Painting wood trim...need advice

[atrocitye39]

What would be the best color to paint the wood on a black e39 with sand beige interior? i have black floormats and some other things that diversify the interior. If you have pics that would be great!

THANKS!

[TheSparo]

unless you have the right equipment, don't do it, it will make the interior look like an old civic, buy the correct pieces

[atrocitye39]

ive got the stuff to do it...im not gonna pay 400+ to buy trim lol

[TheSparo]

maybe you should have bought a cheaper, more economical car then?

not trying to be a dick, but if you buy a high end car, you should expect to pay high end prices for it.. unless you prep the hell out of it, know how to paint properly, and will wet sand polish it, it will have ugly ass orange peel, and either way, probably won't last very long due to heat and wear/tear

[repandpresent]

wrap in it in the 3m carbon fiber material. should cost less then 100

[freethrowdunk]

Yes, it is critical that it be done right no matter what color or tone you end up going with. Have it professionally sprayed. I did, and I can't be any more happy:

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm15/freethrowdunk/dsc2_001-1.jpg

[carjoe]

maybe you should have bought a cheaper, more economical car then?

not trying to be a dick, but if you buy a high end car, you should expect to pay high end prices for it.. unless you prep the hell out of it, know how to paint properly, and will wet sand polish it, it will have ugly ass orange peel, and either way, probably won't last very long due to heat and wear/tear

It's a car. Just a car.

In other news, I took the E39 to get groceries. Imagine that.

[webdesigner]

Don't paint trim, lol.


Buy a different trim like titanium or birch, there is also the 3M stuff - but it doesn't look like real carbon fiber since it's not covered with resin.

[dpbdc]

I have an extra set of trim for sale if you like. I painted it silver, several coats or paint and clear, and it turned out pretty well, but I didn't take enough time and there are some blems in it.

I decided to go back to my original wood anyway, so if you want this I'm thinking $80. At least this way you have a set to experiment with....

If not, then my best advice is to take a lot of time and make sure you have a very clean environment....!

[Groundedwatts]

Are you wanting something darker or lighter colored?
And I say if you have the equipment which you say you do and the know how, then do it. Paying $400 for some trim that you could actually do yourself with the same quality is just stupid. and again i stress the point of only if you have the knowhow and tools.

[epeppino]

use black appliance epoxy spray. orange peel is a thing of the past with that stuff. just make sure the surfaces are properly prepared.

[rrcompton]

It's a car. Just a car.

In other news, I took the E39 to get groceries. Imagine that.

:lol

You mean your hired help doesnt get them for you!!!??

[Doru]

Plasti-dip it. :D

[FP5241]

lol @ needing the right equipment to paint trim.... Anyone who feels sanding and painting/clear coating pieces of wood is something to be done by a professional should turn in their Man card.


Doru, nice idea.. I have a spare set of trim and two cans of plasti dip... :wiggle

[BimmerBreaker]

lol @ needing the right equipment to paint trim.... Anyone who feels sanding and painting/clear coating pieces of wood is something to be done by a professional should turn in their Man card.


Doru, nice idea.. I have a spare set of trim and two cans of plasti dip... :wiggle

+1... trim is one of the simplest things to work on on our cars. if you cant change a clutch, understandable. too afraid to paint trim? cmon!!!

[TheSparo]

maybe i have a critical eye, but any time I've seen anyone but a professional (or an experienced painter) it turns out shitty, makes it look like a civic inside, fish eye and orange peel everywhere, then the heat effects it making it bubble and flake off.. but hey, if you want to experiment with it, go for it, prove me wrong, i would like to have another trim color than the wood, but don't feel like fucking it up..

and to carhoe, i take my dog (lab pit mix) in my car with me almost everywhere.. i'm not critical of the car, just giving my 2 cents..

[jhstealth]

Op i say go with gloss black itll look the best especially with your floor mats. With that being said you can DEFINITELY do it yourself and have it look awesome. What I did because I found its the best way to do it without orange peel etc. First start off by sanding it, then hit it with the color you want, i used gloss black interior sprey paint. I hit it with a couple layers and then wet sanded it til i got rid of almost all of the fish eye's and orange peel. Then I used wood polyurithane clear coat, yes the stuff you use for wood. The stuff will coat, hold up to heat and is even water proof just make sure you look on the can for the instructions. I painted it on with a brush and stuck the posts in the back of the trim through some foam to hold them flat. They ended up coming out gloss black, no orange peel and just very shiny black.

