Can you sand vinyl?

[rjgervacio]

I have a scratch on my glove compartment panel and would like to correct it. I don't know if I can still restore it to its original form but at least reduce the visible defect on it as much as possible.

I was wondering if sanding is possible considering that it's vinyl. I also have Megs PlastX which I use for the majority of plastic surfaces. Any other recommendations?

[Kristopher1129]

Vinyl almost always has a pattern. If you sand it, you will remove the pattern as well as the finish. Whether you want to live with results, is up to you.

[autocosmetics]

You could sand it a bit to remove the scratch and then spray some texture on the area. You'd probably have to then mist a little color back over the area and it might not even be noticeable when you're done. Check with one of the vinyl repair suppliers and they can sell you small quantities of the products you'll need. Shouldn't be too hard to do it yourself. I know Vinyl Pro of Western PA sells to the do-it-yourselfers.

Jim

[embolism]

how about those liquid leather kits where you mix the stuff, apply it, then place a texturizing patch over the area and use heat to fuse/harden the paste into the area to be mended.

I admit I bought (dollar store has them sometimes) and used one of these to treat a cigarette burn in the armrest of my uncle's MB. Used a butane torch to heat some metal in place of the iron and it turned out great.

If it's an inconspicuous place, then I would go for it...

[rjgervacio]

Originally Posted by embolism

how about those liquid leather kits where you mix the stuff, apply it, then place a texturizing patch over the area and use heat to fuse/harden the paste into the area to be mended.

I admit I bought (dollar store has them sometimes) and used one of these to treat a cigarette burn in the armrest of my uncle's MB. Used a butane torch to heat some metal in place of the iron and it turned out great.

If it's an inconspicuous place, then I would go for it...

seems like a rather intricate process than i have expected. i'll probably just end up leaving this one alone...oh well.

[kkreit01]

Is it vinyl or hard plastic? For hard plastic, I learned a tip on the interwebs, that worked for me. Take a lighter, and hold it away from the scratch. Slowly move it close -- but not too close to scorch the plastic. I made the mistake of trying to smooth the scratch with my finger after heated. This was of course stupid to do on textured plastic. Just gently heat it. Don't touch it with anything. A heat gun or hair dryer may also work. Just gently heat no matter the source. For vinyl/pleather, you can try a matching shoe polish/cream. Lucky for you, it's the glove box - -- which isn't that noticeable, nor that expensive/difficult to replace. My scratch was on the door panel -- which is very pricey.

[rjgervacio]

Originally Posted by kkreit01

Is it vinyl or hard plastic? For hard plastic, I learned a tip on the interwebs, that worked for me. Take a lighter, and hold it away from the scratch. Slowly move it close -- but not too close to scorch the plastic. I made the mistake of trying to smooth the scratch with my finger after heated. This was of course stupid to do on textured plastic. Just gently heat it. Don't touch it with anything. A heat gun or hair dryer may also work. Just gently heat no matter the source. For vinyl/pleather, you can try a matching shoe polish/cream. Lucky for you, it's the glove box - -- which isn't that noticeable, nor that expensive/difficult to replace. My scratch was on the door panel -- which is very pricey.

Yes you're right! I meant hard plastic. It's a textured hard plastic. Are you saying that all I need to do is heat it up and it will correct by itself?

[FUNX725]

Originally Posted by rjgervacio

Yes you're right! I meant hard plastic. It's a textured hard plastic. Are you saying that all I need to do is heat it up and it will correct by itself?

Heat-induced self-correcting of textured plastic...maybe a possibility (remember the self-healing paint?). I personally have never seen this occur, even though interior temps of vehicles, at times, can rise to well over 160 degrees in a matter of minutes!

With that in mind, extreme caution should be exercised when applying such extra heat (lighters, heat guns, etc.) to any interior materials...noone wants to further jeopardize the vehicles interior's already minimum of quality standards, (Thanks, OEM Bean Counters!)

[kkreit01]

I did it with great success -- except for the "touching" part. It won't be perfect, but it should help. Just don't get close enough to "brown" it. It will then be "toast". When you heat it, the raised, thin plastic will melt down, so the scratch is less noticeable.

I found this tip from Escape-City a few years ago:

"When put some heat from the lighter flame next to the scratch it melts off the small raised plastic fibers that show as a scratch"

... Follow up with interior dressing.