Sagging/Falling leather door panel repair
#1
04-09-2016, 08:21 PM
Sagging/Falling leather door panel repair
So earlier last week i asked if any members had used Permatex products to repair the infamous sagging/falling leather on our door panels. Haven't had any responses, and since i had already purchased a Permatex sealant/adhesive product, and had some free time, truck it, i got on it.
A short product description. Permatex contact cement. Comes in a 1.5 oz tube, neoprene based. Company describes this product to make superior bonds to rubber, glass and metal. After getting on the Permatex website i confirmed its safe for leather and plastic applications.
I spent roughly an hour including prep. Also I'll post pictures.
What i used:
Editing Note the cement will set almost instantly, but takes 24 to fully cure. Periodically i would check on the repair for signs of loosening or lifting. I ended up making more Q-dowels. More pressure being applied to the tucked edge will ensure a smother, flatter and more secured bond.
10-20 q tips cut each to remove one tip and a little of the shaft.
Blue painter's tape use whatever you got. I would stay away from tapes that have commercial or heavy duty uses, definitely don't wanna damage the surface of that trim piece. I'm sure any "releasing" tape will suffice. To cover that hard plastic trim above the leather panel.
Wooden golf tee this was used as a makeshift stretching/maneuvering/insertion dowel. I suggest it be a unused new tee.
Tube of Permatex contact cement pretty obvious, your adhesive...
Isopropyl alcohol used this to clean surfaces to be bonded together. Chose alcohol since i wasn't quite sure if anything harsher would dissolve the foam backing on the hide.
Old expired atm card didn't wanna make a mess and even the smallest putty knife was still more than i needed to get cement effectively under the hard plastic trim where the leather is tucked. I cut it in half used one piece to put adhesive on and the other to apply.
Small hand roller it's rolling surface is like an inch wide, and the handle is like maybe 7-8 inches. You already know...
And last but not least, a CLEAN cotton rag for wiping and cleaning
Part Deuce below....
A short product description. Permatex contact cement. Comes in a 1.5 oz tube, neoprene based. Company describes this product to make superior bonds to rubber, glass and metal. After getting on the Permatex website i confirmed its safe for leather and plastic applications.
I spent roughly an hour including prep. Also I'll post pictures.
What i used:
Editing Note the cement will set almost instantly, but takes 24 to fully cure. Periodically i would check on the repair for signs of loosening or lifting. I ended up making more Q-dowels. More pressure being applied to the tucked edge will ensure a smother, flatter and more secured bond.
10-20 q tips cut each to remove one tip and a little of the shaft.
Blue painter's tape use whatever you got. I would stay away from tapes that have commercial or heavy duty uses, definitely don't wanna damage the surface of that trim piece. I'm sure any "releasing" tape will suffice. To cover that hard plastic trim above the leather panel.
Wooden golf tee this was used as a makeshift stretching/maneuvering/insertion dowel. I suggest it be a unused new tee.
Tube of Permatex contact cement pretty obvious, your adhesive...
Isopropyl alcohol used this to clean surfaces to be bonded together. Chose alcohol since i wasn't quite sure if anything harsher would dissolve the foam backing on the hide.
Old expired atm card didn't wanna make a mess and even the smallest putty knife was still more than i needed to get cement effectively under the hard plastic trim where the leather is tucked. I cut it in half used one piece to put adhesive on and the other to apply.
Small hand roller it's rolling surface is like an inch wide, and the handle is like maybe 7-8 inches. You already know...
And last but not least, a CLEAN cotton rag for wiping and cleaning
Part Deuce below....
Last edited by LuxuryMuscle; 04-10-2016 at 01:11 PM.
#2
04-09-2016, 08:57 PM
So earlier last week i asked if any members had used Permatex products to repair the infamous sagging/falling leather on our door panels. Haven't had any responses, and since i had already purchased a Permatex sealant/adhesive product, and had some free time, truck it, i got on it.
