Seeing tears and rips in your baby’s bouncy castle can be disheartening. You’d initially think that the bounce house is doomed when it’s severed. Or you might think of calling in for pro help and spending bucks for the repair. If you’re dealing with sizable damage, then expect to pay even more. But just before you lose all hope, know that most bouncy house damages can be easily patched up, or sewn, depending on the defacement’s size and location.
Before calling in your pro guy, assess if you can do the task. If it’s a minor one, gather a few materials for the repair. All of which are available in most camping stores, or you may order online. You will also need this guide on how to repair inflatable bounce house, and you’re good to go for this task.
Bounce House Repair Methods
There are different ways of repairing bounce castles, and what method to employ will depend on several factors. Is the repair intended to be a temporary fix or permanent? How bad is the damage sustained? Is it a tear, a hole, or a rip? The following are the methods to repair inflatable bounce house.
Tear Tape Repair
If you’re in the middle of a children’s party where every kid is enjoying the bouncy castle, you sure wouldn’t want to spoil the fun and have everyone leave the inflatables to do a minor repair. You can still manage to fix small tears in the bounce house while it’s all set up using tear tape. You can purchase an inflatable repair tape from various camping shops. You can buy them in small packets or larger rolls. Here’s how to repair inflatable bounce house using tear tape.
- Prepare type A or B tear tape. Type A is for canvass and fabrics, while type B works for PVCs and vinyl. Select which tape to use according to the type of material your bouncy house is made from.
- Clean the surface to be repaired and make sure they’re completely dry.
- Place the tape over the entire separated parts and cover an extra 20 mm around the area to be repaired.
- Consider this a temporary repair, and you may come back when the party is over to perform a more thorough restoration.
Glue and Patches Repair
The use of glue and patch to repair ripped sections of the bouncy castle is another quick fix you can do. The method may not be as sturdy as stitching, but it’s still an effective means of restoring torn castles. Here are the things you need to prepare to pull off a DIY inflatable bounce house repair:
- PVC patches, cuts offs may do just well
- PVC vinyl glue or vinyl cement
- A brush
- A hairdryer
- A roller
- Sandpaper
The following are the steps on how to repair inflatable bounce house:
- Create round PVC patches right for the size of the area to be covered. Round is preferable to prevent corners from lifting. Allow a 20 mm extension beyond the torn segments.
- Using the sandpaper, sand the surface of the bottom patch and the surface of the inflatable.
- With your brush, apply a substantial amount of glue to the patch, including its edges. Do the same on the side of the inflatable where the piece will adhere.
- Ready your hairdryer and heat the patch and inflatable’s surface.
- When the glue becomes sticky, place the patch over the area to be covered.
- Continue heating above the patch.
- With the use of a roller, remove trapped air from the patch.
- Leave the patch to dry thoroughly.
Needle and Thread Repair
Worn seams are common in bounce houses and are mostly a result of the wear and tear process. This type of damage can be addressed by sewing using the following materials:
- A leather needle or sewing awl to make the task easier.
- Sturdy polyester cotton string, preferably 12M or higher
- A corkboard
- A set of pliers
- A pair of scissors
Sewing is a more permanent approach when dealing with worn seams compared to just taping parts together. You have two options for this task, to sew from the inside or out. For extensive tears, it is best to repair from the inside for a neater outcome. To do so, you will need to get into the inflatable through the air zip.
However, some areas may be challenging to reach, and you’ll have to cut inner webbings. On your way out, you’ll also need to repair those seams back. If you find working from the inside too tedious, you may opt with working externally. Here’s how to repair inflatable bounce house from the outside:
- Assemble the sewing awl. Use an entire roll of thread to cover the lengthy damaged area. For shorter tears, a thread bobbin would be enough.
- Pinch the torn parts together.
- Select a starting point for sewing; start stitching before the location of the actual tear.
- To get the needle through multiple layers of PVC vinyl, you may need to use pliers.
- Repair in section instead of doing it in a single run, so when the stitches wear out someday, it’ll come off in parts. This way, you don’t have to stitch the whole stretch again.
- You may still need to patch the area for added strength.
Conclusion
With the right knowledge on how to repair inflatable bounce houses, there is no need to panic when your baby’s castle sustains damages. You won’t even have to spend a lot on repair, and it’s needless to buy a new one. A DIY bounce house repair can last long when done pretty well. Just make sure to follow this guide, and your inflatables are good to go! Get more tips on baby playpens.