How to: Recover your Center Console (10 Steps)

[section525]

If your center console is ripped, falling apart, etc. it is really quite easy and inexpensive to just recover it yourself.

Step One:
Remove the three screws at the bottom of the lid.

Step Two:
Find a nice area to work on.

Step Three:
Flip the lid over and remove all the screws and remove the black pastic lid.

Step Four:
Remove all the staples currently holding the vinyl on.

Step Five:
Remove the vinyl from the armrest.

Step Six:
Spread old vinyl over your new vinyl and trace.

Step Seven:
Cut relief cuts near the front edges.

Step Eight:
Start on one side and staple the edge down. Then stretch over to the opposite side and staple again. Keep stretching to the opposite side inorder to get a nice tight cover going on.

Step Nine:
Place black plastic back on and gently screw the screws back down.

Step Ten:
Screw it back onto the console and you're done.

Now if you really try you can probably find a gray/tan etc that is pretty right on with your interior color. I wasn't too worried about it. Also, I think I spent about $12 on vinyl for about 5 lids or so. So it's very very cheap.

 

[aldive]

Excellent write up.

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

very nice write up..... Mine before was brownish grey from all the dirt and i just scrubbed and scrubbed and it came out very well.

 

[churd69]

I have done multiple interiors like this, a good thing to have is a can of spray adhesive. It helps a lot. You can also use this process to add inserts on your door panels.

-Rich

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

what about 1st gens? How do we recover ours? mine is in BAD shape

 

[xman98]

hey sextion525 when I saw this write up over the summer I knew I was going to be doing it, well I got home from college and it was one of the 1st things I did. your directions were perfect nice job!

now for proof

Dan

 

[huntersteve61]

Now if you really try you can probably find a gray/tan etc that is pretty right on with your interior color. I wasn't too worried about it. Also, I think I spent about $12 on vinyl for about 5 lids or so. So it's very very cheap.[/QUOTE]

Where are you guys finding the correct color vinyl for your ex's mines dark graphite grey.... any ideas?

 

[squish]

Take the lid off and bring it with you. I found a 10x10 scrap of tan vinyl at the fabric shop for $3.00 and its dead on color wise.

 

[shortstack]

here my transformation...... they didn't have the right color in vinyl (too light)
so i ended up getting this plether but the color is actually closer then the picture shows (when people see it now they dont even notice till i tell them )
old

New

 

[squish]

Cheap and easy just the way I like it...

 

[Mylomeister]

I have done multiple interiors like this, a good thing to have is a can of spray adhesive. It helps a lot. You can also use this process to add inserts on your door panels.

-Rich

What all did you actually cover?



Nice write-up btw!

 

[MisterRisky]

Good write up. I have been wanting to do this for a while.

Where did you all get your replacement vinyl from?

 

[squish]

Got mine from a surplus shop. I dug and unrolled every color that was close. B4 we left my son actually said look at this one its perfect. I was ready to leave and just blow it off but took a look anyway. Needless to say I got all they had, its perfect match even the texture matches the seats.

 

[jimbo74]

i need to get some pics of mine, i think its actually time to redo it, i had some wear in the foam, but i just covered it, the little indent didnt bother me.... haha, i didnt know about relief cuts, i jsut pulled it tight, you cant tell it isnt factory, except there is one spot on the front corner where there is a slight fabric overlap. i couldnt find the exact color although they probably had it, so i jsut went with black, it looks really good considering the rest of the console to the dash is black too

 

[jimbo74]

oh yeah, make sure you use short staples, i used a electric power stapler and it was great, but it had long staples in it, they came through the foam and vynil on the otehr side, good thing i had more vynil, and shorter staples that i then used

 

[carguy101]

wow awesome write up cant wait to do mine!

 

[Maverick73]

Great job on the article. I see so many of them worn, it's such a simple procedure if people would take the time to do it.

 

[bse068]

Great write up

I did this repair before I joined the forum. I think that it is a DIY project, but be patient and buy extra material. You will need it after you make the first mistake. LOL!

 

[kevinspann]

I was at the junkyard, and got my material from the back of a seat. I cut off the pocket, and bam, enough to recover this. my biggest problem was that the damn staples wouldnt go into the plastic! sooo frustrating

 

[nitrousoxidefast]

center console lid

I bought a reupholstery kit for my center console lid and heres the results:

found for around $20 on ebay.
heres a link to the guy who sells em: http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/impact954

just letting anyone know that if I can install this, then anyone can.