A short product description. Permatex contact cement. Comes in a 1.5 oz tube, neoprene based. Company describes this product to make superior bonds to rubber, glass and metal. After getting on the Permatex website i confirmed its safe for leather and plastic applications.
I spent roughly an hour including prep. Also I'll post pictures.
What i used:
10 q tips, cut each to remove one tip and a little of the shaft.
Blue painter's tape use whatever you got. I'm sure any "releasing" tape will suffice. To cover that hard plastic trim above the leather panel.
Wooden golf tee this was used add a makeshift stretching/maneuvering/insertion dowl. I suggest it be a unused new tee.
Tube of Permatex contact cement pretty obvious, your adhesive...
Isopropyl alcohol used this to clean surfaces to be bonded together. Chose alcohol since i wasn't quite sure if anything harsher would dissolve the foam backing on the hide.
Old expired atm card didn't wanna make a mess and even the smallest putty knife was still more than i needed to get cement effectively under the hard plastic trim where the leather it's tucked. I cut it in half used one piece to put adhesive on and the other to apply.
Small hand roller it's rolling surface it's like an inch wide, and handle is like maybe 7-8 inches. You already know...
And last but not least, a CLEAN cotton rag for wiping and cleaning.
Part Deuce below....
A short product description. Permatex contact cement. Comes in a 1.5 oz tube, neoprene based. Company describes this product to make superior bonds to rubber, glass and metal. After getting on the Permatex website i confirmed its safe for leather and plastic applications.
I spent roughly an hour including prep. Also I'll post pictures.
What i used:
10 q tips, cut each to remove one tip and a little of the shaft.
Blue painter's tape use whatever you got. I'm sure any "releasing" tape will suffice. To cover that hard plastic trim above the leather panel.
Wooden golf tee this was used add a makeshift stretching/maneuvering/insertion dowl. I suggest it be a unused new tee.
Tube of Permatex contact cement pretty obvious, your adhesive...
Isopropyl alcohol used this to clean surfaces to be bonded together. Chose alcohol since i wasn't quite sure if anything harsher would dissolve the foam backing on the hide.
Old expired atm card didn't wanna make a mess and even the smallest putty knife was still more than i needed to get cement effectively under the hard plastic trim where the leather it's tucked. I cut it in half used one piece to put adhesive on and the other to apply.
Small hand roller it's rolling surface it's like an inch wide, and handle is like maybe 7-8 inches. You already know...
And last but not least, a CLEAN cotton rag for wiping and cleaning.
Part Deuce below....
While bonding surfaces are drying, lay some releasing tape over the hard trim piece. The better you prep, the least you'll be cleaning once bonding is completed.
Open the contact cement via the cap. I was cautious when puncturing the tube's end. Wasn't sure how thin or thick the cement is. I'm glad i took it slow, it's a bit runny.
I started with about a quarter size blob on one piece of plastic card and used the other as a knife to carefully get the cement in that tiny little groove under the hard trim piece. I let gravity do the bulk of the maneuvering, then pushed the cement in the groove as careful as possible to not make a mess. Also small hairs and threads will appear almost instantly when your moving your card out of the groove area and back to your card to move more cement to the rest of the bonding surface. Keep that rag handy. I applied cement to literally almost every square inch of the loose leather/foam backing, and respective areas of the door panel.
You must wait 10 minutes for solvents to evaporate out of the cement before setting the leather back in place. If you wait too long your bond might not be as long-lasting, on the flipside if you don't wait long enough, the bond could be weak as well.
After appropriate wait, i used the golf tee to work that upper edge into the groove. I also smoothed the leather from the arm rest towards the groove while stretching it and inserting. I found out quickly don't go to hard. Otherwise you'll pierce, rip, or tear it. I didn't use any heat source to aid in stretching. It may have made it a little easier. I have no idea. I worked my leather from the door handle to door latch.i was careful with the stretching and inserting. I care about my car and also wanted it to look good too. Also i left a flap outside of the groove in the door latch area, I'll get that lil guy tucked in tomorrow.
