Vinyl Repair
 

Repair process
The typical process for stiff vinyl and plastic surfaces such as door panels and
interior trim mouldings is as follows:
• The area to be repaired and painted must be carefully cleaned of dirt, grease
or other contaminants. Lloyd uses an alcohol-based cleaner. A citrus-based panel
prep is also available from Dominion Sure Seal.
• A heat gun prepares the surface for the next stage. Plastic material has a
memory—that is, it wants to maintain its original shape and surface texture. If the
material is mildly bent, warped, or even scratched, heat can soften the material
enough to allow it to restore itself to its original form, or even close up scratches.
• Fill holes or depressions. Larger holes can be backed up with fibre
reinforcing tape, which is self-adhesive. There are several liquid vinyl fillers,
adhesives that can double as fillers, and high-build primers to fill fine scratches.
An example is Dominion Sure-Seal’s Flexible Epoxy Adhesive Filler.
• Sand to smooth the filler and any particularly rough spots. Also, sand the
overall surface to be painted to increase the surface area, which improves
adhesion.
• Spray on an “Adhesion Promoter” primer for plastic and vinyl. Sand lightly
again if necessary.
• Add a spray-on crackling agent or texturizer, if needed, to match the texture
of the surrounding surface.
• Paint. Mix the paint colour to match the existing materials, and spray on.
Lloyd uses lacquer paint made for vinyl and plastic, which doesn’t change colour
after it dries. According to Lloyd, a water-based paint would dry darker.
In the case of the soft vinyl used for upholstery, a backing patch may be
attached to the underside of the material (glued if not self-adhesive). Then a liquid
vinyl paste is applied, along with grain patches to match the grain; next come the
cleaners and adhesive primers, of course, and the vinyl paint. If you use paint
made for plastic and the flex of vinyl, then the finish will be durable and won’t
wear off, or crack and flake away due to the flexibility of the material.

good stuff!

Thanks alot for the thread, but is there anyway I can repair it without getting the heat gun, I'll post up pics tomorrow, but the part that needs to be repaired is about the size of two thumb nails, and it's not very deep at all, I could always find a dash at a junkyard, but that's way too much work for 1 hole, I'd just like to repair the hole, can anyone guide me here on what to do.

van, heat guns are dirt cheap to buy.. probably about $30 for a decent one. or you may be able to rent it at crappy tire.

Bump