Interior Paint How-To *with pics*

[ChevroletRyan]

Originally posted by whiteraven

Here's a little something I'll bring over from my J-body Forum, since it applies to any plastic interior part, in any car.

This How-to is to get that smooth "fiberglassed" look on any plastic interior part.

How To Repaint Your Car's Interior

This how-to is step-by-step guide on how I repainted the interior of my car. I spent lots of times on forums and researching before I began this project, and I hope that this tutorial will save others time and money.

I. Overview - The Process
Now, there are many different ways that you can go about this process, depending on time, money and what your goals are. Some want the stock look, but in a different color. Others want a smooth glossy finish that looks fiberglassed. It's all up to you. I wanted the glossy-fiberglass look, and that is what the pictures in this tutorial are geared towards. But I have also listed instructions on how to repaint is you just want a color change. Basically, you will prep (sand, clean), prime (prime, sand), and paint (paint, sand, clearcoat).

A few things to remember - It is much harder to fix problems the further along you get. It is much easier/cheaper to fix problems in earlier steps. The more time you spend on each step, the better the outcome will be. Please take your time... you will be happy you did as the end result is directly related to your attention to detail.

I'm not sure exactly how much this cost. Once I completely finish I will post up my cost. I'm also not sure how long this takes, as I work on it when I can, and you must allow time for drying. My estimate is several weeks to do all the pieces correctly.

This is the process I used to repaint my interior. I had great success, but I suggest that you use this as a guideline and take suggestions from others, as I am no expert.


II. Tools and Materials

There are several materials that you will need to repaint your interior.


Palm Sander (optional)
Extension Cord (optional)
Sandpaper (60, 100, 150, 220, 320, 400, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000)
Dish soap
Sponge
Rubbing Alcohol
Terry Towels
High-Build Primer
Paint
Clear Coat
3M Rubbing Compound
3M Shine Restorer
Wax Remover
Automotive Wax

Palm Sander
Although this is not a necessity, it will save you lots of time on the places that you can use it. I would suggest a palm sander like shown below, which can use square sheets of paper. It uses a back and forth sanding motion. Another type of sander is an orbital, which uses rounded sheets and uses a circular motion. You do not want to use an orbital sander.


Extension Cord
If you are using a palm sander, you will probably want an extension cord to give you more space and less restriction.

Sandpaper
Required to either "scuff-up" your pieces before painting, or to remove the texture if you are going for the smooth look. Sandpaper has different grits, so you will want a variety of grits, from course to smooth. I suggest 60, 100, 150, 220, 320 for prep, 800, 1000, 1500 & 2000 for painting.


Primer
Primer will be applied after sanding and before painting to ensure that the paint will stick. I used Dupli-Color Filler Primer. It uses a high-build formula to fill in scratches. You can get it for about $4 a can from your local Wal-Mart, AutoZone ect.


Paint
Once again I chose to use Dupli-Color Truck, Van & SUV paint. It is about $5.00 and it can also be purchased at Wal-Mart, Auto-Zone ect.


Clear Coat
I also chose Dupli-Color for the Cleat Coat. The cost is about $5.0


Sponge & Dish soap, Alcohol
Any type of sponge/dish soap will do. This will be used to clean before priming/painting.


Terry Towels & 3M Rubbing Compound
I bought a 3 pack of Terry Towels for $1.76 from Wal-Mart. The rubbing compound was $6.00 at Wal-Mart. This will be used to fill in small scratches before we clear coat the pieces that we have painted.


3M Shine Restorer
This will be used to buff our pieces once they are finish. It fills in small scratches, and really gives the piece a glossy look. It was $8.96 at Wal*Mart.


Automotive Wax
As with the exterior, this will be used to protect your pieces once they are done. You should be able to use whatever type of wax you use on your exterior.

III. Sanding
At this point, you must decide if you would simply like to do a color change and keep the texture. If you want to keep the texture, please skip this step. If you want it smooth and glossy, like fiberglass, continue on.

To begin, I first used a course sandpaper of 60 grit. Many other people started with 100 grit, but I like to use 60 to make sure that all of the dings and texture come out. This is the easiest time to remove imperfections, so make sure you spend time to get everything else. Once you are satisfied, sand the area with 100 grit, then 150, 220 and 320. At this point, the surface should be smooth, with no major scratches. If there are some, this is the time to remove them.

(The start of me sanding.)


(Before with texture)


(After sanding)

IV. Cleaning
This step is very important. In a tub or whatever, clean the pieces thoroughly with soap and water. Make sure to get into the corners and places where dust could hide. Dry the pieces, then clean them with the rubbing alcohol and allow them to dry. This step will ensure that the primer/paint sticks to the pieces.

(Pieces after cleaning and ready for priming)

V. Priming
If you would like to keep the texture, you can use a regular sandable primer. If you are going for the glossy look, you will use a high build primer. It will fill in any scratches and imperfections, thus resulting in a smooth finish.

When priming, and painting for that matter, they key is light coats. Many light coats will allow the paint/primer to build up, and will not cause drips or runs. This is what you want to do. First, cover the area where you will be painting with newspaper or plastic to protect things from over spray. To begin priming, hold the can approximately 8â€

[exodus]

You will definitely want to use something stronger than soap and water on interior trim. A strong grease/wax remover would be advisable. Protective cleaners (ie armor all) will leave a residue on the surface of these pieces. This can cause the paint the peel.

Of course if you're sanding to a smooth finish, chances are you will remove it all this way, but I'd still use a strong degreaser anyways.

[ontarian_frog]

Yeah I can't remember the cleaner we used at the body shop...It was awesome. Almost as strong as paint thinner, yet wouldn't melt anything. I'd have to give a call to my ex-boss.