maksik7

Hey people,

I am in the process of repainting my plastic interior trim pieces. I painted them all in dark charcoal gray, but since the surface is so rough, EVERYTHING sticks to it. When I sand it down to make it smoother, the paint becomes dull and ugly looking.

So my question is should I clearcoat the pieces and then sand down the clear-coat, or is tghere a better way to accomplish what I need? (Smooth, good looking plastic pieces)

BTW I used a generic brand paint form Strauss that said its for interior trim, could this be my problem?

-Max

86ZRICHIE

could be the paint, I used Duplicolor's gloss black and my interior is lookin awesome. It'll look better when it's actually in the car, but I digress Anyway, you could do a coat of clear over it, but if you're just using the spray can kind I wouldn't bother sanding and polishing afterwards.

But I thik you're right in guessing it's the paint cause mine is as smooth as can be. Try a few things on some smaller parts (i.e. kickpannels) and see what results you get.

maksik7

Thanks for the quick response,

Anyways, I now took a look at the can and it's Duplicolor! I just didn't have the can in front of me when posting, and couldn't remeber the name.

You used the same paint brand and yours came out smooth? What did you do, did you jsut spray it on, or sand afterwards? Also can I pick up the clearcoat at any auto parts store?

Thnaks,

-Max

86ZRICHIE

No, I didn't sand at all. All I did was:
1. Wipe the piece with rubbing alchohol
2. Spray on plastic prep and wipe it off with several clean rags (get a roll or two of shop towels) I used SEM's plastic prep
3. Spray on adhesion promoter, I use Kleen-Strips Bulldog adhesion promoter, let dry for 3-5 min
4. Spray on light coats of the paint letting it dry 2-3 min between coats.

The plastic prep and adhesion promoter can usually be found at most auto paint stores, Bulldog is in a purple can and comes either in aerosol or in quart bottles if you have a HVLP sprayer.

Duke

Hell, all I did was wipe the plastic clean with alchohol then painted them. I used the same Duplicolor interior paint. It' sbeen done for a year now, and it hasn't had a single scratch or anything.

maksik7

Duke, thats exactly what I did. No prep, just wiped it off and painted it, but mien came out very rough and becomes very dusty very fast, did you sand yours afterwards, or did you just leave it alone?

-Max

Matt_91RSTPI

The reason 86ZRICHIE's is probably smooth right away and yours isn't is because he used a gloss paint.

If you use regular automotive paint from a spray can what you are feeling is the orange peel. If you can leave the parts out in the sun, some of that will cure. If you want it glassy smooth like your exterior paint, you'll need to sand it CAREFULLY with 1500 and then 2000 grit wet sandpaper and then use some 3M rubbing compound to shine it up.

Good luck,
Matt

dilligaf

Are you using interior paint? I mean the stuff made for fabric and vinyl. Or are you just using a regular spray paint. I've had great luck and smooth finishes with the vinyl paint but the regular stuff has been rough.