How do I paint these?

I need to paint the plastic part of these armrests. The local body supply place said to use a Dupont vynil paint w/ adhesion promoter. $30 for the paint plus adhesion promoter $$. Anyony know of a cheaper / easier way. Hopefully the pictures show up.

 

Krylon makes rattle can paint just for plastic these days. Probably cost you about 7.00 at one of those mega home-improvment stores.

 

is it hard plastic?
i painted mine with regular paint..been holding up for long time..

 

SEM makes a vinyl and plastic dye in spraybombs that I've had GREAT luck with.

 

FYI, The Krylon stuff in question is called "Fusion."

 

I used regular spray paint on mine and it worked fine. If you want to be really safe, use the Fusion paint

 

The SEM stuff works good, and it's fairly cheap.

 

yeah, i love how the paint shops always push the adhesion promoter. i guess that's their job to sell, sell, sell.

but did any of this shit exist 30 years ago or so? so, i don't know, i guess it's good to makes stuff last, but damn, paint prices are ridiculous in my opion.

technology is supposed to make things cheaper (computers are becoming cheaper and cheaper), why is paint become, stupidly ridiculous, and more ridiculous?

I understand the high tech effect paint costing something, like chameleon, or chrome paint that's 500 dollars a pint or something,

but good durable paint should not cost as much as it does.

 

Legislation on what can go in and what can't go in paint nowadays. And profit margins, gotta make sure the profit margins are high....

 

Fusion! Thanks guys that's what I needed. Hey Hellfish what's up?

 

30 years ago there wasn't the variety of plastics used in cars today.
Those armrest bases are probably made of ABS plastic, which should not need an adhesion promoter-BUT should be cleaned thouroughly with a good detergent and warm water and then degreased with a wax and grease remover.
The main things to remember when painting plastics are:
1-clean and degrease thouroughly- mold release compound may still be on the part-or worse yet somebody used "Armourall" on the interior-which is silicone and makes "fisheyes" and poor adhesion.

2-you need to identify the type of plastic the part is made of to find out what primers or adhesion promoters are needed to make the finish adhere.
Some parts (not all) are marked with letters that identify the material.

FRP- Fiberglass reinforced plastic (Most compounds don't need adhesion promoter)
ABS-Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (doesn't need adhesion promoter)
SMC- Sheet molded Compound (doesn't need adhesion promoter)
PP- Polypropelene (Needs adhesion promoter)
PE- Polyethelene (Needs adhesion promoter)
PO- Polyolefin (Needs adhesion Promoter)
These are some of the more common ones used in auto parts, but there are many others and even some of the plastics have been blended or made into plastic "alloys".
If it has "POLY" in the name, it's more than likely going to need a "tie coat" or adhesion promoter.

Fusion seems to work great but you are somewhat limited in color choice.

overspray

 

I just used regular spray paint, also. Got it at K-Mart or Farm + Fleet. Put a couple of coats of primer and then the topcoat. I painted mine black so it was easy to match. For other colors try spray touchup paint like Duplicolor. This works on plastic model kits too.

 

Hey Chris! That Fusion paint is good shit.

 

I did the armrests, door panels and a pillar trim with SEM and it worked great! Also did a pair of leather Trans Am seats turned out even better! Try it. Gonna cost maybe $6-$7 a can.

 

Hey Chad, How's the '36 coming?

 

I useed the fusion on some ugly palstic frames I had for a mirror and it wouldnt stick to the peaks on the fancy design it had. Other than that worked fine.

 

Go to a hobby store. They have paints for plastics.

 

SEM. Whatever you use do a good job prepping and cleaning. It will make or break the job.

 

I dont think plastic was meant to be painted but I scrub it with SOS pads and keep the temp hi before and after I paint. Been using vinyl rattle paint, and people cant believe when they see the finished job.

 

Rustoleum makes a similar product in several colors that's sold at Home Depot. They also have a primer for plastic that can be used with any of the Rustoleum rattlecan paints. Hope this helps.