Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Spray painting vinyl upholstery.

photo source:dcpaintsolutions.com

What could be easier?

Just point and shoot.


Vinyl "dyes" have been around for years. They are not really dyes, they are paints.

Awhile back, a family discussion took place concerning the Mark VII. I spent some time assuring my Wife that I really did want to get the car running and on the road. I knew that she had some reservations, based upon an earlier experience with a car that was in a "less ugly" condition than the old Jag. Her words, not mine.

My '66 Riviera was much beloved by me and it was therefor kept in good running condition and was driven all the time. Emphasis on all the time. The paint was faded, cracked, and oxidized. There were even areas of "light" surface rust. Worst of all, the windshield and rear window would leak like sieves. There was a problem of rusty channels and swollen seams. This prevented the glass from sealing, although the stainless trim moldings were still in place.The proper repair procedure would have been to remove the glass, and cut away and replace the rusted metal. Then reseal the glass.  A somewhat less proper approach would be to remove the glass and repair the channels with POR putty, seal all the metal with POR paint, then reseal the glass. A less workman like approach would have been to fill the seams around the trim moldings with silicon seal and forget about it. I found an even cruder method, I just ran lengths of duct tape over the window moldings and surrounding body metal. Then I forgot about it!

The body of the Riviera was straight and I suppose that an inexpensive paint job could have been applied. It would have helped to raise the car's appearance to a "presentable " level.
The car was "slammed" with wide whitewalls and Moon discs. A set of slightly burned out glass pack duals  let that seven liter Nailhead V8 produce the appropriate rumble.

I suppose that an impartial viewer might have labeled the car's appearance as "ugly." In all fairness my Wife actually like the styling of the car despite the patina.

I knew that I wasn't going to have the window channels fixed properly. I could have at least gone the POR route but I stubbornly maintained that "if I couldn't have it fixed right, than I wouldn't do it at all!" So I didn't have it painted and drove it, even though it looked kind of like a piece of crap.

The Mark has more surface rust than my Riv ever did, in fact more than any car I've ever owned except my '22 Dodge. I suppose that my Wife is concerned that I might get it running and then start driving it in it's deplorable state!

I can't say that I blame her. Though I have had a change of heart. The old Jag would get at least a 500 dollar paint job. That led to a discussion about the color. The original color was a medium pastel blue, Cotswold Blue I believe. I was thinking that Ford had a similar '70's color, Wedgewood blue. I also considered the darker blue that's on my Explorer. However, I mentioned that I would really like the car to be green, Highland Green, or Brewster green, a GM color. Or the same Forest green that my truck is painted. The car had been reupholstered years ago in blue vinyl by the original owner. It's in fair condition, Typically, the back seat is pristine. The fronts are pretty good except for the seat bottoms, which are both torn. The door panels have fared better and are okay in my eyes.  I said that I imagine the car would be painted in some blue color as I wasn't going to have the car completely upholstered. Maybe I could have the car resprayed green some time in the future.

It's not that I don't like blue, it's just that I really want a green Jaguar. My Daughter said that if I'm willing to pay to have the car painted once, why not just have it painted the color that I really want?

That's a very good point. But how will it look? I don't think that  dark green and blue would look that great. Still I could have a green car and just live with it until I can afford to have it re-trimmed in a more complimentary color.  While tan goes very well with green, so does grey. That's the color combo of my truck.

Maybe... I could change the color of the interior to grey!

I've read articles in the past where the color of the interior was changed with vinyl dye. You can't really dye vinyl or leather like you can fabric, but you can spray it with Vinyl paint. I wouldn't anticipate any problems with the door panels, dashboard, even the headliner or seat backs. But what about the actual seating areas? Is there a a paint that can stand up the constant wear and abrasion that a seat cushion is subject to?

I've read many threads on the Jaguar forums where old, discolored , cracked and worn leather seats are patched, filled and treated. Then they are re-colored with the leather top coat finish applied with a spray or foam brush application. I've seen the results and they do look very good, almost new.

Generally the seats are re-recolored to the original color. This would assure that the piping or any trim would not shift and betray the original contrasting color.  Even if the coating wears through it would still be an identical or similar color underneath.

Could a vinyl spray really stand up to daily use? I have my doubts.

I thought that I could give it a try to see how it comes out.

Luckily I have an  interior panel and a loose seat cushion lying around to try it out.

I've used this for several automotive projects.
This stuff even sticks to resin furniture.

I have successfully used Rustoleum 2X paint before. It claims to be able to adhere to plastic. The commercials show it being used on resin patio furniture. That's a type of plastic that does not like paint. Usually it would flake and chip off like crazy. It should be suitable for the dash, headliner, door cards, and non wearing seating areas, such as the backs of the front seats.

This is Rustoleum's specific use product.
It costs about the same as the 2X.

There is also a specific Rustoleum fabric and vinyl paint. I wondered if the 2X paint was the same paint in a different can, I looked at both their fact sheets and there are some differences in the solvents used. That would probably be to allow it to be used on fabrics. I will pick up a can later to include in the comparison.

This is the craft paint my Wife suggested.
This container retails for 45.00.

Then my Wife volunteered a craft paint that is touted to be suitable for use on a variety of materials. Vinyl, fabric, and leather included. It is generally applied using a foam brush.

This is an old Datsun 510 upper seat cushion. The vinyl and stitching
 was in great shape considering that it's sat in the elements for years.

Here's a 510 door card.

I cleaned off the door panel and the old seat back cushion and decided to give both the 2X paint  and the craft paint a trial. I used the 2X paint because I happened to have some on hand. The craft paint was supplied by my Wife. I visited the craft website and read many positive reviews. One reviewer claimed that they had painted a leather sofa and love seat and had been impressed by the results.

Don't laugh, my Wife has been involved with crafting for a long time, some of their products can be surprisingly effective.

This is the area covered by 2X paint.

This is the area with the Finish All paint.
My Wife used a regular brush for this single coat.

I only applied 2X to the door card.
The grain is still clearly visible through the paint.

After applying the two paints I will give the Rustoleum the needed 5 days to achieve the maximum adhesion to plastic, that the instructions say is required.

Even factory supplied leather upholstery will display eventual wear and tear, although it usually takes a decade or more to become apparent.  The surface coating can become abraded and lose it's color.

How long would painted vinyl have to maintain it's appearance for me to be satisfied? That's a good question. I wouldn't expect it to last as long as the factory leather finish. Would it stand up to several years of occasional use?  Chipping and peeling would be my biggest concern.

With vinyl materials and fabrics the color goes clear through the material. I've never seen vinyl wear through the "color coat," there usually isn't one.

There were a couple of reviews where the Rustoleum products were used on ski boats, and golf cart seats. The reviewers stated that the color looked good throughout the season.

I'll do some abrasion testing on my samples by rubbing the sole of a running shoe against it. Try to pick a chip off, especially at the edge.  I might even try a some sandpaper on it.

Of course if I do decide to use the paint on my old Mark VII I'll probably have the seat replacement panels done up in grey instead of blue. Might as well make it as easy on the paint as possible.

I'll report back with the results in a future post.

Yes, I am getting ahead of myself as I haven't fixed the brakes or gotten the engine running yet.
All the waxing and detailing work has got me to thinking about paint. This will give me something to mull over in the meantime.