the write up everyone's been waiting for! how to paint your interior the RIGHT way... - Honda Prelude Forum

tastyratz · 10-20-2002, 05:01 PM

Iâ€™ve seen a few people asking questions on painting there interior and decided to do a write up. Iâ€™ve painted my interior professionally. My dad runs an auto-body business here at the house. Your going to need the following:

-1: pint of vinyl dye will do the job. In fact you could probably do 2 cars off a pint but you cant buy anything smaller.

-2: a place to do the job or a friend with an equipped shop. That means a spray guy and air compressor (NOT I repeat NOT an automotive shop with a gun. Automotive shops and similar have oil mixed into the compressor lines to lubricate the tools and is big no no for paint.

)

-3: Scotch Bright red. (not sandpaper. Sandpaper wont do the job anywhere near as well)

-4: lacquer thinner

-5: masking tape (optional) if you plan on taping up stickers, etc.

You need vinyl dye. Do NOT use regular paint, car paint, canned paint, or finger paints

. It doesnâ€™t stick as well. If you have any type of armor all or similar applied recently it makes things like fish eyes and bubbles and all sorts of nasty stuff. Make sure you havenâ€™t applied any for awhile. If you have, wait at least a month before attempting this job since armor all is oil and oil doesnâ€™t stick to paint. Youu need it to seep into the pores of the interior as it dyes the interior and isnâ€™t just a surface coat like regular paint. Regular paint doesnâ€™t last as long. Itâ€™s not designed to flex or move like the properties of vinyl permit. if you bump your interior hard it might crack. not a good thing. Do you want your interior cracking? I think not.

This is what you want to do... you need a hook up at an auto body shop because they donâ€™t sell this paint to anyone off the streets. I'ts professional grade and the best you can buy right now. Go somewhere and find the color you want by looking through the catalogs auto body businesses have. Donâ€™t pic a metallic color as it doesnâ€™t work as well. Metallic colors are created with small metal flakes and those donâ€™t exactly soak into the vinyl. the dye you want is called S.E.M. brand dye. Itâ€™s very expensive...14$ a pint or 40$ a quart. I got a pint mixed and used half of the can to do the ENTIRE interior job I wanted. I did a lot of parts and probably painted around 30-40 pieces.

that being said now well get started. First you take your pieces out you plan to victimize. Clean them with lacquer thinner extremely good especially if you EVER applied armor all. Pay close attention, clean it really good. then you want some red scotch bright, not sandpaper. scuff every little spot you can very good. Its going to take some time and elbow so get comfortable. your goal is to remove all the shine. After a little while take a look. If its black like my interior was it should start to look like a light gray from sanding. Then you want to clean it again with lacquer thinner. Take a look and ask yourself... is there any remaining shine? did I get every spot? Donâ€™t compromise youâ€™ll regret it later. It may be a pain in the ass but you have to do it. If you need a little more time then go at it again then clean it again.

When your done it should have a flat color look. Make sure to clean it very well at the end as dust is very bad for the application. Thatâ€™s what you do to prep the pieces. Then load up a spray gun and put it on in even strokes. You want to put this stuff on very wet and not thin layers, otherwise it has a rougher texture and tends to get flakey, donâ€™t make the mistake I did at first. It only takes a few minutes to dry before another coat and you want about 2-3 coats. Let it dry for awhile and voila, your done. Put your pieces in and admire your work.

After a day or so and your SURE your done and happy with all your pieces apply some armor all. Better be done though because its not good if you havenâ€™t finished. This gives the pieces a clear coated look without the negatives of actual clear coat (real paint we covered why it sucks.). After that you should be done. Now admire your work and smile for a job well done.

Here are some pictures of my paintjob after I finished to see what it will come out like:

and a close up to show the texture.

i got my shift and ebrake boot off a guy on ebay which to my surprise matched my color completely. i was amazed and very happy to find this out. now stop readin this crap and go make your car damn sexy!

edit: added a few things and split the thing up so grover wont get a headache.

railsldr · 10-20-2002, 05:27 PM

nice looks really good. I just wish there was someone around here who knows how to do it. I wouldn't want to risk it looking bad. I have a compressor just need a paint gun and I could do it. Is it possible for you to post pics of what like the door part that had the window switches and locks and all that looks like when it is sanded down to the right amount.

