USA1 Vinyl Dye - Actually Dye or Paint?

[Kilian]

Hello, has anyone used this product from USA1 and can confirm it's actually a dye that will penetrate the vinyl as opposed to a paint, such as what SEM has, that will coat the surface?

Looking to recolor a dash pad and interior plastic trim for my project and looking at coloring options. Thanks for the help.

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[Ricko1966]

My money says any vinyl dye is actually just a surface treatment .

 

[74Blaze]

Don't know about this brand. Used some of the Dupli-Color on my door panels and such. More like paint than dye. Some flaked-off. Probably should have cleaned the surface better. Maybe used some acetone to prep it better.

 

[bucket]

I've yet to find any brand of "dye" in an aerosol can that was not some form of paint or top coating. Some brands are a bit thinner though and will somewhat soak into fabrics and carpet.

But plastics are molded in color- a dye will not change the color. Proper prep and application of a specialized color top coat is the proper way to re-color interior plastics.

 

[Rickf]

Acetone likes to eat certain stuff, test an inconspicuous area first.

 

[Sad Sack]

With proper cleaning / scuffing with fiber pads of the vinyl / plastic parts you can get great results. A plastic surface adhesion promoter is recommended then interior paint will work remarkably well except for wear spots (hit or miss), skin oils and physical wear will need to be taken into consideration for your desired outcome. Mineral spirits on vinyl cleaning is recommended and normal wax n grease remover on plastics. I've used Rustoleum Plastic and Vinyl spray paint and had great results on a car going from powder blue to black. Don't know what color you are going to but as with any interior color change it's all about the prep, do your research.

I wouldn't hesitate to use USA1 products but be prepared to buy enough to get the job done. Buying local gives you the option to return what you don't use easier.

 

[mxer147]

I had success dying carpet using RIT dye, put the carpet in a large plastic storage tub with an immersion heater to 180F. It sat in there for about 5 days cycling heat when I was home. I also tried this process with vinyl interior pieces and they actually did change color a little bit but not to the desired shade so I coated them with ridiculously over priced SEM paint.

 

[legopnuematic]

I’ve used denatured alcohol on interior plastics with good success.

I have not tried it but it was mentioned and recommended to me years ago to use TSP, trisodium phosphate for prepping plastics.

For paint itself, I used rustoleum 2x on the door panels and dash pad of my 76, had found a color that was dead nuts for the OE saddle color. It has held up very well, the door panels are looking rough again, but that’s the plastic itself is rotten. The door panels I did in 2017, the dash was 2019 when I replaced it with the one from my buddies 75 K5, ironically it was a saddle dash, painted/dyed black, then I returned it to saddle.

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[Gordyg]

I’ve used SEM for 40 years and it’s still my go to. Replaced my door pads and dash many years ago with oem blue. Changed to red and never looked back. Follow the procedure and yer a winner

 

[Doppleganger]

It wears very well, is an almost perfect match, easy application at a fairly low cost. Cant get much better without reinventing alot of wheels. Only thing I would recommend.....if you think you need 2 cans, buy 4.

 

[Latvius]

Not a chemist but how is a dye going to penetrate plastic? When they make it the dye is in it. Now if this was a leather seat I could point you to actual dyes instead of paint but plastic it's just paint. I like SEM but any of them you have to use plastic prep.

 

[Zelph]

Simple answer, a dye formulated for plastic rather than fabrics. Example, RIT. A far more permanent solution for AR furniture than Krylon.

 

[Doppleganger]

Not a chemist but how is a dye going to penetrate plastic? When they make it the dye is in it. Now if this was a leather seat I could point you to actual dyes instead of paint but plastic it's just paint. I like SEM but any of them you have to use plastic prep.

I used to use SEM gloss black vinyl on black carpets and even edges of black leather. It wore VERY well - the carpet looked better than new and the seat wore just as the original did. I used gloss because its far thicker than anything else and soaked into the carpet very nice. I had seen plastic floor mats with SEM sprayed on that lasted a good year before wearing off on the edges. Its not as involved or toxic as actual dyes, but they've come a long way for what it is. My headliner is default-black that will get SEM charcoal sprayed on. I tried it on a section of headliner (from a sunroof) and it looks great.

fwiw.....if you use it on cloth-carpet, spray it, then brush it with your hand - then spray it again. Keeps it soft and not feeling like you just painted it plus helps with total coverage on the threads.

If you're spraying anything black satin like a bumper or outside trim, try some Marhyde. LOVE that stuff.

 

[gogo14910]

Go find Tina King on Facebook. She does seatbelts restorations for our trucks. She can explain in detail, with photos. I got my dye from USA1 because of the exact color match. And it does absolutely depend on prep. Prep 5 times before you lay down one spray! Good luck, it’s worth it.

 

[DRW65]

I used interior paint from USA1 along with these products, very happy with results on interior trim pieces. Clean pieces to be painted with Windex or soapy water and let dry. Use PREP-ALL as directed and let dry. Spray light coat of ADHESION PROMOTER and let dry for approx 10 minutes, then apply paint in light coats.