interior door panel painting

[btoran]

the interior of my car is all black (seats , carpets, door panels, console). as a winter project, i am going to change over to a two-tone look. pieces that will become tan include the seats (new upholstery), center console (painted), and interior door panel (painted up to the chrome dividing strip about 2/3 of the way towarrd the window.

what's the best way to paint the door panels the way i'd like? i'm guessing i need to remove all the chrome pieces from the panels, remove the panels from the door, mask and paint the panels, reinstall the painted panels, and reinstall the chrome bits. is this the correct procedure or is there some magic trick out there?

[bradartigue]

The right paints to use are made by SEM...but you need to expect that in a few years some places will rub through. Follow SEM's prep instructions carefully, I've gone so far as to clean the seats using acetone to get them to a suitable surface. Griot's Garage makes an interior cleaner that will also likely suffice to get the crud out. I find that their product is the absolute best for both cleaning vinyl and finding out just what color those seats are under what you think is "clean".

[btoran]

Seats won't get painted. Only door panels and console.

[bradartigue]

Same process. Take them completely out, clean every square inch with a degreaser, then clean them again with Griot's interior cleaner, then with mineral spirits or whatever SEM says and get after it.

[spidernut]

The SEM works great on vinyl. However, based upon my personal experience, it is absolutely horrible on hard plastics. If your console is vinyl, you should be fine. If it is a plastic reproduction or console cap, I'd recommend using a satin spray paint (such as a spray enamel) versus the SEM vinyl paint. The regular paint will stick to the hard plastic really well.

There are no big secrets apart from proper cleaning and prep. There is a prep spray you can use as well that will help it adhere to the vinyl better.

I've also used the Duplicolor Vinyl Paint. It is a bit chalkier than the SEM but also works well at 1/3 the price. The same rules apply for preparation. Plan on applying several thin coats for coverage regardless of which brand you use.

If you decide to remove the curved part of your door panel from the flat door cards, be very careful with the clips on the back of the chrome strip. There are two "rivets" (not sure what they're really called), one at each end, that holds the panels together in conjunction with the chrome strip clips. It is easy to accidentally pop them through the door cards. With caution, you'll be O.K.

[btoran]

John - Thanks. Those are the types of tips I need.