Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

--
frosty

To be properly yachty, it should simulate 'Miami teak'.

"YSTay" wrote in message
...
Have you considered electrostatic flocking? Gives a nice velvety surface
in
almost any color you want. Simple to apply, no sealing issues and wears
quite well. You'll need to find someone in your area who does this.

Arnold


"frosty" wrote in message
...
Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

--
frosty

No problem. First make sure that the top of the cooler is strong enough to
carry someone's bum without breaking down. If you need to, you can
through-bolt a layer of plywood on it to give it strength. The cushion just
needs to be the right dimension, then use stick-back Velcro on the top of
the cooler and the matching pieces stitched onto the bottom of the cushion.
3 long strips will hold it almost too well ...

Brian


"frosty" wrote in message
...
Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

--
frosty

frosty wrote
Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

YSTay was kind enough to suggest:
Have you considered electrostatic flocking? Gives a nice velvety
surface in almost any color you want. Simple to apply, no sealing
issues and wears quite well. You'll need to find someone in your
area who does this.
Arnold

Ran this idea by the wife, but she said to "get the flock out of here."
At least I _think_ that's what I heard! =`;^ Thanks, anyway.

--
frosty

"frosty" asked:
Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

Brian D replied:
No problem. First make sure that the top of the cooler is strong
enough to carry someone's bum without breaking down. If you need
to, you can through-bolt a layer of plywood on it to give it
strength. The cushion just needs to be the right dimension, then use
stick-back Velcro on the top of the cooler and the matching pieces
stitched onto the bottom of the cushion. 3 long strips will hold it
almost too well ...
Brian

Thanks, Brian, I like this idea, because it doesn't actually involve
upholstering the cooler, just a seat cushion to sit atop said cooler.
Imagine we would _glue_ the "vel" part of the Velcro to the top of
the cooler, then _stitch_ the "cro" part to the bottom of the cushion.

I was thinking to make the plywood the bottom of the cushion,
and bolt the entire assembly through the top of the cooler, but
your idea makes more sense. Not a big deal if I ruin a cooler,
but I've only got one shot with the fabric.

--
frosty

Take something and make a pattern of the top of your cooler. Light
weight cardboard would be good. Now lay it over the vinyl with the
stretchier part of the material going the long direction of the cooler
lid. Trace the pattern out and cut it 3/8 of an inch larger all the
way around. Now cut another piece for the bottom. Now fold the piece
in half and make little notches half way down every side. These are to
keep the two pieces lined up when you sew the sides on. Put the piece
you marked over the other piece and match the marks.

Now cut your material for your sides allowing 3/8 of an inch on both
the ends to be sewn. You might want to find you foam for the center to
get the right size. I'd go medium density because you don't want a 3
inch cushion and will need the stiffer foam to cushion your patootie.

Now cut some strips one inch wide as long as you can get out of your
material. These get wrapped around some 1/8 plastic piping or twine
between your cushion piece and foam to form a decorative edge. When
you wrap them around the piping and line the edge up with the other
pieces it will work out to using the 3/8's allowance you made earlier.

Oh, and put a zipper in along the back side. Also make about four thin
straps to put snaps in and sew them into the cushion the same time as
the sides. You can buy a snap squeezer the fits over you vice grips at
a hobby shop. When you put the cushion over the foam wrap the foam in
dry cleaner plastic. This will make it slide in easy. You can rip it
out if you want or leave it. It will make a slight crinkly sound when
you sit on it.

The upholstry shops were lying, anybody in the uphostrey business can
make a simple cushion. My bet is when you started describing what you
wanted and how much you wanted to pay they realized you weren't worth
the trouble, because a cushion like that would cost you over 4 bucks
to have done.

On Mon, 2 May 2005 15:26:48 -0700, "frosty" wrote:

Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

Thanks, Basil (B.A.?) Very helpful and detailed response.

What you describe is a separate cushion for the top of the
cooler; what I've been asking for is upholstery for the top
of the cooler itself. Could have had the former by now,
if I hadn't been asking for the latter. I think your idea is a
better way to go.