[Wolfen]

It's a car. Just a car.

In other news, I took the E39 to get groceries. Imagine that.


Why would you say that to him? He was making a point to not make cheap looking shit and put it into a nice BMW. That kind of ingenuity is common on cheap disposable cars like a used Civic driven by first time driver kids.


maybe i have a critical eye, but any time I've seen anyone but a professional (or an experienced painter) it turns out shitty, makes it look like a civic inside, fish eye and orange peel everywhere, then the heat effects it making it bubble and flake off.. but hey, if you want to experiment with it, go for it, prove me wrong, i would like to have another trim color than the wood, but don't feel like fucking it up..

and to carhoe, i take my dog (lab pit mix) in my car with me almost everywhere.. i'm not critical of the car, just giving my 2 cents..


I actually 2nd that. I too have a critical eye and have never seen a finish on trim that looked OEM. Most scream aftermarket or cheap DIY.

If it's done professionally and smooth as glass it may work well.


BTW, WHY hasn't anyone wrapped theirs in leather? Like swede or Red or Black and run a seam of lighter colored stitches down the length or perimeter of each piece and glue down. About the same amount of work as painting.

THAT would look like Million Bucks and actually be an upgrade.

[repandpresent]

I find painting kind of easy. 90 percent of the outcome depends on the prep. These pieces are so straight and small It doesn't seem hard at all. Make sure the pieces have no greese or fingerprints on them. A good wipe with mineral spirits will help out a lot. One thing ppl forget to do is prime. Primer gives the paint an even and clean surface to stick to. Lay the paint, lay the clear, wet sand to a brillant shine. Eazy Peezy.

Fish eyes - poor prep, contaminates on the surface. Wipe down with mineral spirits.

Orange peel- bad air to material ratio. Fix that and orange peel will be minimal. There is no way to spray something orange peel free. Cut and buff for a show shine.

Clear coat bubbling and flaking. Bad flashing times, laying new clear on old clear, or something getting into the paint before clear is layed down.

If you have the compressor and gun, I say do it. I'm no pro but painting isn't that hard. BUT THE CLEAN UP IS A BIATCH!

[Wolfen]

I would replace mineral spirits with acetone. Some mineral spirits can leave a residue like turpentine. But maybe not. But acetone is guaranteed to be residue free.

[carjoe]

and to carhoe, i take my dog (lab pit mix) in my car with me almost everywhere.. i'm not critical of the car, just giving my 2 cents..

That's just wrong. Groceries and painting your own trim is acceptable, no pets in my car. Ever!

Besides, I'm allergic to dogs and cats...

Orange peel can be buffed out.

[95325i]

Plasti-dip it. :D

The best part is if you do not like the look it can be removed!

Personally if you can paint it and pull off the look of the Piano black it would look awesome.

[atrocitye39]

It's a car. Just a car.

In other news, I took the E39 to get groceries. Imagine that.


THANK YOU!!!

e39's are great cars but guys they are not creme de la creme anymore....
besides at the shop i work at i see way more f'ed up bmws brought in by people who think like honda drivers...im ashamed to be working on these examples..

spending 400$ on TRIM is just downright dumb imo when it could be spent on way more important things....

and im not sure how the gloss black would look in my interior being that everything around it would be brown above and beige below it...

[jhstealth]

get a tan interior pic and go to the chop shop with it in rides and styling and have them change it a couple different colors to see.

[beaubrant]

What would be the best color to paint the wood on a black e39 with sand beige interior? i have black floormats and some other things that diversify the interior. If you have pics that would be great!

THANKS!

check out my thread last week on painting trim..i re-stained it, but you can do the same prep I did, but paint...hope this helps

[carjoe]

check out my thread last week on painting trim..i re-stained it, but you can do the same prep I did, but paint...hope this helps

And that turned out amazing. I'd love to do that to my car. Tan interior doesn't lend itself to too many complimentary colours but what you did is just stunning.

[beaubrant]

even staining it dark wood, may look nice and updated? post pics of what you have? glad you liked it