So a couple of weeks ago I realized that my center console (fabric) was worn thin and uncleanable. I started looking here for trailblazers, and sure enough I found several others who had done recovers. Huge thanks to CharlesJ CharlesJ | PriusChat for documenting his. That helped a lot. So here are my pics and experience. I ordered a piece of scrap leather off of ebay for $5. And I bought some DAP Weldwood contact cement from Lowe's, also $5. Taking the console off was pretty easy, thanks to the tips on here. A lot of folks seem to cover right over the existing fabric, but I decided to remove it to avoid any lingering dirt and smell. Plus, it gave me a rough template to use for my new. Here is my filthy cover off:
I cut my leather to match the original fabric, then I stretched it out over the console cover, using clips to hold it on while I pulled it tighter. I let it sit like this overnight, to try to stretch out any wrinkles in the leather. Then came the arduous task of trimming edges and gluing down the ends. This just took a lot of patience. I would brush on some cement, let it dry a bit, and then stretch the leather out and lay it over the glue. That cement is unforgiving, you stick it down and that's it, no moving it around, so make sure you get it right the first time.
Finally, here's my final outcome: Pretty happy with how it turned out. Overall, not a hard project at all.
I'd like to, obviously for consistency. But I haven't decided whether to do the full dismantle or the "tuck" method that CharlesJ did.
Nice post! I need to do this myself on my 2006 Prius (gray cloth interior). How does the leather match and what should I look for when searching for a piece of scrap leather on ebay?
The leather matches the tan plastic very well. It doesn't match the color of the original fabric, but I think that is largely due to the fact that it was really dirty. There is a ton of scrap leather on ebay. I searched for that very term and found a seller with multiple pieces that were the same color. so I have some extra for the armrests. The main thing is you want to make sure it is a big enough piece. The piece I got for the console was 10.5" x 20". The width was perfect, and I probably cut only 4" off the length. This is the seller I bought from: dchapman05 | eBay
Very nicely done! +1 I plan on doing this very thing myself. Good move removing the sweaty old pad! Did you add any foam for padding? I did not see any? Still, looks great!
I ended up leaving the original foam padding. In retrospect I would have liked to have picked up a new piece. But by that point I was eager to get done. The foam was thin and stretched out. I ended up having to trim it to keep it from bunching under the leather.
My cloth one looks like yours. What color did you get from e bay? Was it beige/taupe or cream? You did a great job!!
