cm). For a family car, whose interior is exposed to daily activity and clutter, vinyl can be an indispensable material. It is stronger than fabric and is a great alternative to leather. Disadvantages of vinyl are as follows: at high temperatures, especially in summer, it becomes soft and sticky; with prolonged use, vinyl-finished parts become cracked.
Imitation for natural leather
The interior of the car, trimmed with artificial leather that imitates natural, looks very elegant, while the cost of the car does not increase in any way. This finish is now available in different colors and is very popular, although not very practical.
Artificial finishing leather, which is used in mechanical engineering, is obtained by stretching artificial leather with the help of special aggregates, and then it is divided into several thin layers. It is easy to cover any part of the car interior with such material. It is easy to apply a different pattern to it, imitating a different skin texture. Black and brown colors are very popular, less often beige. Virtually no drawbacks, with the exception of a short service life. m of car interior with artificial leather - from 900 rubles.
And finally, the most modern interior change - flocking
What is the flocking process? This is the application of small charged fibers (flock) to any prepared surface with special equipment. The process is very similar to spraying paint, only small pieces of fabric are sprayed here. Flocking can be used to apply an even layer to a part of any shape. This method is widely used today when updating the car interior. The flock feels like velvet or suede. The parts covered with it acquire an original appearance. The average cost of a flock is from 800 to 1500 rubles per kg.
Flocking has many benefits:
- High fire safety;
- Sound insulation and thermal insulation;
- High wear resistance;
- Wide range of colors;
- Ease of maintenance.
The main advantage of the flock is health safety.
How to decorate the car interior yourself
Every car owner wants his "iron friend" to be the most powerful, beautiful outside, reliable and most beautiful inside. But not everyone can afford, say, flocking or vinyling. These works must be carried out in special ateliers that provide such services. But at home, it is much cheaper to make the hauling of the cabin with high-quality and not too expensive material with your own hands and breathe new life into it. To do this, you will need:
- Knife for cutting finishing material;
- Cutting scissors;
- A set of keys;
- Screwdrivers;
- Glue;
- Hair dryer;
- Soundproofing material;
- Sewing machine.
Add a little diligence and patience and you will succeed! First remove all hardware and fasteners. Disconnect the passenger compartment electrician and remove the connectors. Then free the interior of the car from the old upholstery. Do this as carefully as possible, as you will need the details of the old upholstery for the pattern from the new fabric. After removing the casing, all surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned from rust and washed off the dirt. All plastic and iron parts must be well degreased with a special solution.
Then you can start cutting the material of your choice. There is no need to rush in this matter so that you do not have to buy additional finishing materials.
Use cardboard first. Attach all the old parts to it and cut them out. If everything is done correctly, you can start cutting the new material. And then, with the help of glue, cover all the details with new patterns. To prevent the surface from leaving wrinkles, steam it with a hairdryer, and so that the seams do not bump, gently beat them off. It is necessary to finish the work by installing fittings and fasteners. Thus, you will update the interior of your car with your own hands and save the family budget.
