Restore ugly looking vinyl to like new condition by "painting" with SEM Color Coat

If your boat or auto vinyl covered seats, cushions, bolsters or other parts are in physicaly good condition but have developed impossible to remove stains you can simply "paint" or refinish them to restore a like new appearance.
We tried the SEM Color Coat product on some boat seats that developed mildew looking spots that would not come out no matter what we treated them with. The Vinyl was still in excellent physical condition, it just looked really grungy. We "painted" as shown in the video and are extremely happy with the results.
Update: In use you cannot tell the vinyl has been "painted", there is no peeling or flaking of any kind. But now it's been about four seasons and the mildew spots are beginning to reappear from being out in the weather, so we will coat them again using the same SEM process. Could not be happier with this product.
Suggest that any minor cuts in the vinyl be repaired before refinishing.
The last couple of minutes of the video explain the difference between the SEM Color Coat, Vinyl Coat and Classic Coat aerosol products. Besides soft vinyl the appropriate product can also be used on hard plastic, carpeting and leather.

[@leizmans]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I was going to order the marine vinyl spray but the colors are limited. Then I saw your video and decided that since there are many more colors to choose from that I might check out the Color Coat line.

[@NicoleFitnessYouTube]

Wow this is fantastic! We have the exact same spots. I was going to try to recover them but this idea makes more sense! Thank so much!

[@PastorTom2009]

Great video. I'll be doing mine in the spring. Thank you.

[@429ecs]

Thanks for the good video. I'm about to try this on my boat seats which look similar. I loved the camera-on-the-hand technique - it was like a first person shooter. The Duke Nukem of boat seat repairs.

[@robpicchione5014]

thanks! good luck! Finish held up for 3 years then mildew came back over this past winter, so we are doing it over again this year. Base material is in great shape. The SEM finish never peeled or flaked and held up perfect. I expect the same excellent results for the second coat.

[@jaimereyes7480]

​@@robpicchione5014wasn't sticky/tacky after sitting in the sun? Been eyeing this stuff for a while and I think I'll finally pull the trigger

[@robpicchione5014]

@jaimereyes7480 No, mine have never done that. However, where two painted surfaces meet and are compressed together (like where the flip up seat edge presses against the seatback), they can stick lightly together. But, the surfaces are dry and aren't sticky to the touch. They are just lightly stuck together and unstick just by running a hand thru the seam. I never had any paint pull off or anything like that, but I think someone else said they did. I am going to try treating those contact areas with 303 and see if that cures the issue.

[@jaimereyes7480]

@@robpicchione5014 Glad to hear. Thanks for the reply

[@rotfan77]

Nice job, got my cushions, all cleaned and ready for the vinyl prep. Wish me luck.

[@robpicchione5014]

Good luck! When you get to the Vinyl Prep part, keep in mind it makes the vinyl sticky, so use a lint free cloth (I used a microfiber, and all was good). Also, only rub in one direction and avoid going back over it with the cloth unless you spray on more prep. I just did mine over again after 3 or 4 years (due to mildew spots), and the original coating held up perfectly, with no peeling or flaking. Just those darned mildew spots that won't come out!

[@rotfan77]

Everything went well yesterday but after I give them 24 hours to dry I’m curious if I should put some of that UV protection wipe on, will it affect the paint and I saw some mildew inhibitor that I might start spraying on them, of course I want to make sure that won’t affect the paint also. The mildew inhibitor is called concrobium, they sell it at Home Depot and Lowe’s, etc. maybe I’ll try it on one piece first and make sure the paint won’t be affected.

[@robpicchione5014]

Good info on the concrobium! I may try that. If it's safe for vinyl I doubt it will affect the "paint", but good idea to try it in an inconspicuous spot.

[@rotfan77]

Concrobium had no negative effects on the paint. Can’t comment on mildew yet as it’s still too new but so far so good if you want to give it a try. I’m trying it, so I’ll also try to report back.

[@robpicchione5014]

@rotfan77 good to know. Keep us posted.

