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Thread: Ultrasuede closest matching stock gray headliner

  1. #1
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    Ultrasuede closest matching stock gray headliner

    Did anyone try to match our stock headliner/back shelf color to Ultrasuede brand?

    https://www.tapiscorp.com/products/u...de/ultrasuede/

    I'm just not sure which is this color. Gray? Or grayish-blue?

  2. #2
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    I went through this exercise last fall, and after comparing lots of samples from different manufacturers I settled on Alcantara Medium Gray #2938.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GregT53 View Post
    I went through this exercise last fall, and after comparing lots of samples from different manufacturers I settled on Alcantara Medium Gray #2938.
    Where did you get Alcantara in US? And how much did it cost if you don't mind? And how much did you use? I need to do headliner, back shelf, A/B/C pillars. MAYBE door cards.

    I'm researching those now and it seems that Ultrasuede Toray is pretty much "US version" of Alcantara with a similar quality.
    See explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasuede

    What's good about this particular brand - if you search auction sites - they sell random cuts of Ultrasuede Toray and prices is very good, like $30/yard (compare to $100+ MSRP)
    Last edited by katit2; 08-15-2017 at 12:17 PM.

  4. #4
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    I got my Alcantara at Gulf Fabrics in Florida. Cost was $109/yard. Figure on five to six yards to do everything. The headliner alone will take about 2.5 yards. You might wonder why so much material. The reason is that Alcantara has a grain to it so to properly install it you must keep the same orientation on all the surfaces being covered.

    If you are investing this much labor you should consider the differences between Alcantara and other makers of ultrasuede. After doing all of my comparisons I decided on Alcantara because of its superior colorfastness and durability. Alcantara is noticeably thicker than all the other materials.

    I would advise you to have it professionally installed by someone who has worked with Alcantara. It requires using steam to get around the compound curves as it does not stretch.

    Use Weldwood Landau Top Adhesive; it is heat resistant.

  5. #5
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    Gulf Fabrics responded they will not be carrying Alcantara after current stock depleted, I guess they getting out of this product or can't get it anymore.
    Have you checked Ultrasuede Toray in person? I'm asking because it's supposed to be pretty much the same product as Alcantara. Not like 100 others "automotive suede" available on market.

    Thanks for the tip on glue. Did you spray it or used brush/other methods?

    I won't have it done professionally for one simple reason. This car is MY project. Any mistakes I will make will be my mistakes. Otherwise what's a point? Money can buy anything(car-wise)... I do it for fun and for learning.

  6. #6
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    Glue needs to be sprayed per product directions.

    I did have some Toray samples, but I chose Alcantara because I decided it was much higher quality and colorfastness is important for this application. My calculus was if I am going to this level of restoration and paying for labor ($350) then I will use the best and most durable.

  7. #7
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    Some photos of my medium gray Alcantara interior:
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    NICE! I see that you re-did sun vizors as well. I was thinking about covering with material as well, but you used vinyl?
    And what about doors? I see you re-did those inserts but I see that top portion is de-gluing. I have same problem with tops de-gluing. Did you find or consider any solution?

    re: Alcantara
    This guy does have some of this color left and mailed me a sample. But it will have to be really much better than Ultrasuede for me to pay extra $500 (especially that I can screw it up while DIY )

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by GregT53 View Post
    Some photos of my medium gray Alcantara interior:
    Looks awesome, did you have your visors recovered as well?

  10. #10
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    Keep us updated on what material you go with and the results. I have 2 cars that need a headliner job done... Not looking forward to it!

  11. #11
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    The visors are original leather.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GregT53 View Post
    The visors are original leather.
    Ok, I think we definitely have different colors then. My interior is lighter. More yellow-ish/cream than gray.

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    Quote Originally Posted by katit2 View Post
    Ok, I think we definitely have different colors then. My interior is lighter. More yellow-ish/cream than gray.
    I don't think the Champagne interior came in 525i's....



