How to Repair Vinyl Seats
Vinyl seats make your car look good, but they can be difficult to maintain. Holes and rips may force you to change the cover completely. Fortunately, repairing vinyl seats is quite easy, especially when the damage is still small.
Steps to Repair Vinyl Seats
Here are two ways to repair vinyl seats:
Required Materials
- vinyl patch piece
- vinyl color (optional, in case the patch does not match the color of the original vinyl)
- vinyl adhesive
- Basic Repair
- Examine the damaged area. Make an estimate of its proportions.
- Use a pair of scissors to cut around the hole to make it even. This allows the vinyl patch to settle in the hole.
- Cut a vinyl patch that will completely cover the hole.
- Take the patch and push it gently into the hole. Check if the patch is fully tucked into the hole. Take care not to rip the hole further.
- Smoothen the patch to spread it out evenly.
- Slightly raise up the damaged portion, holding it above the surface of the patch.
- Put a thin layer of vinyl adhesive to both the original upholstery and the patch.
- Press together the area where the adhesive was applied. Take care not to push the original vinyl seat and the patch apart.
- Let the patch dry for the next 24 hours. Do not disturb the joined pieces. The longer they stay together the more firmly will the pieces stick together. Keep the patch away from sunlight or direct source of heat.
- vinyl repair kit
- sandpaper or kitchen scouring pad
- paper towel
- flat pallet knife or butter knife
- Vinyl Repair Compound
- Using sandpaper or a kitchen scouring pad, roughen approximately one inch of the area around the hole or rip.
- Apply a thin layer of primer or prepping solution to the area with a wet paper towel.
- Spread a thin layer of the vinyl repair compound over the hole and the patch. Use a pallet knife or a butter knife for this process. Be careful not to spread the compound too far outside the repair spot.
- Leave the spot to dry for about 15 to 20 minutes. The process may be hastened with a hair dryer. Just be sure to keep it at least 18 inches away from the repaired spot.
