Refinishing Center Console

[Sterling Roadster]

Just in case anyone was looking for a nice project to bring some life back to their interior. I experimented with the Rustoleum textured paints. I used “hammered steel” on my faded and chipped grey plastic. 250,000 kilometers will do that. And I’m happy with it. I do not recommend using any oil based paint like this on surfaces that are constant touch points, like the steering wheel trim. In my experience the paint will absorb oils from your skin and discolor over time. But for places like this it is very chip resistant. I know it might not be everyone’s cup tea but there are many different options, and it does make the interior look more fresh!

[Oldmcst]

Originally Posted by Sterling Roadster

Just in case anyone was looking for a nice project to bring some life back to their interior. I experimented with the Rustoleum textured paints. I used “hammered steel” on my faded and chipped grey plastic. 250,000 kilometers will do that. And I’m happy with it. I do not recommend using any oil based paint like this on surfaces that are constant touch points, like the steering wheel trim. In my experience the paint will absorb oils from your skin and discolor over time. But for places like this it is very chip resistant. I know it might not be everyone’s cup tea but there are many different options, and it does make the interior look more fresh!

VERY nice!!! What did you use on your steering wheel??

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by Oldmcst

VERY nice!!! What did you use on your steering wheel??

Thanks! I used a regular gloss black acrylic enamel on the steering wheel trim because the oil based paint I first used was all discolored after only a year. For the leather on the steering wheel I used a product called ColorBond. It's supposed to be meant for leather and it's held up well. They actually match factory leather, so I went with BMW Coral Red.

[rsutoratosu]

Wow! I just bought hammer paint for a bunch of stuff at home. for the center, I'm trying carbon fiber wrap and have the colorbond black to put over beige... I have it all out.. just not finished..

looks great!

[Oldmcst]

Originally Posted by Sterling Roadster

Thanks! I used a regular gloss black acrylic enamel on the steering wheel trim because the oil based paint I first used was all discolored after only a year. For the leather on the steering wheel I used a product called ColorBond. It's supposed to be meant for leather and it's held up well. They actually match factory leather, so I went with BMW Coral Red.

Thank you!!!!

[kaybat]

very nice.

it appears you pulled the console apart? I've yet to do that(heard horror stories)...?

[spurto]

looks good. I was think about doing something similar in matte black with duracoat. It's a ceramic spay on coating typically used on firearms.

[pungo]

I used the hammered steel paint on the frame of my gas bbq grill. I agree, it's tough, chip resistant and has held up well for many years outside.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by rsutoratosu

Wow! I just bought hammer paint for a bunch of stuff at home. for the center, I'm trying carbon fiber wrap and have the colorbond black to put over beige... I have it all out.. just not finished..

looks great!

Nice! Do you plan on painting the plastics and the leather?

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by kaybat

very nice.

it appears you pulled the console apart? I've yet to do that(heard horror stories)...?

I’m not one for taking apart interiors but it wasn’t too bad. I just followed the YouTube video and I think maybe one or two clips broke in the process but nothing is loose. I just recommend having a little tray or bag for all the hardware and clips.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by spurto

looks good. I was think about doing something similar in matte black with duracoat. It's a ceramic spay on coating typically used on firearms.

That is some heavy duty stuff. Definitely better than factory durability.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by pungo

I used the hammered steel paint on the frame of my gas bbq grill. I agree, it's tough, chip resistant and has held up well for many years outside.

I haven’t played around with the other textured paints yet but I’d imagine they are pretty good too.

[rsutoratosu]

Originally Posted by pungo

I used the hammered steel paint on the frame of my gas bbq grill. I agree, it's tough, chip resistant and has held up well for many years outside.

have pic ?? my weber after almost 15 years is chipping on the outside.. wasn't sure how much I want to refinish it.. interested in doing

[rsutoratosu]

Originally Posted by kaybat

very nice.

it appears you pulled the console apart? I've yet to do that(heard horror stories)...?

almost thing is ready to break.. i took a few clips off...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174144741420 this seem to be the most expensive piece.. its the piece under the parking brake, literally the smallest piece around that area i broke 2 of those clip off under.. im going to try to glue them back

[pungo]

Originally Posted by rsutoratosu

have pic ?? my weber after almost 15 years is chipping on the outside.. wasn't sure how much I want to refinish it.. interested in doing

Sorry, no pics, I gave that grill to a friend and he's still using it 20 years later.

My 11 year old Weber legs and bottom shelf needs some paint touch up. The sharp edges at the top of the legs has some surface rust, as well as the large round hole for the tank in the bottom shelf. I'm pretty sure it's powder coated. I plan to wire brush the rust, use some rust converter, then spray just those areas with grey satin enamel to match the existing paint. Most of the grill is T304 stainless, so no rust there

Sorry for the non-car post, though I've been using this same rust repair method for over 30 years on vehicles. The rust converter will stop the rust and turn the metal into a hard black rust resistant surface.

[Slalom]

Looks good. I am noticing some marks in that area on my 2004.

I have used that paint on floor registers - it holds up well and the texture hides surface irregularities.

[rueyme]

Originally Posted by kaybat

very nice.

it appears you pulled the console apart? I've yet to do that(heard horror stories)...?

What storied have you heard? I've pulled it apart 3 times for various things to work on and it was pretty straight forward actually. The key is take your time and don't force anything lose.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by rueyme

What storied have you heard? I've pulled it apart 3 times for various things to work on and it was pretty straight forward actually. The key is take your time and don't force anything lose.

I think that's basically it, i'm pretty impatient and a lot of people are like me where you get to a point when you think you've undone all the fasteners so you just pull and then you hear a popping sound which lets you know you've broken something. If you've done any interior work with clips and plastic fasteners than I certainly wouldn't call it difficult. Like any car thing just make sure you have the time for it before you start working on it.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by Slalom

Looks good. I am noticing some marks in that area on my 2004.

I have used that paint on floor registers - it holds up well and the texture hides surface irregularities.

That's sort of the benefit I was hoping for. I've used high gloss paint on interior pieces like the wheel spokes and if there are any sanding marks you didn't sand out perfectly, you will see them all the time. The textured paint also covers imperfections and is very forgiving.