I still have three sets of bus seats in my bus. They are cloth, but I have issues with my friends spilling stuff that soaks into the seats.
I am thinking about having at least the bottom of the seat upholstered in marine vinyl. Will marine vinyl be too sticky for those wearing shorts? I recall sitting on vinyl seats way back when cars and pickups still had true vinyl seats and exposed skin on the legs would stick to the vinyl.
All depends on the grade the good stuff is not sticky the cheap stuff will take you skin off,I just purchased 14 yards of marine vinyl that cold or heat doesn't affect and stays soft to cover a sofa and was $31.00 a yard plus shipping fwiw it was expensive
There are also marine grade fabrics you can use that should resist stains, as well as a number of other products which may be softer than vinyl.
But what luvrbus said is my thought on vinyl. There are some really great vinyl fabrics out there now that are night and day apart from the stuff from the 70s. Anyone remember Naugahyde?
The vinyl I wanted was $52.00 a yard but I thought was to much to cover a sofa in a RV I plan on selling
I don't think $31 a yard would be out of reason if it doesn't stick to skin like the old vinyls.
10-4 on the Naugahyde! It's hard to find the good stuff of yesteryear... Our entire dashboard is covered in it and is holding up very well after 40 years. The newer stuff ain't worth a crap.
I heard naugas have gotten kinda scarce and there just aren't as many nauga hunters around these days. Besides which they seem to have gotten more cagey and hard to spot and the domesticated ones just don't have those good thick hides. Though I have heard they are still available from overseas sources like maybe down in Australia where there may be some sort of refuges. Not a clue what the status is on poaching or endangered status though.
Jim
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on January 26, 2020, 08:01:11 PM
I heard naugas have gotten kinda scarce and there just aren't as many nauga hunters around these days. Besides which they seem to have gotten more cagey and hard to spot and the domesticated ones just don't have those good thick hides. Though I have heard they are still available from overseas sources like maybe down in Australia where there may be some sort of refuges. Not a clue what the status is on poaching or endangered status though.
Jim
Ah, didn't you hear there went extinct due to climate change and unrestricted hunting?
Apparently the Nauga is neither extinct or foreign...
According to the company's website, it is alive an well. Better than just that, it's made right here in Wisconsin.
From http://www.naugahyde.com/
Naugahyde, a true American classic, is "Made in the USA" at our Stoughton, Wisconsin manufacturing plant.
If you want, it's even possible to adopt your own Nauga...Who knew?
http://www.naugahyde.com/dolls/
That is funny. Good for them for having a sense of humor about their product and absorbing the humor into their business.
Makes me remember them, and, who knows, if I ever want vinyl upholstery I will remember this.
From an old marketing guy,
Seb
Quote from: richard5933 on January 27, 2020, 01:09:59 AM
Apparently the Nauga is neither extinct or foreign...
According to the company's website, it is alive an well. Better than just that, it's made right here in Wisconsin.
From http://www.naugahyde.com/
Naugahyde, a true American classic, is "Made in the USA" at our Stoughton, Wisconsin manufacturing plant.
If you want, it's even possible to adopt your own Nauga...Who knew?
http://www.naugahyde.com/dolls/
Nauga Soft made by Naugahyde is on of the most popular head liner material made ,lot people get it mixed up with Ultra Leather it so soft,all the stuff is made from PVC it is just the added metatrails that makes one more expensive and better
I had a 2015 chevy colorado that had vinyl bucket seats and was unsure about the vinyl as all I could thing about was the bench vinyl seats in my dads old car ? I liked them so much that I just got a 2019 ford ranger with the same kinda seats . I like it better then the leather seats I have had on other trucks , No more worrying about spilling coffee on the seats any more and have never had a problem with hot days or cold days . they ant the old vinyl of yesteryear
I redid the head liner on our coach with a nice FLEXIBLE vinyl to install a better ac vent system and to add some led lights + get rid of all the mirrors .
