Time

24 hours

Complexity

Intermediate

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.

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

Watch How to Repair a Vinyl Seat or Cushion

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.

Vinyl Tear Before Repair — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

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.

remove Loose Material with scissors — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

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.

clean Area with rubbing alcohol — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

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.

applying Repair Compound onto the cushion using a little squeeze bottle — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

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.

putting Repair Compound onto the cushion using a little spatula — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

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.

using a Q-tip to smooth the compound out — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

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.

Vinyl Repair after Drying — Robert Maxwell for Family Handyman

How to Repair a Vinyl Seat or Cushion