GroverzVTEC · 10-20-2002, 06:23 PM

Just a note to MOD's if they will be FAQ'ing this:

Please break the huge friggin paragraph up a little so those of us who print it up and read in the garage will not go blind.

Sweet writeup tastyratz
Grover

0redlude1 · 10-20-2002, 07:03 PM

you be interested in makin you a lil cash of us po members huh

Bilybobjef · 10-20-2002, 08:26 PM

yeah where might u be on the east coast? cuz that looks badass

PrElUdE88 · 10-20-2002, 08:37 PM

that look like regular spray can to me.... its not even shiny.. it look like its going to get dirty and you cant clean it cause of the texture.....i do mine like this..

spray paint, clear coat, water sand w/ 1500 grid paper, same thing w/2000 grid paper (until nomore orange peel) , polish 3m rubbing compound (until shiny) ...

i love how mines look and everyone else.. its shiny and easy to clean...its just like the paint on the outside of your car....

tastyratz · 10-20-2002, 08:57 PM

prelude88: it looks kinda weird in the pic but it has shine to it. it honestly looks to me almost like its factory. regular paint kinda makes it feel cheap. it doesnt get dirty at all it behaves just like regular vinyl since your dying it. i like the texture cuz its just like oem almost. thats one reason you would use scotch bright instead of sandpaper because it retains the pieces original feel for a more oem look instead of like the paint on the outside of the car. i think it looks alot cleaner.

railsldr: i wish i took some pics of it sanded down but i never ended up doing it. i didnt completely think of doing the write up till after. when you do it you can kinda tell if you did it right. you can really see it as completely flat matte and no reflection whatsoever.

grover: i ramble alot and thats my style

heh sorry bout that.

billybob: im from massachusetts.

redlude: i dunno i might do it for people if you wanted to ship me all the pieces. i didnt think about doing it as a service till you mentioned it. i could.

Ludatic · 10-20-2002, 09:26 PM

damn niiice

i was thinkin of painting a few of my interior pieces the same color as my car... flamenco black pearl.. i actually WANT the metalic flakes.. i dunno how it would look though *shrug*

tastyratz · 10-20-2002, 09:48 PM

you wouldnt be able to use dyes if you want the flakes then. they cant really mix it in the paint and it wouldnt work if they could. you could use regular paint if you wanted but where the fun in that? heh

97blacklude · 10-20-2002, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tastyratz
you wouldnt be able to use dyes if you want the flakes then. they cant really mix it in the paint and it wouldnt work if they could. you could use regular paint if you wanted but where the fun in that? heh

i c x's

0redlude1 · 10-20-2002, 11:08 PM

Man im gonna go look at some pieces in my car, If you would id hook u up thats tight.

obrigado · 10-21-2002, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ludatic
damn niiice

i was thinkin of painting a few of my interior pieces the same color as my car... flamenco black pearl.. i actually WANT the metalic flakes.. i dunno how it would look though *shrug*

I've been planning on the same thing for a while now...just haven't gotten around to it.

Couple questions...why are you using vinyle die to color what look like plastic trim pieces? I assumed that if you used an OEM body paint mixed for bumpers (so it won't crack) on the plastic trim pieces (like those that the OEM CF kit replaces on the 5th gen) you would get decent results...seeing how it is plastic and not vinyl?

just curious...

obrigado

ShadowSonic · 10-21-2002, 05:33 AM

I took my parts off and now once i put it back on it wont sit as flush on the car

tastyratz · 10-21-2002, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by obrigado

I've been planning on the same thing for a while now...just haven't gotten around to it.

