Tree sap is one of the most common causes of damage to vinyl boat seats.  It can get on vinyl seats while the boat is uncovered or if a small portion of the cover comes loose, exposing the vinyl.

The real problem with tree sap is that it melts easily into the seats in the sun or hot weather, making it next to impossible to clean off.  It is best to take preventative measures to keep tree sap off your boat whenever possible and to clean it off quickly if it does become a problem.

Keep tree sap off your boat seats

Keep your boat covered when not in use.  It is also a good idea to do a thorough check of your boat when you pull it out of winterization.  Tree sap has a sneaky way of getting in through even the tiniest of holes in your boat cover.  Also, if you leave your boat uncovered for a while to dry out after use before covering to prevent mildew, do a quick inspection before you put the cover on.

How to get tree sap off your boat seats

It is best to use a citrus-based cleaner without bleach to clean tree sap off your vinyl seats.  If that isn’t working, and you need something stronger, try using methyl hydrate.

Note: Always be sure to test all products in an inconspicuous place on your vinyl seats before using them in an eye-catching place.

Filed under: Uncategorized by Carey Hepler Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Here’s a nice article about one of our Fibrenew brethren in Spring Hope, NC.  David Bryant has done a nice combining his craftsmanship into his leather repair business.  Good job David!

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/business/firm-gives-old-items-new-look-576999

On his horse farm in Spring Hope, David Bryant is building a fast-growing restoration and repair business, Fibrenew East.

The company restores, among other things, leather couches; chairs; aircraft consoles, interiors and seats; boat seats, consoles and interiors; car bumpers, consoles and door panels; horse saddles; medical tables and chairs; motorcycle seats; and vinyl seats and flooring. In most cases, Bryant will go to a client’s home to do the work.

“In most cases, I’ll go to houses (to make repairs), unless it’s a big job like a full couch restoration, which I’ll bring to the shop,” Bryant said. “Most of what I do is mobile. I do the work out of back of my truck. I carry air compressors, dyes, that kind of stuff. The hardest thing I do is matching colors. I have to match colors.”

In a down economy in which people are trying to save money, business has tripled since opening in 2009.

Q: What services or products do you provide?

A: I do repairs and restoration and redying and cleaning of leather, vinyl, plastics fabrics and upholstery. The company fixes cracks, stains, scratches, holes, rips and fades in leather. The business is environmentally friendly. When you do repair work, it keeps people from throwing (the product) in landfills. I’m really not doing any advertising. (Business) is kind of word of mouth. I get referrals from furniture companies, car dealers, individuals. I do a lot of (leather and vinyl repair on) trucks for Lilly International. I can re-dye floor mats. A lot of homeowners have trouble getting red stains out of furniture. I can do that. It takes special chemicals and heat to get it out.

Q: How many people do you employ?

A: Me.

Q: When were you established?

A: April 2009.

Q: What’s your business philosophy?

A: If you do good, high-quality work, you’re always going to stay busy.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: Just what I do. The odd stuff I fix. People have no idea (some products) can even be fixed, like leather furniture when cats claw it up or dogs chew holes, or a car seat that has a hole in it from a screwdriver.

Q: Why did you pick Rocky Mount as a place to do business?

A: I used to own a chair and equipment rentals business in Rocky Mount. I wasn’t going to leave the area.

Q: How has your company grown?

A: Business has about tripled from the first year.

Q: What changes do you expect for your company in coming years?

A: It’s got nothing but potential to grow. The biggest problem is getting people to realize they can restore products. When I started going into furniture stores showing people pictures of what I did, even people working in the store had no idea what could be done, so it’s kind of educational process.

Filed under: furniture, leather, Other Fibrenew Franchises by Carey Hepler Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

This is a nice article about one of our fellow Fibrenew franchise owners.

Nora Garono (Fibrenew Memphis) served our country during the Gulf War as an officer in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, better known as the bomb squad!

Nora is now a Reservist, and she’s traded her wire-cutters for an airbrush to do leather and vinyl repair and cleaning on furniture, cars, boats, etc.  I’m sure it’s not quite as exciting, but we are glad she’s one of us.

Click here to read the whole article.  Great job Nora!

Filed under: For Fun, Other Fibrenew Franchises by Carey Hepler Monday, May 23rd, 2011

With dry, dirty or scratched leather, you may find yourself scouring the internet for DIY treatments. Many articles cite olive oil as a cure-all for every leather ailment, from scratches to dryness to odors. It is likely that this myth came from the age old practice of oiling baseball gloves and horse saddles.  Oil may have its perks in functionality for those purposes, but we strongly discourage using any type of oil on your fine leathers.

Although leather does indeed become a little suppler after applying olive oil, this instant gratification comes with a price. Olive oil, and every oily substance for that matter, will not “nourish” your leather, but actually accelerate its deterioration.

Leather is extremely permeable, and will soak up any oils you put on it. When oil first saturates leather, it seeps to the back—to the part you can’t see. Eventually, the oil ends up spreading throughout the leather and naturally resurfaces. Once this happens, your leather will have unsightly oil spots.