There is some very good vinyl out there today
dave
pic
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TZqH2wtjIsyJs9ykvCGGgi5n37SIi1GAHoU8hTPDOniSLl2auOG0EMfJifNV-NF8MaULCLGJbh66gLWlc1F6g3bv--xvJDI3cS_cwDeyd0AFmJDw0FAjleBFu8Mkf0FJnfXJ2fFX0Gl9rE2JiiVe_XfkOVYJ1Ln-5A8GWvrTexzmYqhTCY0xxfcIQNyKk77P4QuDkRJyHYjU2JPr2MxsduAptRPPsIiLKBOpCUdPKIYWKPNRfOkCcLE0iBr52xyDAzZ5PgQxgErEj1UOeXOsPdDews-cm5n-5NjhYgRssJc6YeRczH06W1ip2CZ2eJ_De4bXbRkOh6bFkoCahUyi5FGPlXEzPIzgE9-ALtRnWcemmEunLQMN13Z6_XAi_xEe-NiNh5kkZ324FZ8xq4gEdfBzCujPhdD_3pq0WgEs1rEjB6pI4NM5ouyZvDQy6wcTPIX4q3uxf1bHMylSwc3M6TFJuCNHTcp0fZBUOYW2Kepvs9SEV5FR7Dv8dX1jOg4WAGLaVGS2D76YCKlmRNygsmjRI6gCul2axVNJoqp3CAiiSzNWhkfGflaItOtnCpsGlxHGyduxlUVfVlOPHB-z0o6xy5Iorvav0sh0mVMDg6zSlUuLPyogs0y-LIzKFUKCsj9U6xhS6verFw1rUdwuVjsI4rNyq2huExeeWdgusjUssXHyiXKdpdi6SCbKsDAhvmfeopDAdOLVht4TWp3h4t3sYQ6SgKh_BKX3wOAkGgwZwCQt=w664-h498-no
dave
You can also get cloth with or add Scotchguard. Most otr coaches have cloth seats and can get all sorts of stuff spilled on them. They dont have problem cleaning them with no stains.
Despite good vinyl, cloth seats are more comfortable. Most charter buses have fabric seats. Maybe you could restrict what you allow your friends to have while on board, or have them chip in for vinyl. ;D I keep extra seats on hand that can be switched in if someone makes a mess.
Cover the seats with large bath towels. That'll catch stains.
It isn't the staining I care about. They aren't really that stained and they could be cleaned. The bigger issue is the hours it takes for a seat to dry and the stuff soaks down into the foam.
I'm not about to tell my friends they can't have anything to drink in my bus. We spend long hours driving. Actually, everyone is usually pretty good about not spilling when we are on the road. The problem is when we are parked that issues are more likely to happen for a variety of reasons.
When I have taken Eagle seats apart I usually find that the foam is wrapped with a thin plastic cover that they used to facilitate getting the cover on, both on the seat back and bottom cushion. Check your seats, maybe you don't have any, or it deteriorated and it doesn't seal anymore.
Quote from: DoubleEagle on January 27, 2020, 08:34:33 PM
When I have taken Eagle seats apart I usually find that the foam is wrapped with a thin plastic cover that they used to facilitate getting the cover on, both on the seat back and bottom cushion. Check your seats, maybe you don't have any, or it deteriorated and it doesn't seal anymore.
I don't really have a seat I can take apart. I have my doubts on plastic because liquid seems to soak in.
What about using seat covers? Neoprene seat covers should be waterproof and less sticky than vinyl. I think that I even saw some waterproof Cordura seat covers.
Quote from: Lin on January 29, 2020, 10:55:41 AM
What about using seat covers? Neoprene seat covers should be waterproof and less sticky than vinyl. I think that I even saw some waterproof Cordura seat covers.
That is a decent idea. Have you ever seen a seat cover that would fit a pair of bus seats? The seat bottoms are right next to each other and I don't think anything would fit in between.
How about requiring them wear Depends and use sippy cups...
I don't know what kind of seats you have. I know that there are neoprene seat covers made for automotive seats. Neoprene is used for wetsuits, so it should work fine. If you have RV captains chairs, they might be a little harder to find. I have ones similar to the link below. I'd say they were water resistant at least. Funny thing is the Camping World is selling one for $35 and a set of two for $80. Go Figure!
https://www.campingworld.com/gripfit-rv-seat-cover-package-of-1-100744.html#q=seat%2Bcovers&lang=default&start=14&cgid=covers%2Frv-accessories-covers
I still have three sets of original bus sets made by Fainsa. Although there are separate cushions it is more like a bench set.
My Wife is an upholster by trade, she has done hundreds of boat seats with marine vinyl, it holds up very well and is more resistant to sun rot, I prefer cloth she did our bus with cloth and leather, yes it will stain but we keep it scotch guarded. I guess we are pretty careful not to spill cause we know who is going to have to fix it! lol,