How to Fix a Rip in a Vinyl Couch

Wipe down the surface around and inside the rip thoroughly with a vinyl cleaning solution. Allow the area to dry completely before proceeding.

Add a small piece of mesh or fabric, which comes with the kit, inside the rip if necessary. Some vinyl tears don’t require inner fabric, but it does provide some added support for your vinyl repair compound.

Mix the colored powders or liquids into one of the vinyl repair compound jars to closely match the color of your couch. For instance, if you have a burgundy-colored couch, add brown, black and yellow powder to the red-based compound, and play with the tints until the color closely matches the rest of the vinyl. Vinyl repair kits usually come with color mixing charts.

Apply the blended compound to the rip, and smooth it down to cover the entire area.

Lay a piece of grain paper that closely matches the texture of your couch from your kit on top of the wet compound, and press it down gently.

Heat the compound with your soldering or heating tool. The proper tool has a disc at the end to apply to the backing of the grain paper to heat, seal and dry the compound. Use quick circular motions on the surface for about 35 seconds.

Allow the grain paper to stay over the vinyl repair compound for at least an hour so it can cool and dry completely. When ready, carefully lift the grain paper up. Wipe the repaired area down with a vinyl shining product or a floor wax to fix any dullness.