    Maybe you have Silbergrau Hell, and GregT53 has Silbergrau (hell means light, or bright).


  14. #14
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    My leather is silbergrau hell and the trim is silbergrau.

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    I'm sure Alcantara is somehow worth 6x the price for some applications, but for the budget minded consumer, this is a good product. It comes with or without foam backing (you need with for the headliner, and without for the pillars). I have some of both in the grey and it's good looking stuff. I don't have any original E34 grey to compare it to, but the color is nice. I haven't actually use it yet, but I did use a similar black product for about the same price from the same website and it was very good for a stretched bow type headliner I did in an E9.

    https://yourautotrim.com/headliner-f...r-foam-backed/

  16. #16
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    Ok, this is what VIN decoder says:
    Color: Granitsilber Metallic - 237
    Interior: Silbergrau Leder - 0394

    So, whatever it means.. Second picture of gray panel top is a match. Seats is really light gray. Headliner actually look like titanium or darker gray.

    I actually have samples from "YourAutoTrim" here. I would be OK with their material, just worry about discoloration issues.

  17. #17
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    Not sure what you mean by discoloration.
    Any variances you see in color depends on the lighting and angle as ultrasuede has a "grain" to it. That's why all the material has to be installed with the same orientation. If you don't do this, you will see what appears to be discoloration from every point in the interior. It's also why it takes more material as having to maintain correct orientation causes more waste. This is not a very low cost project but the outcome is, as they say, priceless.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by katit2 View Post
    NICE! I see that you re-did sun vizors as well. I was thinking about covering with material as well, but you used vinyl?
    And what about doors? I see you re-did those inserts but I see that top portion is de-gluing. I have same problem with tops de-gluing. Did you find or consider any solution?

    re: Alcantara
    This guy does have some of this color left and mailed me a sample. But it will have to be really much better than Ultrasuede for me to pay extra $500 (especially that I can screw it up while DIY )
    Glue is solid. No problems. I used Weldwood Landau Top Adhesive.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by GregT53 View Post
    Not sure what you mean by discoloration.
    No, I meant that cheap cloth will "whiten out" from UV

  20. #20
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    That was my main concern with using material other that Alcantara. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive, but having to redo the work sooner rather than later made sense to me. I suppose the most vulnerable part is the package shelf, and that could be recovered easier than the headliner which doesn't get much sun. Still, having to remove material from any part and prep the part for recovering is a job I'd like to have to do once every 20 years!

  21. #21
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    Above when I was asking about doors - I meant this (see portion of your picture). Tops of door cards delaminating. Mine is the same. Did you consider fixing this somehow?
    Screen Shot 2017-08-17 at 11.19.40 PM.jpg

  22. #22
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    Oh, I see what you noticed. I had some of that on one door (not this one) and was able to peel it back enough to get some glue in there. It seems to have worked. Next time I have this card off I will do the same. I consider covering the tops in Alcantara and may do this as I have enough material left just for projects like this and any future repairs.

  23. #23
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    Here is how my seats look (I post it here so I can attach picture and reference in classifieds..)


    IMG_1400.JPG

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by katit2 View Post
    But it will have to be really much better than Ultrasuede for me to pay extra $500 (especially that I can screw it up while DIY )
    Alcantara is difficult to work with as it has limited stretching qualities. Getting around the compound curves, especially in the headliner sunroof opening, will require steaming. I did not do the installation myself precisely for this reason. Where I saved money was removing everything and preparing it for installation and re-installing the finished pieces The most tedious and time consuming work was taking down the sunroof shell, removing the door card inserts, removing glue, and sanding surfaces baby bottom smooth.

  25. #25
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    I also have a sagging headliner in my car and of course delaminated door cards. It is a black interior. It shows I can still get a new headliner from several vendors, though I have been tricked by that in the past. I may go that route first as it is the most cost effective right now ($500 vs $2000) but that alcantara looks really nice. I would assume it would have to be anthracite.

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