Couple questions...why are you using vinyle die to color what look like plastic trim pieces? I assumed that if you used an OEM body paint mixed for bumpers (so it won't crack) on the plastic trim pieces (like those that the OEM CF kit replaces on the 5th gen) you would get decent results...seeing how it is plastic and not vinyl?

just curious...

obrigado

the results from using that paint dont keep the oem type look. it looks like an exterior piece that way. i like this stuff because it keeps the original shaping creasing bumpy however properties of the piece. you can use the stuff but it doesnt flex as well and hold up as well as this stuff. for doing your vinyl and trim this stuff is the best. what i did is actually what it was designed for so it really does work great. the plastic is actually still somewhat porous ( if i butchered the spelling sorry its a weird word) the proof is in the pudding. it looks natural. using oem paint would just give it an off feeling. i dunno. i think it would look really cheap if it was the same way your exterior is.

obrigado · 10-21-2002, 06:31 PM

we'll see...

body color trim is a factory option on porsches.
I think red or blue could be offensive, but black on black just might be clean.

obrigado

PrElUdE88 · 10-21-2002, 11:07 PM

i paint my interior pieces black metal color... it looks tight....nice and shiny... too bad i dont have a digital camara to show you guys...

NoRice4U · 10-22-2002, 08:22 AM

looks pretty good

pearl type sh · 10-22-2002, 09:08 AM

looks really nice bro you did a good job.

but i perfer stock interior over painting. it just makes it look rice

sorry.

ShadowSonic · 10-22-2002, 10:18 AM

I think painting shows creativity but i prefer that new fiberglass or plastic material they got.. that matches the cars outside color thast pimp

payyourtoll · 10-22-2002, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pearl type sh

i perfer stock interior over painting.

I agree. Ive painted my interior pieces once, wont do it again.

Very nice write-up though

Ludatic · 10-22-2002, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tastyratz

the results from using that paint dont keep the oem type look. it looks like an exterior piece that way. i like this stuff because it keeps the original shaping creasing bumpy however properties of the piece. you can use the stuff but it doesnt flex as well and hold up as well as this stuff. for doing your vinyl and trim this stuff is the best. what i did is actually what it was designed for so it really does work great. the plastic is actually still somewhat porous ( if i butchered the spelling sorry its a weird word) the proof is in the pudding. it looks natural. using oem paint would just give it an off feeling. i dunno. i think it would look really cheap if it was the same way your exterior is.

this depends on what pieces we're painting.. for the 5th gen, a few of the trims are already smooth.. where the others have that bump/rough look. if we were to paint the smooth pieces i'd think it would look nice.. see what i'm thinkin is.. like the OEM carbon fiber kit for the 5th gens.. they look pretty shiny.. and reflective, i'm thinkin instead of gettin carbon fiber to just paint it body color, and still have that shiny look.. *shrug*... i dunno.. maybe i'll buy some extra pieces from ppl and test it out. but then i'd have to buy some OEM paint too hahaha.. go try it obrigado!

tastyratz · 10-22-2002, 10:57 AM

see i have a 4th gen so ive never even been in a 5th gen. i like the sleeker curvier look of a 4th better. i dont know anything about your interior. if you want to try that go for it. i dunno. regular paint still doesnt work that great but.

Ludatic · 10-22-2002, 10:59 AM

[img]http://www.*********************/prelude/precft.jpg[/img]

this is the oem cf trim.. notice how it has that shiny reflective look.. (if u ignore the fake CF weave) i guess that's what we're trying to get.. just a shiny/smooth look

Ludatic · 10-22-2002, 11:01 AM

omg i got censored..

here i'll just steal their pic

ShadowSonic · 10-22-2002, 11:04 AM

uhhh how old is that lude comes with a stock cassett player

obrigado · 10-22-2002, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 99Interlude
uhhh how old is that lude comes with a stock cassett player

tha tape player is an accesory... H&A sells accesories so all of their demo cars are loaded with all the accesories you can get (yuck USDM fogs

)

obrigado

tastyratz · 10-24-2002, 08:02 PM

awww man.... i was crossing my fingers to be eternally immortilized in the prelude faq

this is an old thread now looks like its not gonna happen

Ludatic · 10-24-2002, 10:19 PM

hahahha there have been a few write-ups that ppl thought were pretty good but wweren't included in the write-up.. maybe this isn't really a "frequently asked question"? although it is.. *shrug*

post a link to this thread in the bugs&errors forum and they mite put it in

tastyratz · 10-25-2002, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ludatic
post a link to this thread in the bugs&errors forum and they mite put it in

lol ya. ill tell them they just must have overlooked this mistake and ill forgive them if they faq it cuz they really do want to right?