DIY: restoring worn type r alcantara armrest
10-08-2008, 10:23 PM
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DIY: restoring worn type r alcantara armrest
(posted this in appearance cosmetic thought i would post here too)
bought some itr recaros and the armrest looked horrible compaired to my seats. i almost just wanted to buy a new one and throw this away because it felt like leather
it was that worn down
no plush feel to it at all and the stiching was faded to a pink/white color, but i decided to restore it 
went to famous footwear in the mall and bought a suede brush kit
MATERIALS
*suede brush(famous footwear
*suede eraser(famous footwear)
*oxy clean(walmart)
*kiwi suede cleaner(walmart)
*fine tip roller ball ben red(walmart)
*cloth
(pic above is after i already restored the material, i dont have any pics of it before)
1. start out by spraying worn alcantara with the kiwi cleaner, then clean with a clean cloth
2. next take the eraser provided with the kit and rub the worn areas
3. take the brush and run it against the material in one motion over and over
if its really worn like mine was use the eraser again and repeat with the brush
4. once youve reached the desirable nap take your oxy clean and spray onto the armrest but dont soak it, take your brush and do the same sweeping motion as before and you will start to see the differance
5. the next part seems a little ghetto but it works great just take the fine tip pen and color on the stiching...the ink will soak into the stitch and the tip is so small it wont go onto your alcantara
faded stitch..damn you sun!
in the process of inking
done
please use as a referance try at your own risk
picture above is the way my armrest looked like before
Modified by exotik4doorcivic at 7:29 AM 10/9/2008
bought some itr recaros and the armrest looked horrible compaired to my seats. i almost just wanted to buy a new one and throw this away because it felt like leather
it was that worn down
no plush feel to it at all and the stiching was faded to a pink/white color, but i decided to restore it went to famous footwear in the mall and bought a suede brush kit
MATERIALS
*suede brush(famous footwear
*suede eraser(famous footwear)
*oxy clean(walmart)
*kiwi suede cleaner(walmart)
*fine tip roller ball ben red(walmart)
*cloth
(pic above is after i already restored the material, i dont have any pics of it before)
1. start out by spraying worn alcantara with the kiwi cleaner, then clean with a clean cloth
2. next take the eraser provided with the kit and rub the worn areas
3. take the brush and run it against the material in one motion over and over
if its really worn like mine was use the eraser again and repeat with the brush
4. once youve reached the desirable nap take your oxy clean and spray onto the armrest but dont soak it, take your brush and do the same sweeping motion as before and you will start to see the differance
5. the next part seems a little ghetto but it works great just take the fine tip pen and color on the stiching...the ink will soak into the stitch and the tip is so small it wont go onto your alcantara
faded stitch..damn you sun!
in the process of inking
done
please use as a referance try at your own risk
picture above is the way my armrest looked like before
Modified by exotik4doorcivic at 7:29 AM 10/9/2008
10-09-2008, 07:10 AM
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Re: (rhd94teg)
ya i wish i had a pic of it before.
i didnt know it would turn out this great because it looked like a leather armrest with pink stitching, i figured if i ruined it i would just buy a new one
but now its as good as new
i didnt know it would turn out this great because it looked like a leather armrest with pink stitching, i figured if i ruined it i would just buy a new one
but now its as good as new
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10-09-2008, 07:30 AM
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Re: (walker111)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by walker111 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did it work on your recaro's?</TD></TR></TABLE>
ya it worked great on the recaros, you just have to be more gentle because you dont have a hard flat surface to work with like the armrest
i wanted to try the armrest first something a little cheaper to work with first
ya it worked great on the recaros, you just have to be more gentle because you dont have a hard flat surface to work with like the armrest
i wanted to try the armrest first something a little cheaper to work with first
10-09-2008, 08:21 AM
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Re: (coolhandluke)
I have often considered doing this to my JDM SRS wheel to bring the stitching back to life a bit. Interesting..... thanks for sharing. 
10-09-2008, 08:57 AM
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Re: (Jon D)
i know what you mean i see used itr wheels on ebay all day but the stitching on all of them look pink,the wheel otherwise looks great
10-09-2008, 10:47 AM
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my friend recently did this to his civic ex armrest, which was grey. He bought black fabric paint which is ideal on suede, and sprayed about 3 coats and let me the first to tell you it looks real good. So for those who have faded seats, armrest, etc. Should look into fabric paint, BUT BE ADVISED STEER CLEAR OF THE CHEAP ONES, THEY ARE HORRIBLE!
10-09-2008, 02:26 PM
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Re: (Jon D)
I have used that pen to touch up the red stitching before. It works great if you have a steady hand. I do want to add that this isn't a one time fix though. It will need to be re-done periodically but it does last several months.
10-09-2008, 02:31 PM
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Re: (Reyes)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Reyes »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">great write up, thanks, i now have a saturday morning project, </TD></TR></TABLE>
I was at work when I saw this thread, so when I got off today I made it an after work project. Armrest turned out pretty good.
I was at work when I saw this thread, so when I got off today I made it an after work project. Armrest turned out pretty good.
10-09-2008, 05:00 PM
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Re: (kakarot)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kakarot »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I was at work when I saw this thread, so when I got off today I made it an after work project. Armrest turned out pretty good. </TD></TR></TABLE>
yeah im at work too, but by the time i get home i lack all motivation to do anymore work,
well at least this week,
I was at work when I saw this thread, so when I got off today I made it an after work project. Armrest turned out pretty good.
</TD></TR></TABLE>yeah im at work too, but by the time i get home i lack all motivation to do anymore work,
well at least this week,
10-18-2008, 05:02 PM
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Wow... I can't thank you enough for this post. I took my armrest out a few years back of my R cause it started to look worn. I put in the JDM console but liked the armrest better. I took out the armrest and used a just a little water, toothbrush and eraser and what a difference. I had just been looking online for replacement seat covers totalling over $1500 to do both seats but I now have a project tomorrow. I'll take before and after pics of the seats to show the difference. I'm off to walmart now... Thanks.....!
11-02-2008, 10:47 AM
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Re: (exotik4doorcivic)
awesome write up. tried it out my self. my armrest was a mess, it had paint on it, and suede was totally worn out. : (. After following these simple steps, my arm rest looks brand new. Thanks.