I was doing a little soul searching during lunch.. Is ultra suede and alcantara the same?
06-19-2002, 01:48 PM
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I was doing a little soul searching during lunch.. Is ultra suede and alcantara the same?
From what Ive seen in the archives of AW, it is.. I went to a few fabric stores near my office and they all had ultra suede, when I said alcantara the guy looked at me like I had 3 heads.. Well, the price for one ultra suede was $190 for 3 yards.. They had a few different styles.. Im thinking about either wrapping my storage box in it or wet sanding the box to a shinny smooth fiberglass finish.. The ultra suede would cost a lot more, but it'd save me tons of time and it might look better.. What do you guys think would look better: a trunk thats wrapped in ultra suede or carpet? Or carbon fiber.. The CF would be just as much as the ultra suede and would be more difficult.. I think the CF would be too much.. Im also planning on getting my seats wrapped in ultra suede when I get the money together..
06-19-2002, 02:43 PM
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Actually, they are different...
... <font color="003366"> in composition, fabrication and certain characteristics that involve sun-load and durability.
They seem awfully similar but the nap of Alcantara is noticeably different that that of furniture-grade UltraSuede.
UltraSuede is manufactured in several plants around the world while all Alcantara comes from a single facility in Italy. That's why it's appreciably more expensive than UltraSuede.</font>
They seem awfully similar but the nap of Alcantara is noticeably different that that of furniture-grade UltraSuede.
UltraSuede is manufactured in several plants around the world while all Alcantara comes from a single facility in Italy. That's why it's appreciably more expensive than UltraSuede.</font>
06-19-2002, 02:45 PM
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Nauga, ultra and alcantara all similar animals, but they live..
on different parts of the Serengeti. Similar taste when properly prepared; a lot like venison.
Sueded ultra hides would be a good choice. I'll split the meat with your if you find a fresh one.
Sueded ultra hides would be a good choice. I'll split the meat with your if you find a fresh one.
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06-19-2002, 03:08 PM
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But, for his purposes, I think the upholstery grade Ultrasuede would be fine. There are also some
other brands that are used on private aircraft, etc. that are beautiful. Our corporate plane has the head lined in a camel color of this stuff if you can believe that...very, very nice looking.
06-19-2002, 03:17 PM
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Don't get me wrong, furniture-grade UltraSuede is dandy...
... <font color="003366"> it just doesn't have quite the same sun-load and abrasion tolerance that automotive-spec Alcantara has.
The sun-load issue isn't major as long as you don't use a high-chroma (color intensity) UltraSuede fabric or can keep sun exposure on the material to a minimum. Even furniture-grade UltraSuede can fade faster than you'd imagine in <i>some</i> automotive applications. Sun-load in a BizJet is significantly lower than most cars. Thta's why exec aircraft interiors can get away with some pretty thin and supple leathers, for example. And this doesn't even get into the ramifications of temperature cycling of car interiors.</font>
The sun-load issue isn't major as long as you don't use a high-chroma (color intensity) UltraSuede fabric or can keep sun exposure on the material to a minimum. Even furniture-grade UltraSuede can fade faster than you'd imagine in <i>some</i> automotive applications. Sun-load in a BizJet is significantly lower than most cars. Thta's why exec aircraft interiors can get away with some pretty thin and supple leathers, for example. And this doesn't even get into the ramifications of temperature cycling of car interiors.</font>
06-19-2002, 03:27 PM
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I saw camel ultra suede at the store.. man did it look good.. they had some really funky colors
But I must get black.. no question about it.. 