How To Repaint Your Car's Interior
This how-to is step-by-step guide on how I repainted the interior of my car. I spent lots of times on forums and researching before I began this project, and I hope that this tutorial will save others time and money.
I. Overview - The Process
Now, there are many different ways that you can go about this process, depending on time, money and what your goals are. Some want the stock look, but in a different color. Others want a smooth glossy finish that looks fiberglassed. It's all up to you. I wanted the glossy-fiberglass look, and that is what the pictures in this tutorial are geared towards. But I have also listed instructions on how to repaint is you just want a color change. Basically, you will prep (sand, clean), prime (prime, sand), and paint (paint, sand, clearcoat).
A few things to remember - It is much harder to fix problems the further along you get. It is much easier/cheaper to fix problems in earlier steps. The more time you spend on each step, the better the outcome will be. Please take your time... you will be happy you did as the end result is directly related to your attention to detail.
I'm not sure exactly how much this cost. Once I completely finish I will post up my cost. I'm also not sure how long this takes, as I work on it when I can, and you must allow time for drying. My estimate is several weeks to do all the pieces correctly.
This is the process I used to repaint my interior. I had great success, but I suggest that you use this as a guideline and take suggestions from others, as I am no expert.
II. Tools and Materials
There are several materials that you will need to repaint your interior.
- Palm Sander (optional)
- Extension Cord (optional)
- Sandpaper (60, 100, 150, 220, 320, 400, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000)
- Dish soap
- Sponge
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Terry Towels
- High-Build Primer
- Paint
- Clear Coat
- 3M Rubbing Compound
- 3M Shine Restorer
- Wax Remover
- Automotive Wax
Palm Sander
Although this is not a necessity, it will save you lots of time on the places that you can use it. I would suggest a palm sander like shown below, which can use square sheets of paper. It uses a back and forth sanding motion. Another type of sander is an orbital, which uses rounded sheets and uses a circular motion. You do not want to use an orbital sander.
Extension Cord
If you are using a palm sander, you will probably want an extension cord to give you more space and less restriction.
Sandpaper
Required to either "scuff-up" your pieces before painting, or to remove the texture if you are going for the smooth look. Sandpaper has different grits, so you will want a variety of grits, from course to smooth. I suggest 60, 100, 150, 220, 320 for prep, 800, 1000, 1500 & 2000 for painting.
Primer
Primer will be applied after sanding and before painting to ensure that the paint will stick. I used Dupli-Color Filler Primer. It uses a high-build formula to fill in scratches. You can get it for about $4 a can from your local Wal-Mart, AutoZone ect.
Paint
Once again I chose to use Dupli-Color Truck, Van & SUV paint. It is about $5.00 and it can also be purchased at Wal-Mart, Auto-Zone ect.
Clear Coat
I also chose Dupli-Color for the Cleat Coat. The cost is about $5.0
Sponge & Dish soap, Alcohol
Any type of sponge/dish soap will do. This will be used to clean before priming/painting.
Terry Towels & 3M Rubbing Compound
I bought a 3 pack of Terry Towels for $1.76 from Wal-Mart. The rubbing compound was $6.00 at Wal-Mart. This will be used to fill in small scratches before we clear coat the pieces that we have painted.
3M Shine Restorer
This will be used to buff our pieces once they are finish. It fills in small scratches, and really gives the piece a glossy look. It was $8.96 at Wal*Mart.
Automotive Wax
As with the exterior, this will be used to protect your pieces once they are done. You should be able to use whatever type of wax you use on your exterior.
III. Sanding
At this point, you must decide if you would simply like to do a color change and keep the texture. If you want to keep the texture, please skip this step. If you want it smooth and glossy, like fiberglass, continue on.
To begin, I first used a course sandpaper of 60 grit. Many other people started with 100 grit, but I like to use 60 to make sure that all of the dings and texture come out. This is the easiest time to remove imperfections, so make sure you spend time to get everything else. Once you are satisfied, sand the area with 100 grit, then 150, 220 and 320. At this point, the surface should be smooth, with no major scratches. If there are some, this is the time to remove them.
(The start of me sanding.)
(Before with texture)
(After sanding)
IV. Cleaning
This step is very important. In a tub or whatever, clean the pieces thoroughly with soap and water. Make sure to get into the corners and places where dust could hide. Dry the pieces, then clean them with the rubbing alcohol and allow them to dry. This step will ensure that the primer/paint sticks to the pieces.
(Pieces after cleaning and ready for priming)
V. Priming
If you would like to keep the texture, you can use a regular sandable primer. If you are going for the glossy look, you will use a high build primer. It will fill in any scratches and imperfections, thus resulting in a smooth finish.
When priming, and painting for that matter, they key is light coats. Many light coats will allow the paint/primer to build up, and will not cause drips or runs. This is what you want to do. First, cover the area where you will be painting with newspaper or plastic to protect things from over spray. To begin priming, hold the can approximately 8”-10” from the piece and using smooth motions, lightly spray the piece. Do not worry if it is not completely covered, because you will be applying many more coats. Let the piece sit 10-15 minutes, until it is dry to the touch, and add another coat. Do this for 2-3 coats, or until the piece is covered.