[@bionicsasquatch]

first coat hold the can back a bit more than he is and it should be a very very light coat not covering much may take you 5 to 10 or more times to get it fully covered but in the end it will turn out great . Sem also makes a marine vinyl spray paint much better to use on boats and things that might get a lot of sun.

[@rotfan77]

Thanks for the info on the color coat and vinyl coat and color charts at the end of your video. I used the vinyl coat, Carver Dade bisque m25123, I wonder if there is a color coat or classic coat that has a similar color since I am having trouble getting this color in the vinyl coat. I used five cans to spray all my cushions and gunwale pads but I had the cushions stick together where they touched each other so in that case, I’m assuming you need to use tac- free, when I try this again and redo those areas. They didn’t feel tacky at all to the touch but once they were touching each other and possibly got wet, that’s when they bonded together and pulled off when I removed the cushions. I sent an email to SEM technical support to see what they advise? The only bright side is that you can’t see it when they’re mounted because they are literally touching each other so it covers it up. I’ll have to get FCM to send me the color charts or maybe they can make a recommendation.

[@georgeforall]

Wow!

[@leizmans]

Hi Rob. I just wanted to see how the vinyl paint is holding up over time? The paint is advertised as “interior” paint so wanted to see how it would compare to the “marine” line. Thanks!

[@robpicchione5014]

Excellent! Just fyi, the actual project was completed in July of 2019, quite a while before I posted the video. Over the 5 years since then, there has never been any peeling, chipping, failure of the adhesion, or a reduction in flexibility. In the summer of 2022, the mildew spots began to reappear, so we re-coated the top of the seatbacks to cover them. If they come back I would re-coat it again. I would not characterize the product as a paint, it's really a sprayable liquid vinyl, and my experience is that it behaves exactly like you would expect vinyl to behave. Also, I think the "interior" reference in the literature is in regard to a vehicle interior, not saying it is not intended for weather exposed applications. The refinishing instructions are titled "Interior/Exterior": semproducts.com/public/content/techsheets/SEM%20RAP-1%20interior_and_exterior_refinishing.pdf That said, my application is an enclosed and covered aft deck, but occasionally gets wet from rain or salt spray (or snowed on) and is regularly exposed to full sun and sub-freezing temperatures (during winter storage). Aside from the mildew spots coming back, that environment has not had any more affect to the vinyl coating than it had to the original marine grade vinyl.

[@johncampbell5502]

I see that this video is almost a couple years old. How did this hold up to the test of time?

[@robpicchione5014]

Quite good IMO. Actually, I didn't post the video until a year or two after I did the project. At about the 4 year mark, the spots started to reappear on the seat backs, so I did them over again using the same process. So, occasional re-treatment may be required depending on your situation. It never flaked or peeled or anything like that. The only issue, which wasn't really a problem, is if two of the recoated surfaces were pressed tightly together for an extended period - like on my project where the two opening seat bottoms touch in the middle - they tended to stick slightly. Just pushing my hand between separated them, and nothing peeled off or was damaged. Probably a vinyl treatment like 303 would act as a lube to prevent that in the long term, but I haven't tried it yet.

[@user-cp3zp6yz1e]

How is the aftercare? How have you been washing the seats from daily use/seasonal cleaning? Does the paint durability/ color hold up?

[@robpicchione5014]

It holds up pretty much the same as the original vinyl. After 3 years, the mildew (or whatever they are) spots came back, and I "painted" them again. My 20 year old seats look like new. However, note that mine don't get full sun all day long because of the hardtop on the boat.

[@_jonbee]

How’s it holding 11 months later ?

[@robpicchione5014]

Actually, I first applied the SEM product in July 2019. I just didn't get around to editing the video until 11 months ago. So in the 4 years, the integrity of the coating held up perfectly, no peeling or cracking, seems just like the original vinyl. However, the spots eventually came back, so this year (2023) I recoated using the same process, looks great again! I expect I may need to do it again in another 4 years. People don't believe it when I tell them my seats are over 20 years old.

[@_jonbee]

@@robpicchione5014 I always thought of doing this on some areas on my seats! Glad to hear it works out