Because oil sits deep within the leather, it cannot be removed with any cleaner available to the general public.  A professional can give your leather a deep cleaning to get out most of the oil.  However, it is infrequent that even a professional can truly remove the problem entirely.

Additionally, oil-saturated leather will give off a salad-like scent, meaning that it won’t work to ward off existing odors.

Whenever you use olive oil to treat a leather problem, you will always be trading instant gratification with the long-term health of your leather.

For leather treatments, don’t always trust what you read on the internet. Stick to products designed especially for leather or take your leather to a professional. The quick, cheap olive oil “fix” renders a much higher cost in the end.

If you have any questions, leave ‘em in the comments!  If you want to show us a photo of a specific piece of furniture, post it on our Facebook Wall.

Filed under: furniture, leather, Leather Cleaning by Carey Hepler Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Our Kansas Fibrenew friends, Ronnie and Suzette Seetin, recently dyed some cowboy boots for a customer, and they turned out Amazing!

Check them out:

Next time you want to do some boot-scootin, ask us about dyeing your boots to match your outfit.  You’ll be a knock-out!

Filed under: leather, re-dye by Carey Hepler Sunday, May 1st, 2011

It’s moments like this that often lead parents to double and re-double their birth control efforts.

These picture are from a hilarious website called: @#$%* My Kids Ruined.

I’ve cleverly obfuscated the real name, since this is a family-oriented blog, but you get the idea.

The website has loads of pictures of “stuff” kids have ruined.  Brian bought me the book for Christmas, and it quickly became a family favorite.

If something like this happens to you, the good news is that you don’t have to sell the kids.  Hepler Bros. can come to your rescue.  We can repair furniture with ink stains, paint, glitter, etc. And, you can keep your kids.  You know you love ‘em!

Filed under: For Fun, furniture, Leather Cleaning, upholstery by Carey Hepler Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

One of our Fibrenew brethren, Kelly Fuller, was on the Local News in his hometown of Dallas, TX last week.

The story is about rising gas prices affecting our mobile business, but Kelly manages to get in a few good plugs for repairing leather and vinyl in cars and on furniture.

He said he’s asking customers to e-mail him pics rather than driving to their houses.  That’s smart for everyone.  We can give you a much better idea how much it cost to repair a couch if we can lay eyes on it first.

Got a question about getting your couch, boat seat, or car seat fixed?  Drop us a line and send us a pic.  We’ll make your life beautiful again!

Filed under: boats, cars, furniture, leather, Leather Cleaning by Carey Hepler Saturday, March 26th, 2011

Lots of stories from last week, but this was our favorite fun story.

Saturday morning:  We had been collecting shoes for two days, and Saturday is the morning of the Gate River Run 15K National Championship race.

I had left to go meet my friends, and Brian was at the tent collecting the shoes from other runners.  The race began at 8:30am.

It’s about 8:15 when, all of a sudden, a young lady and her boyfriend run up in a panic.  She’s forgotten her running shoes!  The Expo is closed, so she can’t buy any, and she wants to know if we have any she can run in.

She and Brian rummage through some shoes and she comes up with a pair she thinks will fit.  They run off into the sunrise.

Long story short, she runs like a champion in her temporary shoes, and she comes back later to re-donate them to the St. Francis Soup Kitchen.

I don’t know how she ran 9.3 miles in shoes she’d never worn before, but here’s to the spirit that won’t give up.

Aloha.

Filed under: For Fun by Carey Hepler Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Hi All,

Brian and I will be doing our annual community service this Thursday and Friday at the Gate River Run.  We collect used running shoes and t-shirts for Jacksonville’s homeless.  This will be our 9th year!

It’s been a wonderful project.  Each year we collect 400-500 pairs of shoes and at least 100 t-shirts, and we donate them to the St. Francis Soup Kitchen in downtown Jax.   They have a HUGE need.

The volunteers at the soup kitchen always tell us, “Shoes are like Gold!”

Here are some pics from last year, and there are more details and pictures on our Facebook page:  Facebook.com/Shoes.and.TShirt.Donation

Visit the page and give us a “Like!”

So, even though we’re not out fixing couches, boats and cars on these days, give us a call!  We’ll get you fixed up next week!

Filed under: For Fun by Carey Hepler Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

This story is probably only funny to Brian, me, and the other Fibrenew franchisees out there, but I’m telling it anyway.

Brian sent me this Before picture of a small hole in a leather couch.

I thought it was a good idea to put the dime in there to give me an idea of scale, but I was confused by the damage.  I could see the tear, but I wasn’t sure what the outline was around the tear.

So, I said to Brian, “Hey, what’s that outline around the tear?”  He said the owner had put a band-aid over the tear as a temporary fix.  I said, “Oh, that’s kinda weird.”  And he said, “Yeah, but she’s a nurse.”

I LOL’d.  Really struck me as funny.  Maybe she just did it until the bleeding stopped.  Like I said, probably only funny to me and other leather fixers.

He’s the After picture.  Nice fix.  Took me a while to find it.

So, if this happens to you, make your First Aid a call to Hepler Bros!

Filed under: For Fun, furniture, leather by Carey Hepler Friday, March 4th, 2011