Regular use of vinyl boat seats coupled with the harsh marine environment means the vinyl color fades over time and they can look discolored.
Brightening up the vinyl will have the seats look like new and it will help to restore the seats to their original color.
To restore faded vinyl boat seats:
- Vacuum up the loose dirt from the vinyl boat seats
- Wash the seats with warm water, soap and a sponge
- Dry the seats with a towel or cloth
- Apply a marine vinyl color restorer onto the vinyl seats
- Softly wipe the seats with a towel
Using a marine vinyl restorer paint that matches the color of your boat seats will help restore the seats.
It will also add a shine and gloss to the vinyl seating, making them look new.
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1. Vacuum Loose Dirt Up From Vinyl Boat Seats
The first step in restoring a boat's vinyl seats is to get a vacuum and use it to remove loose dirt.
Vacuuming the boat's seats is an important first step because you will need to ensure that all the dirt is removed before applying a boat seat color restorer dye to the seats.
To vacuum the vinyl boat seats:
- Use a vacuum with a nozzle that will fit between the seat cracks
- Vacuum every part of the seats until all the loose dirt is removed
For most recreational boats, vacuuming the boat seats should take between 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
For larger boats with more vinyl seats, vacuuming the seats can take longer than 30 minutes.
The benefits of using a vacuum include:
- Removing the loose dirt in the seams: A vacuum will be able to suck up the trapped dirt in the seams of the vinyl seats
- Ensuring the vinyl is prepared for the paint restorer: Vacuuming will ensure the boat seats do not have any dirt which could be a problem when using the paint restorer
- Removing hard-to-reach dirt and dust: A vacuum can remove dirt in harder-to-reach areas within the seats that ordinarily might not be reachable
Summary
Use a vacuum to remove loose dirt trapped in the seams of the vinyl seats. This will ensure all dust and dirt build-up is completely removed.
2. Wash The Vinyl Boat Seats
The second step in restoring vinyl boat seats is to wash the seats thoroughly.
To wash the vinyl seats:
- Get warm water, a sponge and marine-grade vinyl cleaner
- Scrub the seats with the vinyl cleaner and warm water
- Rinse the soapy seats with fresh water
For most recreational boats, washing the boat seats should take between 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
For larger boats with more seats, washing the boat seats should take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
The benefits of washing the vinyl seats include:
- Removing any trapped dirt or deep stains: Washing the vinyl seats will loosen and remove dirt and stains. Do this before applying the paint restorer
- Preparing seats for applying the vinyl paint restorer: Washing the seats first will prepare for the paint restorer product. The seats will need to be spotless before applying the product in the later steps
- Uncovering any additional color fading: Washing the seats first will remove dirt and uncover any additional color fading spots that may have otherwise been unseen
Summary
Use warm water, a sponge and soap to wash the vinyl seats. This removes any dirt and stains before using the paint restorer.
3. Dry Off The Vinyl Boat Seats
The third step of restoring vinyl boat seats is to dry the washed seats.
To dry the wet vinyl boat seats:
- Use a towel or microfiber cloth to dry off the washed vinyl boat seats
- Wipe away all the dirty and soapy water
- Ensure every part of the boat seat has been completely dried
Depending on the number of boat seats onboard the vessel, drying off the vinyl seats should take between 10 and 20 minutes to complete.
The benefits of drying the boat seats include:
- Removes any remaining stains and dirt: Drying the seats will remove any remaining stubborn dirt or deep stains
- Removes any extra oily substances: Drying the seats will remove any oily substances like sunblock that stick to these seats
- Prepares the seats for the color restorer product: Drying the vinyl will prepare the seats from using the paint restorer. Drying ensures there is no trapped dirt remaining
Summary
Dry off the vinyl boat seats with a towel or microfiber cloth. This will remove any remaining dirt.
4. Apply Marine Vinyl Paint Restorer Onto The Boat Seats
The fourth step of restoring the vinyl boat seats is to spray and apply a vinyl seat color restorer to the boat seats.
To apply a vinyl boat seat faded color restorer:
- Get a vinyl color restorer product: Get a vinyl color restorer spray or liquid that is suitable for your boat's vinyl color
- Pour the product onto a cloth & wipe it onto the faded boat seats: Pour the vinyl color restorer product onto a cloth and wipe it onto the boat seats in sections in a circular motion. This will help evenly distribute the product and ensure there won't be a patchy look to it
- Reapply the product if there is extreme discoloration: If the boat seats are extremely discolored, you might need to repeat applying the product multiple times before noticing an improvement
- Let the color restorer sit for 3 to 5 minutes before wiping it off: Let the color restorer sit on the vinyl boat seat before softly wiping it away in a circular motion
It's very important to choose a marine vinyl color restorer product that matches the color of your own vinyl boat seats.
For most recreational boats, applying the vinyl color restorer to the seats will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
For larger boats with more vinyl seats, applying the vinyl color restorer to the seats will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Applying marine vinyl color spray onto the boat seats includes benefits like:
- Fixing discoloration of the vinyl seats: The color restorer spray will add a new fresh color to the boat seats and fix sun-damaged and discolored seats
- Adding an extra layer of protection: Spraying vinyl color restorer onto the seats adds an extra layer of UV protection which will help prevent sun damage and vinyl cracking in the future
- Adding a glossy shine to worn-out vinyl seats: Spraying vinyl color restorer onto the vessel's seats will add a shine and gloss finish. This helps restore the faded color and helps brighten the seats up and return them to their original color
Summary
Spray a vinyl paint restorer onto the faded areas of the boat seats. This will restore color and have it look new.
5. Softly Wipe The Boat Seats With A Cloth
The fifth step of restoring the vinyl boat seat color is to wipe the excess color restorer product from the seats.
To wipe away the excess vinyl color restorer product:
- Use a microfiber cloth to wipe away any excess product
- Keep wiping until the product is evenly spread across the seats
For most recreational boats, wiping the boat seats with a cloth should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
For larger vessels with lots of vinyl seats, wiping them down can take 45 minutes to complete.
The benefits of softly wiping the vinyl seats with the color restorer product include:
- It ensures the spray covers the seats evenly: Wiping the spray across the entire vinyl seats ensures there aren't any color patches or missed areas
- There is UV protection across the entire seat surface: Wiping the seats with the spray ensures the UV protective components in the spray are evenly disturbed across the seats
- No area is missed: Simply wiping the spray over the vinyl seats will help ensure no area is missed. Missed areas mean a patchy finish
Summary
Once the color restorer is applied to the boat seats, softly wipe the seats with a cloth to spread the color restorer evenly over the vinyl.
Products Needed To Restore Faded Vinyl Seats
To restore faded vinyl boat seats, the products needed are:
- Bucket of warm water: This is used for washing the vinyl seats before fixing the discoloration
- Vacuum: A vacuum is needed for vacuuming loose dirt from the vinyl boat seats
- Sponge: This is used for washing the vinyl
- Towel or cloth: This is used for drying the seats
- Marine vinyl color restorer: This is used to add color and help restore faded and discolored vinyl seats
- Boat vinyl cleaning soap: This is used to help wash the vinyl seats before applying the color restorer
These products are everything needed to complete a full restoration of the faded vinyl seats.
Some of the top boat vinyl cleaners include the brands 3M and SEM.
These brands can help brighten up the vinyl seats.
Summary
Ensure you have the right vinyl paint restorer color to match your boat seats. Get a sponge and some vinyl cleaner to wash the seats before applying the spray.