How to Paint Interior Pieces

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How to Paint Interior Pieces
By grumblemarc

How to paint interior trim pieces. You will need to have the following supplies on hand:


Sandpaper
Krylon spray paint
Clear Coat
You will need adequate amounts of spray paint in the color you require and a can or two of clear if you wish. 3-4 cans of red gloss Krylon was more than enough to paint all the interior plastic trim pieces on my 92 Prelude. Take extreme care when removing any of the pieces. I had someone try to help and she snapped one of the pieces in half. Luckily I was able to epoxy it back together, sand off the excess epoxy, and paint over it. You cant even tell which was the piece that got broken once I painted it. It looks so good that people thought I either had it professionally done or that it was some kind of kit that I purchased.

PREPARATION: After removing all trim pieces they will ALL need to be thoroughly washed free of any contaminants such as dirt and Armor All to insure the paint will adhere properly. YOU WILL NOT NEED TO USE *ANY* PRIMER!!! TRUST ME! After washing the trim let the pieces air dry. You DO NOT need to sandpaper the pieces to try to help in preparing the surfaces for the paint but it wouldn't hurt either. Use a fine grit if you want to go the sandpaper route. I didn't need to use any on my first painting.

PAINTING: Unless you have access to a garage or a location with adequate ventilation I suggest doing this outside. You will be tempted to rush the process when it appears that the paint is taking faster than you expected. DO NOT RUSH THROUGH THE PROCESS!!

Using long even strokes while holding the can no closer than a foot from the trim pieces, lay down a quick coat of paint. DO NOT try to completely cover the trim pieces with the paint at this time as it will either run, bubble, or wrinkle as it dries. Let sit for 10 minutes or more to allow the paint to become tacky or dry. The longer you wait in between coats the better. What you are looking for at first is for the paint to look very grainy as you apply each coat. It will take you approximately 2-3 hours to completely cover the trim if you do this right. Toward the end of the painting process you will start to see the paint finish start to become smooth and glossy. This is the point many people get excited and try to rush. DON'T!!! If you spray too much at this point the paint may pool in some spots. If it does this and starts to dry it will begin to wrinkle and look pretty bad. Keep applying coats of paint being careful to allow at least 10 minutes in between before the next. By the time you are finished your trim pieces will be highly smooth and glossy. Once you are satisfied you can then apply a couple of coats of clear to help resist chipping and scratches. However if you apply enough coats of the colored paint you wont need it. TRUST ME!

INSTALLATION: Allow the trim pieces to dry at least 24 hours BEFORE attempting to remount them In colder weather you may need longer. If you try to handle them before this they will NOT have had enough time to sufficiently harden and when you have to push the trim pieces back into place you will have fingerprints embedded in the paint for posterity. I myself have let my painted trim pieces dry over the course of a weekend before I even laid a hand on them. Once in the car the paint cured to a very hard finish as the interior was heated up in the sunlight. I am as of this posting repainting a couple of pieces that I chipped up while doing vinyl on my door panels and rear deck so I don't know how long it may take in this cold weather.

MAINTENANCE: Once installed you will have to put up with your car smelling like paint for at least 2 weeks. You can apply any type of Armor All or any thing of that nature to keep your newly painted interior in tip top shape without fear of your brand of protecting fouling them up. IF you find that you need to repaint any of your trim pieces I suggest stripping off the original paint BEFORE attempting a repaint. I tried this and the paint WOULD NOT stick. It wrinkled as it dried and peeled right off with NO effort.

ADVICE: TAKE YOUR TIME!