do i need a clear coat when painting interior trim pieces?!?!
 

hello everyone, I am painting some interior pieces on my mustang.

I am painting then mate black, do i really need to apply a clear coat after the paint?

Will the clear coat give the piece that shiny look which then would not match the mate finish of the interior? Or is the clear coat used to protect the paint and will it still stay mate finish?

thanks for clarifying,

ceez

If you want it matte black then don't spray the clear on top, it will add gloss. Or you could get the dye (SEM Vinyl Dye) It is supposed to match the factory black. It is either matte or semi gloss, and is supposed to hold up really well. I'm sure someone else knows more.

You don't NEED it....

Difference...

W/O Clear, will be a more flat, or matte finish and will also be easier to scratch or damage. (recommend several coats)

W/ Clear will give it a glossier (shiny) finish, and also stand up to a little more abuse.

I've never used the dye, but from what i've seen from floppy's car it apparently works pretty well if applied properly.

no clear coat
 

I painted a few pieces and they look good so i decided to leave out the clear coat. I just hope that the paint will last :)

I am having painting problems with the shifter bezel. Whenever I paint it, there are areas in which the paint shrivels up and it wont dry/stick. If i rub it the paint just peels off? I used the same procedure to clean the other parts I've painted: soap/water then some alcohol.

All the pieces came out fine except this one. I have 600 sand paper which I used after the first mess up, tried painting again but same result. Will I need primer on this piece for the paint to stick to it? :shakeno:

Any advice?

thanks,

ceez

I primed my all of my pieces. You might want a little finer grit sand paper, make sure you don't get too deep of scratches..

Make sure you put atleast 2-3 coats on everything, especially door pieces, or pieces that you will be touching or rubbing against, because w/o clear the paint will scratch.

i'll try finer paper on that shift bezel...

i put 4 or 5 coats per piece, that should be enough for your everyday 'abuse' right? Will I now be expecting to paint these pieces every few months? or will the paint really stick? Now I am wondering if i gave myself more work in the future!!! :(

how about cleaning? I guess I can no longer use any sort of armor-all like product on these pieces? am i correct?

thanks again,

ceez

Use a finer grit sandpaper like 1000 grit. I use whats called a scuff pad (its red and abrasive like a brillo pad) that you can pick up at most automotive stores. Then buy whats called a sealer primer. You are going to need a primer to fill in the scratches left from sanding. The sealer primer will not only give you a primer for the paint to stick to but sealer primer dries really smooth (unlike blocking primers) for a nice smooth paint finish.

I wouldn't use armor all or anything like that on a matte finish paint. Just use a multi purpose degreaser to keep it free of dirt. Armor all will leave a shine, and if you want a shine, just clear coat everything.

I've had my interior trim painted black w/clearcoat for around a year and a half now, and haven't had to repaint anything yet. *Knock on wood*

Here is a quick pic of my shifter bezel
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...94_70_full.jpg

Alright so 1000 grit or scuff pad and a sealer primer...thanks! I'll try it out next weekend

Did you use mate black + clear coat or glossy black + clear coat for your paint job...which btw looks sweet!

thanks,

ceez

I actually used a can of gloss black engine enamel. I didn't do it in two stages with a separate clearcoat. I have done things since then separately but that I did with a can of gloss black. It has help up really well. How well the paint holds up is all in the prepping process. Take your time, prep it right and you'll be fine.

I had the same problem with my shifter bezel, and one or two other parts, the paint didn't seem to want to stick. I just keep re-doing it till it came out right. Prep work will dictate how well it will come out in the end. I used two coats of adehsion promotor, many coats of Duplicolor gloss black, and then several coats of duplicolor clear coat. My next project is to either get and intake spacer or dye the interior black, and maybe get some black racing seats.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1154.../168550343.jpg

most spray paints have some clearcoat mixed in with it.

i did 3 coats of clear and 5 coats of glossy silver...did any of you get a ripple in the door handles? cause i did...im gonna redo mine during the winter when the car is away

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ng/other/1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ng/other/2.jpg

i know its dirty cause i was just finishing the project up and was cleaning in the process

I had a little trouble with the shifter bezel at first, but I prepped it a little more and that fixed the problem. I didn't have any problems with the door handles...

thanks!
 

thanks everyone for your tips and pics.

Hopefully i'll be able to finish up the center console/shifter bezel on sunday, was out of town this week and will be out again monday for 2 more weeks....the never ending project I suppose :(.

My door does not have a 'ripple', but I did have an extra drivers side handle that I first painted glossy black + clear coat which did show a ripple. My stock handles did not have any issues, I used mate black no clear coat, dont know if the glossy brings out the 'ripple'.

I'll sand down the parts tomorrow, clean with mineral oil and give it a try again. I'll post up some pics when i am done.

thanks again,

ceez

ps- it seem like painting the interior is a common thing among mustang owners! :)

ps- now that I think about it, is there any 'special' paint to paint the small carpet section on the lower part of the door?!?! hmmmm.......I wonder....