After maneuvering the leather into place, get your q tips. I tried to keep them evenly spaced apart. I used them as dowel pins to keep the leather in place. I used plastic shaft q tips. They can flex and fit snuggly in that groove and apply pressure to the hide. Then i used my small hand roller to smooth the leather and ensure all of the bonding surfaces were good and flat.
As of now, no releasing has occurred. Everything is nice and flat. Everything seems to be in order. Tomorrow after the Georgia sun gets this baby to a nice roasting temp, I'll check on the repair and return with a status post.
Pictures in part Tree...
Last edited by LuxuryMuscle; 04-09-2016 at 10:28 PM.
#3
04-09-2016, 10:18 PM
Start with the cotton rag and some alcy. Wrap your piece of cut atm card with the rag, then dampen the rag whiff das alcy. Now it becomes your makeshift putty knife tiny crevice cleaning tool. Wipe real good under the hard trim piece. Then use your rag and clean your foam backing, and the plastic panel as well. Allow to dry
While binding surfaces are drying, lay some releasing tape over the hard trim piece. The better you prep, the least you'll be cleaning once bonding is completed.
Open the contact cement via the cap. I was cautious when puncturing the tubes end. Wasn't sure how thin or thick the cement is. I'm glad i took it slow, it's a bit runny.
I started with about a quarter size blob on one piece of plastic card and used the other as a knife to carefully get the cement in that tiny little groove under the hard trim piece. I let gravity do the bulk of the maneuvering, then pushed the cement in the groove as careful as possible to not make a mess. Also small hairs and threads will appear almost instantly when your moving your card out of the groove area and back to your card to move more cement to the rest of the bonding surface. Keep that rag handy. I applied cement to literally almost every square inch of the loose leather/foam backing, and respective areas of the door panel.
You must wait 10 minutes for solvents to evaporate out of the cement before setting the eather back in place. If you wait too long your bond might not be as long-lasting, on the flipside if you don't wait long enough, the bonds could be weak as well.
After appropriate wait i used the golf tee to work that upper edge into the groove. I also smoothed the leather from the arm rest towards the groove while stretching it and inserting. I found out quickly don't go to hard. Otherwise you'll pierce, rip, or tear it. I didn't use any heat source to aid in stretching. It may have made it a little easier. I have no idea. I worked my leather from the door handle to door latch.i was careful with the stretching and inserting. I care about my car and also wanted it to look good too. Also i left a flap outside of the groove in the door latch area, I'll get that lil guy tucked in tomorrow.
After maneuvering the leather into place, get your q tips. I tried to keep them evenly spaced apart. I used them as dowel pins to keep the leather in place. I used plastic shaft q tips. They can flex and fit snuggly in that groove and apply pressure to the hide. Then i used my small hand roller to smooth the leather and ensure all of the bonding surfaces were good and flat.
As of now, no releasing has occurred. Everything is nice and flat. Everything seems to be in order. Tomorrow after the Georgia sun gets this baby to a nice roasting temp, I'll check on the repair and return with a status post.
Pictures in part Tree...
While binding surfaces are drying, lay some releasing tape over the hard trim piece. The better you prep, the least you'll be cleaning once bonding is completed.
Open the contact cement via the cap. I was cautious when puncturing the tubes end. Wasn't sure how thin or thick the cement is. I'm glad i took it slow, it's a bit runny.
I started with about a quarter size blob on one piece of plastic card and used the other as a knife to carefully get the cement in that tiny little groove under the hard trim piece. I let gravity do the bulk of the maneuvering, then pushed the cement in the groove as careful as possible to not make a mess. Also small hairs and threads will appear almost instantly when your moving your card out of the groove area and back to your card to move more cement to the rest of the bonding surface. Keep that rag handy. I applied cement to literally almost every square inch of the loose leather/foam backing, and respective areas of the door panel.
