Painting the interior of your car

Background

This is a DIY for painting plastics, vinyls, and basically the interior of your car. If you are unhappy with the color of the interior of your car and would like to change it without having to go out and buy the parts from other cars then this is the place for you. You do not have to live with a color you do not want and I will be the one showing you how. Painting the interior of your car should be very right if it is done properly. Do it once right do not rush and it will turn out great. Do it crappy and it will look crappy.

Pros & Cons

Pros
- Most likely much cheaper than buying all the parts to replace
- Looks just as nice
- People will not notice the difference
- Makes it look brand new

Cons
- Takes Patience
- Will require more work than just swapping parts
- Time

My Story

I own a cypress green Acura Integra 1997 RS. It had tan interior and tan seats. That did not feel good to me. Firstly I definitely prefer black interior over any color and second of all if you know anything about color and color complements That shade of green really does not go with the shade of tan it had but it definitely goes nicely with black. So I was faced with a dilemma, swap the interior with black parts from another car or paint it. I was leaning towards swapping because of the things I heard about painting interior (cracks and fade). Then I also learned that swapping all the parts would cost more than 500+ depending deals you find. Then I did lots and lots and lots of research on painting interior and I came to the conclusion painting interior if done RIGHT will last a very long time and look OEM. And on the bright side it would only cost you about 100 dollars. All the materials I recommend are the ones I used and have done much research on and have found it to be the best option

Lets Begin......

Materials Needed

-SEM interior paint (color of your choice)
-SEM plastic adhesion promoter
-Sponge
-Dawn dish detergent
-Tools to take apart interior
-Mask

You can purchase the paints at paint stores but call before you go. Or search online I will have a link up of where to buy it soon.

Preparation

Preparation is KEY and I mean KEY it will make or break this project. First you are going to want to take what you are painting and hose it down with water thoroughly. Then get your sponge and Dawn soap and rub really hard on the object. The reason for this is to remove all the dirt and grease from the object for better paint adhesion. Then onces you finished rubbing the object everywhere rinse it off with water then SCRUB IT AGAIN thoroughly just to make sure you got everything. Then rinse it off once again. Then get a clean rag and dry off the object.

Painting

Step 1: Get your SEM adhesion promoter and spray a light coat over the object. Wait 5 minutes then spray it again making sure you cover all the spots you want painted. Then wait 15 minutes.

Step 2: Now get your SEM spray paint can and spray on the first coat. I chose to do 4 coats but you can choose to do as many as you want. Remember light coats only. Lots of light coats beats a few thick coats and plus less chance of paint drips. The object on this coat will still be pretty visible. Wait 15 minutes. Also hold the can a good 8-12 inches away trust me on this.

Step 3: Coat 2 is the same process do another thin coat over the object and you should be able to barely see the old color. Wait 15 minutes. You are not going to be able to really tell if the paint is go on to the object because its not such a big contrast anymore from the old color because of the first coat but trust me move on to the next area. EVEN light coats work best.

Step 4: Coat 3 is the same process as well do another thin coat but this time the objects old color will most likely be completely gone. If I were you I would do 4 coats at the minimum and once again all light even coats!

Step 5: Let it dry for 24 hours

Step 6: Install and enjoy your new interior in the color of your choice

Finished products
1.

2.

Before:

After:
Misc

I personally used black to cover my tan. It might take more coats and more paint to cover up other colors. I will post up pictures of the before and after pics of my car. For the carpet of my car I am going to use a special dye that is known for its quality. I am going to be dying my carpet black from tan. Of course there are more colors available.

Warning

The paint can says it is all good to use it on fabric but I advise you not because I tried it and it took a lot of paint to cover the old color and made it really rough. I have another method for coloring fabrics so stay tuned.......

Fabric dying

My Story

The methods above are more for vinyls and plastics but OH WAIT! we have to do the carpet as well. My carpet is tan and after doing more research I have found a method that will dye the carpet and last a very long time. Remember preparation and quality of the product is KEY. stay tuned for DIY on fabric dying.


-Coming soon...........

If you have any questions feel free to post and I will answer asap.