How do you paint vinyl?

[Bender]

I need to paint the vinyl on my doors and the plastic arm rest in the middle. What do I need to do I was going to buy a 16 oz spray can of vinyl paint. Dont I have to take the old paint off? If so what should I use to do that? And how do I keep the paint from getting on parts I dont want it on? Tape it up? O and I cant seem to figure out whats holding on the middle arm rest, I dont see any screws and 3 out of the 4 sides come up. Also is there any way to make my vinyl seats look new?

Thanks...

 

[miratech]

I just did the entire interior on my 76.

I used vinyl paint that was available at Advanced Auto Parts. They had Plastikote, DupliColor and Krylon. I tried all three and the Plastikote worked the best. I used the glossy type, but also found the flat to work just as well. It is a matter of preference.

To start, you want to clean the parts thoroughly. I used 3M Silicon/Adhesive remover that is available at WalMart. Spray a good amount and let it work for about 15 minutes, then wipe down. I let it dry for a full day and then used an air compressor to make sure that there was no dust before I started painting.

The best advice I can give you is to take it slow when applying the paint and do several thin layers.

 

[Bender]

Thanks this saves me alot of time, I was going to order paint from online. I assume you did not use the spray can type but the stuff you paint on?

 

[miratech]

Actually, it is the spray can type. The Krylon had the best spray pattern, but I found that it took more paint to cover the panels than the other two and took longer to cure.

Oh yes, another thing, don't be in a hurry to put the panels back in. Let them dry fully before reinstalling. They will scratch if not fully dry and you will have to pull them out again and touch them up.

At $3.50 per can of paint, for about $30, I have an interior that looks and feels brand new. I get tons of compliments on it. Don't think that you need to buy the $12 Eastmon stuff.

Let me know how things go.

 

[Bender]

Alright I will thanks for the help

 

[Gunther]

Hi

So you did not use any primer at all ?
Interesting to hear that it worked fine like that.
I need to touch up my already black interior a bit as well.
I thought that primer should be used first .

Gunther

 

[miratech]

I used primer on the plastic trim panels, but not on the vinyl. I found that the details of the grain were lost with the primer. The results on the vinly were great, good adhesion and does not rub or flake off. I guess the quality of the paitn (or dye as it is) makes the difference. The DupliColor and Krylon do not work well for me and did need the primer. Fo me, it wasn't just a touch up, I changed the color entierly from tan to black and even without the primer, the doors, seats look great.

 

[RedRagTop]

Hi

So you did not use any primer at all ?
Interesting to hear that it worked fine like that.
I need to touch up my already black interior a bit as well.
I thought that primer should be used first .

Gunther

Just be careful, Gunther, you have a true. appreciating classic there. Shame to toy with the originality unless you really need to...

 

[cwerve74]

Did not look like anyone answered your "how do I remove the center arm rest?" question. There is one bolt that you get to from the storage compartment behind the seat. The tray has to come out then you can see the bolt. Had the same problem and a CAC member helped me out last year. Just passing along the knowledge.

 

[Bender]

Well I did find all the stuff I needed at Pep Boys but I could not find my color so I am thinking about painting everything black, my old color was frosty blue or something, its a light shinny blue. But my seats are blue, so can I paint the seats with this stuff and if I can do I have to take my seats out?

 

[miratech]

Yes, you can use it on the seats and you should remove everything that you are going to paint.

 

[celeryman22]

Yes, you can use it on the seats and you should remove everything that you are going to paint.

Can you use it on the leather seats or vinyl/leather seats? The can I got for Mid america vette says not "recommended" for leather.

 

[Bender]

I dont know, but I have seen leather paint before.

 

[Mac]

I dont know, but I have seen leather paint before.

Usually it's dye for leather rather than paint. Surface preparation is key in any form of painting and vinyl is no exception. If you don't clean & prep the vinyl, expect an ugly, streaky surface to result.

Bodyshop suppliers have cleaners which remove oils and silicons (as previously mentioned by miratech)and they also sell a surface preparation solution called 'vinyl prep' or similar. As a last step before painting, I wiped the vinyl down with a lintfree cloth and vinyl prep which air drys quickly, then shot the paint; no primer. It covered perfectly and has lasted more than five years now with no degradation whatsoever.

 

[Bender]

Do I really need vinyl prep? Because I know none of the part stores sell that here. I would have to go downtown to get some from a bodyshop right? And how long does it take for the paint to dry?

 

[Mac]

Do I really need vinyl prep? Because I know none of the part stores sell that here. I would have to go downtown to get some from a bodyshop right? And how long does it take for the paint to dry?

When I do things like painting vinyl, I only want to do them once. I'm not interested in repainting again anytime soon. Perhaps you can get away with no vinyl prep but I wasn't willing to take the chance and I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with a substandard result, so I did everything I could to get it right the first time. The paint I used was lacquer based and it dried quickly. I left the parts hanging overnight and installed them the next day.

 

[nd4speed]

for those that have done this do you have pics?

 

[celeryman22]

I just painted most of the trim tonight. I was really easy and made a big difference.

 

[Mac]

for those that have done this do you have pics?

I have but I'm not at home right now; I'm taking a course for two weeks. Once I get home next week, I can post if anyone is interested. :eek

 

[Bill75]

Painting Vinyl

I have been reading all this info on painting vinyl with amazement. I never thought anything could be done to vinyl to bring back the quality such as painting it. Doesn't the paint fade or scrape off when hit with something?? Isn't the color on the origional vinyl part of the material and not a surface treatement? Just how durable and long lasting is the paint?

Bill