I'm guessing that when you wrote "...a cushion like that would
cost you over 4 bucks to have done," you meant "wouldn't,"
correct? (Of course, the word "marine" means "triple the cost,"
so we're talking twelve bucks, now.) I'm going to inquire again,
this time asking for a cushion -- made of vinyl, not marine vinyl.
I don't trusty my sewing skills enough to risk cutting into the only
piece of matching material.

Do you think that "memory" (viscoelastic) foam is a good choice?
I have a nice piece of it that could be used.

My apologies if I got your name wrong.

--
frosty

wrote:
Take something and make a pattern of the top of your cooler. Light
weight cardboard would be good. Now lay it over the vinyl with the
stretchier part of the material going the long direction of the cooler
lid. Trace the pattern out and cut it 3/8 of an inch larger all the
way around. Now cut another piece for the bottom. Now fold the piece
in half and make little notches half way down every side. These are to
keep the two pieces lined up when you sew the sides on. Put the piece
you marked over the other piece and match the marks.

Now cut your material for your sides allowing 3/8 of an inch on both
the ends to be sewn. You might want to find you foam for the center to
get the right size. I'd go medium density because you don't want a 3
inch cushion and will need the stiffer foam to cushion your patootie.

Now cut some strips one inch wide as long as you can get out of your
material. These get wrapped around some 1/8 plastic piping or twine
between your cushion piece and foam to form a decorative edge. When
you wrap them around the piping and line the edge up with the other
pieces it will work out to using the 3/8's allowance you made earlier.

Oh, and put a zipper in along the back side. Also make about four thin
straps to put snaps in and sew them into the cushion the same time as
the sides. You can buy a snap squeezer the fits over you vice grips at
a hobby shop. When you put the cushion over the foam wrap the foam in
dry cleaner plastic. This will make it slide in easy. You can rip it
out if you want or leave it. It will make a slight crinkly sound when
you sit on it.

The upholstry shops were lying, anybody in the uphostrey business can
make a simple cushion. My bet is when you started describing what you
wanted and how much you wanted to pay they realized you weren't worth
the trouble, because a cushion like that would cost you over 4 bucks
to have done.

On Mon, 2 May 2005 15:26:48 -0700, "frosty" wrote:

Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?

I meant to add a zero to that 4 , 40 dollars would be more like it to
have a cushion made. A yard of vinyl can cost 20 bucks and you would
want some good sun resistent stuff.

Any foam will work, but remember a lot of them suck up water, but even
so if you don't throw it in the water it should survive alright. Take
a piece of foam you want to use and set it on a hard surface and sit
on it. That's the best test.

If memory foam is what I think it is, I don't think it would be the
best. (I'm thinking the stuff that stays squished in a shape for
awhile).

I was just thinking an easier way to do it would be to cut a piece of
1/4 inch plywood slightly smaller than the cooler top and then put a
foam piece on it and let it over lap the ply by a 1/2 inch and then
pattern your material the same size as the foam ( this includes excess
for sewing) and sew a piece of fabric around it and staple it to the
board.

On Thu, 19 May 2005 10:12:48 -0700, "frosty" wrote:

Thanks, Basil (B.A.?) Very helpful and detailed response.

What you describe is a separate cushion for the top of the
cooler; what I've been asking for is upholstery for the top
of the cooler itself. Could have had the former by now,
if I hadn't been asking for the latter. I think your idea is a
better way to go.

I'm guessing that when you wrote "...a cushion like that would
cost you over 4 bucks to have done," you meant "wouldn't,"
correct? (Of course, the word "marine" means "triple the cost,"
so we're talking twelve bucks, now.) I'm going to inquire again,
this time asking for a cushion -- made of vinyl, not marine vinyl.
I don't trusty my sewing skills enough to risk cutting into the only
piece of matching material.

Do you think that "memory" (viscoelastic) foam is a good choice?
I have a nice piece of it that could be used.

My apologies if I got your name wrong.