interior color change with vinyl dyes

[esty]

there have been a lot of discussions about the use of vinyl dyes and a lot of you guys have asked me how to do it...

i've dyed a ton of interior parts...everything from dashes & headliners to dash knobs...the key to success is the prep, not the name brand of dye used...all vinyl dyes are lacquer based and about the only difference i can tell in one brand from the other is price and selection of colors

price paid for a can of vinyl dye isn't relative to the final appearance...a $5.00 can of dye will work and look just as good as a can you'd pay $15.00 for

brands like dupli-color, rustoleum and VHT vinyl dye can generally be found at most neighborhood parts stores but the selection of color is limited to about 1/2 dozen with price range of $4 to $9 per can....SEM on the other hand offers a lot of colors but costs approx twice as much and usually can't be found locally...

if you want to buy it locally to avoid shipping costs, try a few local automotive paint stores...if anyone has it they will...as a last resort, if you can't find the color you need, any automotive paint store can color match & mix a quart or a gallon of dye but it won't be cheap this way

and don't confuse plastic paint and dyes with vinyl or leather dye, plastic dyes will not work on vinyl and if you try, you'll regret it

the key to a good job is cleaning...as i've always suggested, clean it with any good surface cleaner, 409, mr. clean or whatever you have...a small brush is great for getting the grain clean and along tough spots like the welting and seams...then i've always used lacquer thinner for the final wipe because it's cheap and there's usually some sitting around...just dampen a soft cloth and wipe the piece to be dyed and it's ready to color change...just make sure there are no fuzzies from your cleaning cloths...

start by spraying a light, mist coat waiting approx 5 minutes between coats...in the video link i've included, the guy stretches it out to 5 coats, i always managed to get it colored in about 3 coats and i've never ever used a clear coat to top anything that i've dyed

properly cleaned and applied, the piece should look as good and last as long as the original material you dyed

good luck & have fun changing that interior color....

[ziff73]

True, true. Prep is is insanely important. I've found that TSP (tri sodium phosphate) is great for cleaning and prepping the surface since it deglosses as well. Good times...:-)

[02for2]

Good Stuff .. !!

Thanks !!

Cheers !

[Tito3]

awesome how to. World Upholstery sells a pretty good product but its spendy. So does Just Dashes. As Esty said its all in the prep work.

Cheers