suede seat material recommendation

[BobB66SS]

I'm looking for a recommendation on a brand of suede for my seats inserts.

About 3 years ago I had my Flofit front and stock rear seats custom upholstered that included black suede inserts using Passion suede #19 made which is apparently made by the Miami Corporation. The suede has gradually turned from black to an uniform odd shade of brownish purple.

My upholsterer hasn't seen this before. The car gets some sun exposure but not a ton and even the seam areas completely protected from light have started to change color. Nothing has ever been applied to the suede, not even water.

I'm working out the plan to have the suede portions recovered and would like to avoid going thru this again down the road so I'm hoping someone has a brand they like that has some color durability. Would prefer a synthetic to keep the costs reasonable but am open to suggestions. Would prefer to keep the suede if at all possible; feels and looks cool.

Any advice is appreciated.

[jocko124]

This may be a silly question, but can suede be dyed?

[BobB66SS]

I ran that idea by my upholstery guy and he wasn't comfortable trying it. If the material has trouble holding a color in the first place it might not matter.

The warranty on the install and material was one year but the upholsterer, material supplier, and I are all looking for agreeable ways to make this right so I want make sure the fix is as permanent as possible.

[toofun]

Hey Bob,

Well my family owns and runs a real SUEDE TANNERY(one of the last ones left in the country!) in Peabody mass so I may be able to shed some light on this... ANY suede material whether it is synthetic or real suede is going to fade over time in an interior... The sun plays a part but the real killer is the HEAT exposure in the car.. Suede is not meant to be used in interiors but it is used alot these days... My suggestion is to DYE IT! You will run into the same problem again down the line but dyeing it is going to help restore the color back without killing the feel... Just have your upholsterer use a very high quality COLORFAST dye, cut it down and spray it on in layers... Let it completely dry between each layer and BRUSH the suede in between sprayings to keep the "track" or the nap up. Otherwise you will have a raspy feeling suede with no track in it.. USE A SUEDE BRUSH.. You should be able to get one at a shoe store or online. Brush it back and forth lightly up and down, and left to right. DO NOT brush in a circular motion... When spraying spray in an even motion then cross spray at a 45 degree angle afterwards but GO LIGHT and take your time.. Also be sure to use a dye fixing or sealing top coat when you are done and brush it in. Using Scotchguard after you are completly done will also help in fixing the dye as well.... You will be surprised with the results.....

Mark
TOOFUN

[BobB66SS]

Hey Bob,

Well my family owns and runs a real SUEDE TANNERY(one of the last ones left in the country!) in Peabody mass so I may be able to shed some light on this... ANY suede material whether it is synthetic or real suede is going to fade over time in an interior... The sun plays a part but the real killer is the HEAT exposure in the car.. Suede is not meant to be used in interiors but it is used alot these days... My suggestion is to DYE IT! You will run into the same problem again down the line but dyeing it is going to help restore the color back without killing the feel... Just have your upholsterer use a very high quality COLORFAST dye, cut it down and spray it on in layers... Let it completely dry between each layer and BRUSH the suede in between sprayings to keep the "track" or the nap up. Otherwise you will have a raspy feeling suede with no track in it.. USE A SUEDE BRUSH.. You should be able to get one at a shoe store or online. Brush it back and forth lightly up and down, and left to right. DO NOT brush in a circular motion... When spraying spray in an even motion then cross spray at a 45 degree angle afterwards but GO LIGHT and take your time.. Also be sure to use a dye fixing or sealing top coat when you are done and brush it in. Using Scotchguard after you are completly done will also help in fixing the dye as well.... You will be surprised with the results.....

Mark
TOOFUN

Thanks for the details, Mark, much appreciated. I may consider that option depending on how this plays out.