You must wait 10 minutes for solvents to evaporate out of the cement before setting the eather back in place. If you wait too long your bond might not be as long-lasting, on the flipside if you don't wait long enough, the bonds could be weak as well.
After appropriate wait i used the golf tee to work that upper edge into the groove. I also smoothed the leather from the arm rest towards the groove while stretching it and inserting. I found out quickly don't go to hard. Otherwise you'll pierce, rip, or tear it. I didn't use any heat source to aid in stretching. It may have made it a little easier. I have no idea. I worked my leather from the door handle to door latch.i was careful with the stretching and inserting. I care about my car and also wanted it to look good too. Also i left a flap outside of the groove in the door latch area, I'll get that lil guy tucked in tomorrow.
After maneuvering the leather into place, get your q tips. I tried to keep them evenly spaced apart. I used them as dowel pins to keep the leather in place. I used plastic shaft q tips. They can flex and fit snuggly in that groove and apply pressure to the hide. Then i used my small hand roller to smooth the leather and ensure all of the bonding surfaces were good and flat.
As of now, no releasing has occurred. Everything is nice and flat. Everything seems to be in order. Tomorrow after the Georgia sun gets this baby to a nice roasting temp, I'll check on the repair and return with a status post.
Pictures in part Tree...
EDITING NOTE - MOVED PICTURES TO STATUS REPORT BELOW. THE LINKED ALBUM NOW INCLUDES 6 DAYS AFTER REPAIR SHOTS. STILL HOLDING, SEE BELOW.
Last edited by LuxuryMuscle; 04-15-2016 at 11:18 PM. Reason: moved photos.
#4
04-10-2016, 01:39 PM
Status report
It's been over 20 hours since i finished my repair. The size of my repair (I'm estimating) was about 2 1/2" by 6". You can get the idea if you looked at the linked pictures.
The repair looks GREAT. I'm a bit obsessive about my car. I pay attention to the fine details.
I edited part one of this thread, i ended up using more Q-dowels to secure the top edge of the leather after i inserted it in the respective area.
The bonded area right above the armrest feels smooth, no bulges, no hard spots. Running my hand across the repaired area to areas that remained intact from the factory, i literally cannot tell any difference. Also the cement didn't dissolve the foam backing.
As stated in part one, the cement will fully cure in 24 hours.
I removed painter's tape after about 4 hours, the cement that was on it was still tacky and could run my finger across it, ball it up and remove from the surface. Outside of that there was virtually no clean up.
If you try my method, just take your time when applying the cement.
Hope this works for you, get on it!
ALBUM INCLUDES FINISHED PICTURES.
https://m.facebook.com/MorbidFrequen...1559889927679/
The repair looks GREAT. I'm a bit obsessive about my car. I pay attention to the fine details.
I edited part one of this thread, i ended up using more Q-dowels to secure the top edge of the leather after i inserted it in the respective area.
The bonded area right above the armrest feels smooth, no bulges, no hard spots. Running my hand across the repaired area to areas that remained intact from the factory, i literally cannot tell any difference. Also the cement didn't dissolve the foam backing.
As stated in part one, the cement will fully cure in 24 hours.
I removed painter's tape after about 4 hours, the cement that was on it was still tacky and could run my finger across it, ball it up and remove from the surface. Outside of that there was virtually no clean up.
If you try my method, just take your time when applying the cement.
Hope this works for you, get on it!
ALBUM INCLUDES FINISHED PICTURES.
https://m.facebook.com/MorbidFrequen...1559889927679/
Last edited by LuxuryMuscle; 04-15-2016 at 11:17 PM. Reason: added photos.
#5
04-27-2016, 07:40 PM
Permatex contact cement did the trick.
Has been multiple weeks since I finished the repair. STILL HOLDING, LOOKING AWESOME!. Permatex says their product resists moisture and heat and they speak no lies. It definitely makes a superior bond as described. Still no lifting or separating after day after day of at least 100 F interior temps. While at work i leave the windows up. Glad i chose Permatex for the repair
