Door panel fabric trimming.

jbpharmd2013 · May 24, 2011

The fabric pieces on my door panels have been getting on my nerves lately because they are really starting to fade (especially the front panels). I was hoping that the piece that the fabric covers would come off so that I could recover them, but after taking the panel off I could see that the old fabric wouldn't come off without ruining the panel. I decided that I would just cover the old fabric with new and after finding the fabric I wanted to use and some "spray glue" to make it stick, I had a friend help me fit the pieces on and tuck the fabric into the seam around the panel. Here are some pics. I'm not sure this is the best way to upload pics, but here it goes:
A before pic of the faded fabric

I taped around the fabric so I wouldn't get glue on the rest of the panel

Make sure you cover both the panel and the back of the fabric with glue

Finished panel (it's kinda dirty from the fabric trimming and stuff)

The other side finished

sorry if the pics are blurry, I can take better after pics if you want to see them. To get the fabric to hide in the crevices I used a spatula looking thing that is actually used for shaping clay that I got at the craft store. To do all 4 panels it took me about 1.5 hours, but I'm sure if you aren't spatially handicapped like me and have to keep making sure that you are cutting the fabric correctly and for the correct side it would go more quickly. I searched for a while for a how to on this and couldn't find anything so I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

canadian357 · May 25, 2011

That fade has been bugging me.... and I do have a couple yards of black suede in the basement.... and my door panels are coming off anyway....

You, sir, have just cost me $11. Or whatever spray glue and fabric scissors costs. Thank you.

HKPRO5 · May 25, 2011

Here is mine.

How did you tuck near the door handle?

Hank3 · May 25, 2011

Looks really good!

MazdaSpeeder · May 25, 2011

jbpharmd,
Those look great! I love the fabric you used. I need to do this also...my dog has left scratch marks on one of my rears, and I would love to get them all looking good again. Where did you get that fabric?

JiggaBro · May 25, 2011

so did everyone just layer new fabric on top of the old?
i've been wanting to do this for such a long time but havnt settled on color or pattern

jbpharmd2013 · May 25, 2011

MazdaSpeeder said:
jbpharmd,
Those look great! I love the fabric you used. I need to do this also...my dog has left scratch marks on one of my rears, and I would love to get them all looking good again. Where did you get that fabric?

I just got the fabric from this local fabric store. It's a store called Mary Jo's in Gastonia, NC. They have like a whole warehouse of different stuff. I felt kinda out of place shopping for fabric with all of the old ladies there, but I think it was worth it.

jbpharmd2013 · May 25, 2011

JiggaBro said:
so did everyone just layer new fabric on top of the old?
i've been wanting to do this for such a long time but havnt settled on color or pattern

I don't know if there is any other way of doing it other than just putting the new over the old. When I took the door panel off and unscrewed the top from the bottom I couldn't see a way to get the old fabric off. If there is a way to get the old off without just cutting it and ripping it off I couldn't see how.

jbpharmd2013 · May 25, 2011

Hank3 said:
Looks really good!

Thanks, I was kind of nervous when I got started, but I think it turned out alright.

jbpharmd2013 · May 25, 2011

HKPRO5 said:
Here is mine.

How did you tuck near the door handle?

If you mean the handle that you grab to shut the door then I just used one of those clay modeling tools I picked up at the craft store. If you mean the handle that you open the door with, when I took off the door panel it wasn't in the way anymore so after I glued the fabric on I just cut out the hole before I put it back on.
By the way, that fabric in your pic (I assume it is your car) looks awesome.

HKPRO5 · May 25, 2011

Yea thats mine. Can't see it in the pic. But it's a little loose there where you open the door. It always comes out after a few days.

jbpharmd2013 · May 25, 2011

HKPRO5 said:
Yea thats mine. Can't see it in the pic. But it's a little loose there where you open the door. It always comes out after a few days.

I haven't had it in there for a very long time, but since I took the whole panel off before I did I just cut an X in the fabric where the hole was and left it like that when I put the panel back on. I think that if you just took the panel off and re-glue that area it should stay.

HKPRO5 · May 25, 2011

Ok thats the only problem i have with it. The little piece after then handle to the edge.

d0sitmatr · Jun 17, 2011

thanks for the info in this thread, Im going to recover mine soon.

Kurbz · Jun 17, 2011

Same here ive been wanting to do this and to the molding on the sides of the windshield i forget what there called lol. Man oh Man i got so much work and projects to do this summer

Wildcat1 · Aug 2, 2012

Nice write up. I was going to dye mine, but since I can play with fabric patterns, this should be fun.

Door panel fabric trimming.

jbpharmd2013

Member

canadian357

Member

HKPRO5

Member

Hank3

Asian Persuasion <><

MazdaSpeeder

Member

JiggaBro

Member

jbpharmd2013

Member

jbpharmd2013

Member

jbpharmd2013

Member

jbpharmd2013

Member

HKPRO5

Member

jbpharmd2013

Member

HKPRO5

Member

d0sitmatr

long time mazda owner

Kurbz

Member

Wildcat1

Member

Similar threads

Latest posts