I'm in the process of doing my interior for the 51 Studebaker. I'm learning lots and thanks again to Skipstitch for his valuable assistance. This is a non-original restoration, so I'm doing lots of pleats, etc. I'm also using the front seat from a 1968 Toranado that I scored for $35 (and found $6 in change in it when I tore it apart). The seat assembly has many plastic trim pieces, near the bottom to hide the power sear controls and brackets. Also the back of the "buckets" are a plastic panel that attaches to cover what would be the "kick" area of someone sitting in back. My question: Since these plastic pieces are not anywhere near the color I am doing the interior in, how do I paint these? The big box stores have a rattle can product for painting plastic like lawn chairs, but I have never tried it. Anyone ever painted plastic interor pieces before? Thanks.
I guess the best way is to buy a can and try it . The plastic def. will have to be very clean and it should hold up well, as long as it's not a wearing surface, in other words it will wear out quickly as on the center console or anywhere that gets rubbed a lot. Take the $4.00 test and let us know.
I plan on trying the Home Depot rattle can stuff tomorrow, and will post results, but just in case anyone else has a better idea, let me know! I will try to pre-clean the plastic with soap/water, and maybe acetone or some other solvent to get a better surface to paint.
Good luck finding a matching color (apart from black). You can find paint for vinyl at an auto paint store in a much wider variety of colors. You will have to spray it with a gun, though.
Spraying with a gun is no problem. Is the vinyl paint very rugged? Does it require any kind of primer or etcher to be sprayed on first? Since these pieces aren't very easily seen - black or white is acceptable. I just don't want the olive green that they currently are!
SEM has a wide range of colors in rattle cans - works great - follow the directions on the can and you will be happy. You can also custom mix SEM paint and use a touch up gun and have any color you want. Try the Auto paint store of your choice.
Get some "Bulldog adhesion Promoter". Comes in spray cans at your local paint jobber. I've also found it at Walmart. Made by SEM. Designed to do just exactly what you're wanting to do. Provides excellent adhesion for plastic, glass, chrome, plus lots of other surfaces that are hard to get paint to stick to. It can be top coated with any paint, whether in a rattle can or gun, Lacquer, enamel, or urethane. It Really Works. This is the stuff body shops use to paint plastic. Rich
Kleen-strip makes an adhesive promoter called Bulldog. You can spray this on plastic and let it dry and then spray the pieces with any type paint you want. I have used this many times and it works great. Sorry whitewalltires beat me typing. LOL
Paul, I've used this stuff with great results. Color blend. http://www.bryndana.com/ Also see http://sem.ws/?home=1
if ur looking to do it low buck, close to stock, the guy who mentioned sems interior paint is spot on. if u want to paint it, its a little more time consuiming and expensive. but it also gives it a more custom look. u can also smooth out any texture and so on.
Clean the plastic over and over with paint thinner dont touch it with your hand (it will leave oil) about three times will be good this will soften the plastic and let the paint stick better. This is the best way that ive found! Oh use a clean rag every time.
TIME OUT! Don't use the Krylon. It is made for hard plastics like lawn chairs and is not the best quality for anything, especially flexible automotive interiors. It is also the wrong gloss for this work. Don't use generic paint thinner for wiping down your vinyl. If you are using lacquer thinner or xylene or any number of other strong shop thinners, you will DESTROY the vinyl. NOW... What to do?? Almost ALL of the inside parts of modern cars are painted including the steering wheels, dashboards, door panels and even leather seats. It can be done at home as well. The suggestion to use SEM products is on track. Go to an automotive paint store and talk to the reps there. They can match almost any color, but also have common colors all ready to go. Here is what I would do. 1. Wash the vinyl down with a scrub brush and soap and water until as clean as possible. The brush is important to get down in the texture. 2. Wipe the vinyl down with Mineral Spirits or VM&P Naptha solvent. Both are agressive cleaners, but will not destroy vinyl or paint. These solvents are essentially the same as "Goo Gone" and can also be widely used to remove tar, price stickers, etc, etc. You can also use alcohol, but the other solvents will work better. The two solvents are widely available at paint stores, farm stores, Sherwin Williams or Glidden outlets, etc. They will help remove any contaminants including residual Armorall type protectants. 3. Consult your professional auto paint store for the best adhesion promoter they have available. Generally this is available in a spray can and just basically sprays on like a clear solvent. You don't need very much. Just a very thin continuous film is enough. Too much will create many more problems than those solved. This is basically a material that will "grab" the vinyl and then the paint can "grab" the adhesion promoter. The thickness of the film is unimportant. 4. Some of these adhesion promoters require allowing the material to dry. Some can basically be sprayed over immediately. Follow the directions on the specific material you purchase. 5. Then shoot the SEM material. It is available in both spray cans and also paint that can be shot in a gun. Both are fine. Shake the paint well and just spray light to medium coats in a thickness just enough to wet the paint out evenly. Again, a thick coating will cause more problems than it solves. Just get an even coat on the vinyl and get hding/coverage and you are done. 6. Let the material dry sufficiently. 7. Stand back and admire your work. There is nothing wrong with doing vinyl this way. The OEM companies use two component isocyanate hardner type coatings that will resist wear and tear better, but these single component products work quite well. The whole job can be done at home with spray cans and will not cost more than $40 or so. Good luck.
Thanks to all for your suggestions. Since these are all HARD plastic parts, not soft vinyl, I used the Bulldog Adhesion Promoter today. I cleaned with degreaser, then paint thinner, and let dry in the sun. Two thin coats of Bulldog, then I topped it off with a solvent-based rattle can (Duplicolor) and it looks perfect. Thanks again.
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