Refinishing Damaged Textured Plastic Using Flextex VT

Many textured plastic parts are replaced and sent to the landfill just because of a small scrape or gouge in the textured area. Polyvance’s 3804 Flextex VT texture material can be used to successfully refinish damaged textured plastics. Flextex VT is a unique texture paint that allows you to match virtually any OEM texture, from fine to coarse, by varying the paint reduction ratio and spray technique.

Out of the can, Flextex VT is a high-viscosity paint that will give you a coarse texture when sprayed with a two-millimeter primer gun. Adding reducer to thin out the paint will result in a finer texture. Use the 3804R Zero VOC reducer in low-VOC areas like California, or the 3804N standard reducer in National Rule areas. Flextex VT is also available in convenient kits which include a quart of the Flextex paint and a quart of the reducer.

Always wear proper safety gear while working!

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Featured Product:

• 3804 Flextex VT

Video Notes:

• English Closed Captions have been provided for this video. Click on the CC button to turn them on or off.
• The length of this video is in no way representative of the actual time required to perform a complete repair and therefore should not be used for estimating purposes.

Music Credits:

• "Sage" by Slenderbeats
  From the YouTube Audio Library

English Transcript:

Many textured plastic parts are replaced and sent to the landfill just because of a small scrape or gouge in the textured area. Polyvance’s 3804 Flextex VT texture material can be used to successfully refinish damaged textured plastics. With Flextex VT, the grain size can be varied to match virtually any OEM texture, from fine to coarse, by varying the paint reduction ratio and the spray technique. This video will show how to refinish damaged textured plastic with 3804 Flextex VT.

Polyvance’s Flextex VT is a unique texture paint that allows you to match virtually any OEM texture, from fine to coarse, by varying the paint reduction ratio and spray technique. Out of the can, Flextex VT is a high-viscosity paint that will give you a coarse texture when sprayed with a two-millimeter primer gun. Adding reducer to thin out the paint will result in a finer texture. Use the 3804R Zero VOC reducer in low-VOC areas like California, or the 3804N standard reducer in National Rule areas. Flextex VT is also available in convenient kits which include a quart of the Flextex paint and a quart of the reducer.

Many automotive parts are molded with a textured surface to improve their appearance. Most textures have a random “stippled” appearance, like this. These types of texture can be most successfully refinished with Flextex VT. If the texture has a geometric pattern molded in, Flextex VT will not be able to simulate its appearance. In this case, the part should be replaced, or if the part is no longer available or if it’s acceptable to the vehicle owner, the texture could be sanded smooth and retextured with Flextex VT.

If you have a scrape or a gouge in a textured plastic area, this video shows you the process for repairing and refinishing it. You can also refinish textured plastics that are torn or dented; you just have to do the repair work first and get the repair area smoothed out with 180 grit sandpaper.

The first step of any repair process on a plastic part is to wash it with soap and water to get the dirt and grime off. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly and allow to dry.

To remove silicone dressings, oils, or mold release agents, clean the surface with Polyvance’s 1000 Super Prep or 1001-4 EcoPrep plastic cleaners. Spray a heavy, wet coat on an area about one foot square, allow it to sit for a few seconds to dissolve and float the contamination, then wipe the area dry with a clean, lint-free towel.

Before sanding the plastic, look at the grain size of the original texture and decide how much to reduce the Flextex VT. It’s best to compare the texture grain against sprayout cards which you have sprayed with your own gun. If you don’t have sprayout cards, use the reduction and gun setup instructions on the label as a guide.

This video assumes you’ve done the repair already and you’re ready to refinish. Sand the repair area with 180 grit and gradually feather the original texture back from the repair area. If you choose, you can also sand all the texture down to give a more uniform appearance when finished. To save time, however, blending the texture back is the way to go.

Sand the entire textured area with 320 grit sandpaper. Here you’re not trying to sand the texture down smooth, rather you’re just trying to level out the top of the texture. Blow the part dust free.

Scuff the entire textured area with a red scuff pad to put some scratches down in between the texture. Blow the area dust free again.

Before texturing, you’ll need to apply primer surfacer to the repair area first. Before applying any paint or coating to raw polypropylene plastic, use Polyvance’s Plastic Magic adhesion promoter to help the paint to stick. Spray Plastic Magic in the repair area only where you will be applying primer. Allow the Plastic Magic to flash for 10 to 15 minutes before proceeding.

Spray a flexible primer surfacer over the repair area. Here we are using Polyvance’s All Seasons Black Jack waterborne primer. Apply two medium wet coats, blending out from the repair area into the original texture, allowing some flash time in between coats. Air movement will help dry the waterborne primer quickly. Block sand the primer with 320 grit and reprime if necessary to smooth out any TPO fuzz or 80 grit scratches.

Once you achieve a smooth appearance with the primer, scuff the primer with a red scuff pad and feather back into the original texture. Blow the part dust free and wipe with a tack cloth.

Apply Plastic Magic adhesion promoter to the entire area to be retextured. Applying adhesion promoter over the primer is not necessary. Again, allow the adhesion promoter to flash for 10 to 15 minutes before applying the Flextex VT paint.

Mix Flextex VT according to the directions on the product label to achieve your desired grain size. As a general rule, the thicker the paint, the coarser the texture grain size. Grain size can also be modified by varying gun setup and application technique. It’s best to make your own sprayout cards in advance while adjusting different variables. To learn more, download the standard operating procedure and take the Polyvance PR-05 Texture Refinishing Course.

After the adhesion promoter has flashed off, begin retexturing by spraying two or three coats of Flextex VT on the primed area only, blending farther out onto the unprimed areas with each coat. Two important variables in the spray application process are the speed of the pass and distance to work. It’s very important to “speckle” the paint droplets onto the surface and let the droplets dry before applying another coat. Increasing the distance to work and increasing the speed of the pass helps keep the paint droplets from flowing together. The most common error when applying Flextex is applying too wet of a coat and flowing out the paint.

After you have filled in the repair area with texture, apply two or three coats of Flextex to the entire part, again, letting each coat flash before applying the next, so the paint droplets don’t flow together. If you see any shiny or blotchy areas, allow the paint to dry completely and scuff the entire part with a red scuff pad. Blow the part dust free and wipe with a tack cloth before continuing. Apply more coats of Flextex VT over the entire part to even out the texture appearance.

When finished, Flextex VT will provide an appearance which can closely simulate the original OEM texture. Repairing textured parts will keep them out of the landfill and help keep more labor dollars in the shop. For more information on Polyvance’s plastic repair products and training, go to www.polyvance.com or call 800-633-3047.