The "black" (dark graphite color really) floor mats in my 97 Titanium/Nimbus XJR had Sun faded to a greenish black color where they had been in the Sun for years and had a few other discolored areas from wear.

I was (and still am considering) just replacing them, after all the mats are 16 years old

.... but I thought I'd consider refreshing them and see how that worked out.

By "refreshing" I meant essentially "painting" the mats with SEM branded vinyl paint that I've used before to restore plastic trim and carpet. The SEM "Classic Coat" and "Color Coat" line of products are specifically meant for this application and work great. If you are interested in the what/how, a quick Google and search on YouTube will generate lots of info.

Anyway, for about $15 I was able to make the mats look essentially "like new", even hiding some of the wear areas to a significant degree.

Clearly this approach only addresses fading, stains, and other discoloration. It can't fix actual wear or damage, although it will hide some minor imperfections by coloring over them.

For my car which has a "black" (again, sort of an off-black, almost dark graphite) trim and carpet, I found the following to be a very close match:

SEM Paints 17013 Classic Coat Spray Ford Midnight Black

Classic Coat™ | SEM Products


For those with this same color combo, don't be worried that the color seems to be a dark gray. When sprayed on the "off black" carpet, the color looks right. I can't say how this color would look on the associated plastic trim (one should test first), but I suspect the results would be similar. As always, if the part being colored is important or somewhat irreplaceable, I'd recommend some spot testing.


I simply cleaned the mats well, let them fully dry and then sprayed the mats down with a relatively heavy coat and brushed the carpet as instructed with a heavy brush to keep the fibers from sticking together. The "paint" dried to the touch in about 30 minutes and was completely dry by the next morning. And to be honest, unless one SOAKED the carpet, I don't think it would stick together anyway as it dried so quickly and seemed to resist clumping the fibers. It really is almost idiot-proof.

Depending on the type of plastic used to manufacture the mats, SEM also recommends different adhesion promoters be used on the plastic first. I would also recommend following SEM's instructions, but I chose not to only because this was somewhat something of an experiment for me and wasn't too terribly concerned if the color didn't adhere perfectly. After all, I'll probably still replace the mats in a year as they have other issues due to age. If you are unsure of the type of prep solution to use, SEM has a great customer service line and will explain some tests you can perform to identify the correct pre solution to use before applying the color.

And interestingly the "paint" did not stick (much) to the silver/white embroidered "JAGUAR" stitching on the drivers side either. I assume that thread is a different plastic, if plastic at all, than the carpet. So the logo remains legible. I had assumed it would get colored black during this process and was OK with that. It looks a little darker now, but it is still fully legible.

In this case, the "black" match is not 100%, but one would have to be looking for the match specifically to tell.

I can say it looks very good, really "like new" from a couple feet away, and buys me some time until I have to purchase a new set.

How long will the coloring hold up? I can't say, but from what I've read it should last a long time as it bonds to the plastic carpet fibers. For $15 I am OK if only lasts a year

So, for those looking to give your mats or even entire carpet an extension on life, this may be an option.

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