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How can i paint my dash?

20K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  Houstonvett 
#1 ·
So im looking to freshen up my interior of my 03 f350 7.3 lariat. It has the tan interior right now but im eventually going to try and move to black with custom seat covers. My plan is to put 08 captain chairs up front and rear, 08 door panels, custom headliner, and carpet. I don't really want to get into converting my dash with a newer one. Does anyone know of any ways i can get my dash painted??

Thanks!!
 
#2 ·
I just finished painting my entire interior from tan to black. I used the krylon fusion paint for plastics and went with satin black, but it looks gloss black to me. I went to wal mart and got a bottle of TSP substitute and a few cans of the krylon. Use the TSP stuff to wash all parts in so the paint will stick, this is a must to get all the armor all and shiney dash protectant off. Then paint away. I took my dash completly out, was a pain in the butt, but worth it to get everything painted. The krylon looks good, is sticking great and to touch up spots that may get scraped or chipped latter you can just spray the paint in a cup or container untill it puddles then quickly brush it on with a foam brush, this is to avoid pulling the peice off to paint it again. Now the last thing I painted was my door panels and I tried painting my armrest with the krylon and it was a NO GO. Paint wouldnt dry and I had to strip it off. So I then found a local painters supply and found the great SEM vinyl dye that everyone talks about, this stuff worked awesome on the armrest, but was expensive ( 13 bucks a can ). I kinda wish I could have done all the dash with SEM but didnt think I could find it around here. Good luck.
 
#4 ·
I havent dealt with the seats yet, I want to take out my carpet and do the vinyl floor ( carpet delete ) and I just went to get a puller for my steering wheel, I am going to use the SEM paint for it. I painted my airbag with the krylon and its fine but was kinda worried about the wheel part. Now that I have the dye I am going to see how it holds up, I am also curious to see if I could dye the seats black, I have the tan leather seats now, that are in good shape.
 
#5 ·
Gator nation do I have a pic I would love to see it


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#7 ·
yea, here are a few shots with my door panels done, I still need to do my seats headliner and floor!










 
#8 ·
I got some pictures for your boss of my painted interior.

Still working on some pieces and will painting the carpet and some more of the dash, and the seats.

This will be the first time ive showed anyone my interior so far.

Enjoy!





 
#9 ·
I have the perfect way to paint your dash though. This is for the smooth shiny look. Its how mine looks and it amazing.


First thing to do is pull the parts to be painted out of the car. Then the VERY first step is to wash them very thoroughly with dawn dish washing soap(or some type of grease fighting soap). Do this 3 times. You want to do this because there are so many greases and other contaminants in the plastic.

The next step is to start sanding. I first start off with 80grit. I sand it until the plastic is completly free of factory texture (there will be little hairs sticking up from the plastic, this is ok). Then I go over it with 180 grit until it starts to smooth out. Now I go over it with 220grit. Optional: Then you can go over it with a 320 wet if you would like, it all depends if you want to or not At this point it should be pretty smooth with little to no plastic hairs still attached.

First thing is to wash it with dawn 2 more times. Then I get wax and grease remover and clean the parts again with this. Then I get Bullydog adhesion/flex promoter. (VERY IMPORTANT) This is essential to make the paint stick to and also flex with the plastic. If you dont use this the paint will start flaking off over time. I do 2-3 coats of this. Then immediately after this I do 3 coats of high build primer. Then I sand it smooth with 500 grit WET until its completely smooth, if its not do another few coats of primer then sand with 500 or 600 grit WET. Keep doing this until its smooth like glass!

You are now ready for paint. Spray it just like directed by the manufacturer and do the same for the clear.

After the clear has dried for a few day you can sand the "orange peel" out. I do this by sanding with 2000 grit WET. Use a sanding block becuase if you just use your hands you will get the impressions of your fingers in the clear. You want to be very careful of sanding the clear. Just make sure you keep the area being sanded very wet. Only work an area about 1.5x1.5 feet at a time, at most. What you are looking for is to see the clear go dull, you will see some areas that are still shiny and spots right next to it that are dull. You want everything to become dull. So keep sanding until everything is dull. After this you already to wipe it all off and start buffing the parts!


Remember painting is 90% prep and 10% skill/experience. So make sure not to rush the sanding and primer work. It will pay off in the end if done right.


Follow these instructions step by step and it will come out amazing!
 
#10 ·
Got my seats done with the SEM dye, went from tan to satin black, I am VERY impressed with the outcome.
 
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#11 ·
I also have my Vinyl flooring aka carpet delete on order!
 
#13 ·
How does that dye work? Does it rub off at all on your clothes? It really looks great in the photo.
 
#15 ·
i usend vinyl paint from autozone, krylone plastic paint or similar is known to crack/chip quickly. The can says vinyl and fabric, and it works great. I converted my denim blue interior to a murdered out matte black with gloss black accents. All you need to do is prep the interior with a heavy duty cleaner, and spray to perfection with vinyl specific paint. The hotter the day the better. I also used the same paint on my carpet, there are only a few areas that need to be touched up, from the winter. but so far all is great!
 
#16 ·
SEM will eventually chip/wear on contact spots. For example where door panels touch the dash or where your keys will rub on the steering column. If you dye leather seats they'll start to show cracks sooner than later where the leather flexes and creases. You'll always be chasing some flaw, unless little things don't bother you. This is all from experience. It'll look great for a while. And I did everything with great care, removing every piece and diligently cleaning every piece and using adhesion promoters.


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#17 ·
You can't go wrong with the SEM poducts, I've used them on several project through the years. They also have adhesion promoters. Both the 12v ports and the floor mats covers were black.

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#18 ·
What is up with your floor? Is that a special type of mat? I want one!
 
#21 ·
Some folks use a product called Bulldog primer on their plastic pieces. This promotes adhesion of the paint. Some folks say it works great and is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have heard 1 other person say they have had problems with it. Like all paint jobs the prep work is the most important part of the process and must be done correctly. I know my body guys use it all of the time on plastic car fascias/bumpers and says it works great, when applied to a properly prepared surface.

When painting dashes, I go to the local auto paint supply house and get the correct SEM plastic paint in the right color. After making sure all of the plastic pieces are clean from grease, other dirt using water, a diluted grease remover (Citrus Orange) for really dirty pieces plus stiff bristle brush. I use Dupli color wax and grease remover as the final step just before painting. Rubbing alcohol should work fine also. I take the pieces to my paint guy and let him shoot the paint in his spray booth. I get complete crew cab interiors shot at my body shop for about 125.00 and it is worth it to me.

Cleaning/prep work of the pieces is the most important part of this process and can be time consuming but needs to be done right. I can't stress this enough! I have never sanded any pieces that need to be painted and keep the original texture of the dash. Some folks paint jobs using spray cans comes out great also, but I leave the painting, up to my body guy for the most part.
 
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