Vinyl and Leather Dying

It is surprisingly easy to change the color of interior vinyl or leather, or to improve the appearance of older interiors. Today, there are true dye products that soak into the material and produce great results. In the past, the best you could do with aftermarket products was to coat the interior material, instead of truly dying it. The older products would crack, chip and peel. Since the new products truly are dyes, they stay put. Also, they will not come off on your clothes.

The key to dying interior materials is to properly prepare the materials before actually applying the dyes. The materials must be very clean. Leather and vinyl treatments must be stripped away to promote proper adhesion of the new dye. It also helps to strip away as much of the old dye as possible.

Once the materials surfaces have been prepared, the dye can be sprayed on with a low pressure / low volume spray gun. It is important to spray several light coats of dye so it can properly soak into the material and properly adhere. Some folks make the mistake of spraying the dye on in thick coats, thinking it will result in a better job. This is not the case at all. A thick coat can cause "blinding" in the material. Blinding means that the dye covers over the vinyl or leather texture instead of letting the dye flow into each tiny crevice of the material.

Most dyes can be sprayed on. Brushing the dye is not a good idea as you will be able to see the brush marks. This will result in a poor finish and will not look new or natural. Depending on the size of the job, a compressor and spray gun may or may not be required. For smaller jobs there are inexpensive self-contained spray guns. These work well for the do-it-yourselfer who probably has only a couple of small dying jobs to do.

It is possible to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by changing or enhancing a vehicle's interior with dyes instead of purchasing new interiors. And, it is very easy to do.