If you have a tear in a vinyl seat or cushion, don't despair. DIY vinyl seat repair is easier than you think! Keep reading for a step-by-step guide.
Time 24 hours
ComplexityIntermediate
Cost$20
Introduction
Got a torn vinyl seat or cushion in your vehicle, boat or home? Vinyl seat repair is often considered difficult, with most DIYers opting for complete reupholstery instead. For small nicks and tears in your vinyl, there's an easier way — buying an easy-to-use vinyl repair kit.
The kit I'm using here comes with everything needed to seal small tears. With this kit, you can make your vinyl look almost new (unless you look really closely), and just as functional as ever.
The following method doesn't work well for tears longer than a couple of inches. But the results are more than good enough for a vinyl seat or cushion you're not ready to replace. Keep reading and learn the ins and outs of vinyl seat repair.
Watch How to Repair a Vinyl Seat or Cushion
Tools Required
- Scissors
- Vinyl repair kit (including repair compound or backing material and spatula)
Materials Required
- Disposable shop towels
- Q-tips
- Rubber gloves
- Rubbing alcohol
Project step-by-step (5)
Step 1
Remove loose material around the tear
- Examine the edges of the torn area closely, looking for any loose flaps of vinyl or treads from the underlying material.
- Carefully run your fingers along the edges of the tear to reveal any additional loose flaps or threads.
- With a pair of sharp scissors, carefully cut away all those loose flaps and stray threads.
- Run your fingers over the edges of the tear one more time to ensure there’s no more loose/stray material.
Step 2
Clean the damaged area
- Put on rubber gloves. Then wet a disposable shop towel with some rubbing alcohol.
- Rub down the area of vinyl immediately around the tear to clean it.
- Allow the rubbing alcohol to dry fully before moving on to the next step.
Step 3
Apply repair compound
- Cut a piece of backing material slightly larger than your damaged area.
- Use the provided spatula to slide the backing material beneath the torn vinyl. This step is usually unnecessary for tears smaller than one-quarter inch or so.
- Open a bottle of vinyl repair compound that’s the color most closely matching the area to be fixed. You can also mix multiple colors in the clear plastic container provided for a closer color match.
- Gently squeeze some vinyl repair compound directly into the torn area. Be sure to inject it beneath the vinyl along both sides of the tear and into the middle.
Step 4
Shape repair compound
- Use the plastic spatula provided with your vinyl repair kit to carefully smooth the wet repair compound over the tear and the area surrounding it.
- Move the spatula back and forth over the tear, gently pushing excess repair compound into the tear where it’s most needed.
- Continue leveling the repair compound so there’s little or no noticeable bump at the torn area.
Step 5
Do final refinement
- Wait several hours for your repair compound to be dry to the touch, but not fully cured.
- Wet the end of a Q-tip with rubbing alcohol.
- Rub the Q-tip gently along the edges of the repair to smooth out any rough areas.
- Glide the Q-tip over any raised areas of semi-hard repair compound to make them match the surrounding vinyl surface.
- Allow your repair 24 hours to fully dry.