Let the piece dry, and with a piece of 320 sandpaper, lightly sand the primer to get out any imperfections. Clean the piece like shown in section 4. Now prime the piece a few more times, sanding with 600-800 grit between coats of sanding. I usually go a little heavier with these coats, going with medium coats instead of light ones. This will help fill in any scratches more. Try not to go so heavy that you will cause drips, but if you do you will be able to sand them out. When you are done, the piece should be very smooth, and you should not be able to see any imperfections. Anything that you can see now, you will most likely see in the finished product. Go back and either sand or prime to get rid of these imperfections before you continue.
(The first coat of primer. Notice that it is a light coat with light spots.
These will be covered with later coats.)
(This shows the second coat of primer being applied. The left side
is the first coat, and the right side is the second coat. You notice
the second coat covered the light spots.)
(This is a piece after several coats of primer.)
(The piece after several coats of primer and sanding.)
(A close-up)
(After sanding and a few more coats)
(All ready for paint)
VI. Painting
Now you should have a piece that has no imperfections, and is ready for paint. If not, go back and fix these imperfections. It should also be cleaned. When you are ready, spray a light coat of paint just like you did with the primer. You will build the paint up with several coats, just like you did with the primer. Allow time for the paint to dry, and spray several coats.
After 3-5 light coats, the surface should be pretty uniform. At this point, sand with some 800-1000 grit paper. Clean the surface, and spray another 3-5 coats. These coats can be medium, but like with the primer, don't go so heavy as to cause drips. If they occur, simply sand them out. You can use 800 grit sandpaper, and if it doesn't get them out, you can drop down to 600 grit. To test that the drip is removed, close your eyes and feel the area. You should not be able to tell where it was.
The next step is color-coat sanding. You will only want to go onto this step if you are using a flat paint, and are looking for a glossy look. If you are using a paint with flakes, or any other texture paint, you may want to skip the next step.
(First coat – notice some light spots)
(After a few coats)
(Read to color sanding)
(Read to color sanding)
VII. Color-Coat Sanding
This is the step where you will really bring out that glossy look. Once you have given the paint time to dry (I let it dry overnight), sand the entire surface with 1000 grit sandpaper. Wipe the area down with rubbing alcohol, and repeat with 1500. Rub the piece down and repeat with 2000. At this point, the piece will not be very glossy... it will actually be very dull and hazy looking. This is ok. The next few steps will fix this.
(This is how it will look after color-coat sanding. Very hazy and not glossy.)
VIII. Buffing
Now, there should be no scratches left in the piece. If there are, please go back and fix them. The piece will look slightly dull and hazy, but this is ok. We will now apply some 3M Rubbing Compound to our Terry Cloth. Rub this into the piece until it looks clean and smooth. Clean the entire area with rubbing alcohol. Now, under a nice, bright light we will analyze the piece to make sure that it looks smooth and uniform. If it is not, repeat this step. Then wash with rubbing alcohol.
IX. Polishing
For this step I used 3M Shine Restorer. It is suggested that you apply some of the shine restorer to a buffing pad on a buffer for this step, but I did not have a buffer, so I simply applied some to a Terry Cloth and buffed the piece by hand. I used small circular motions, eventually going bigger and bigger. Once you finish, the finish should be smooth over the entire surface. It will also be very glossy.
Now, before continuing, we must wax the piece with wax stripper. The buffing compound and shine restorer contain waxes that are used on the finish coat, and these must before remove before we apply the clear coat. Once you wash the surface with this, wash with soap and water, then rubbing alcohol.
(This picture does not do justice, but very smooth and glossy.)
X. Clear Coat
The clear coat is the final layer that you will apply. It will protect your paint from flakes and dings. It is lighter than the actual paint, and therefore it will run much easier, so you must be especially careful in applying it. Apply it just like the color paint, in several light layers. Be sure to apply it evenly, or it will not look right, and you will have to go back to the buffing stage. I applied 2-3 light coats, then two medium coats. If there is a problem, wait for the clear coat to dry, and sand down to the paint. Then continue from the buffing stage.
XI. Clear Coat Sanding
Now, the piece will not be smooth and glossy like it was prior to the clear coat. I was afraid of sanding through the clear coat, but after trial and error I found that as long as you don't drop down in grit too much, this shouldn't be an issue. I sanded the surface smooth with 1500 grit, then wet sanded with 1500 and wet sanded with 2000. At this point, the piece will be slightly hazy again.
XII. Finishing
Now when the clear coat is done to your satisfaction, you will repeat steps 8 & 9 (buffing and polishing). Clean the piece with rubbing alcohol and allow it to dry. Then apply some 3M Rubbing Compound like in step 8. Clean with rubbing alcohol and apply 3M Finisher Remover like in step 9. Clean the surface with rubbing alcohol (which you are probably sick of by now).
(This picture does not show how smooth and glossy this actually is.)
(In this picture you can see how reflective the piece is.)
XIII. Waxing
Since these pieces are now painted and cleared, you can upkeep them with some automotive car wax. Just use it the way you would with the exterior of your car.
XIV. Thanks/Contact
I hope this tutorial was helpful. I acquired the information from this from several sources and message boards. Thanks to anyone who helped me out. If you have any comments/questions, feel free to contact me. I have a version of this in Word, so e-mail me if you would like a copy.
Jbody.org: SliMMaTiC (Tom Sylvester)
E-mail: tsylvest@gmail.com
Aim: siimmatic
Wide Body Progress
, now I'll have to do my interior.... thanks for giving me all this job and ruining my weekends 
