How to Paint the Interior of Your Car

No one would think of painting the interior or a newer car. However, if you're fixing up an older vehicle, such as a hot rod or muscle car, you may want to paint the interior to jazz it up. You can recolor plastic, vinyl, and leather materials. You can even paint the fabric on the roof and seats if you want to. All you need are some materials and the know-how to paint the interior of your car.

To paint the dashboard of your vehicle, you need to take off as many pieces as possible. These include radio knobs, heater vents, gear shift knobs, ash trays, et cetera. Wash these pieces in warm, soapy water. Then, rinse them off well with clean water. Dry them well. You may need to use a blow dryer to get the water out of cracks, crevices, and other small places.

Then, use a clean rag and the soapy water to wash the rest of the dashboard. You'll need to scrub especially hard if the dashboard has Armor All™ or another type of protectant on it.

Next, rinse the dashboard off well, and dry it off with a clean rag. Before you paint the interior of your car, the areas will need to be completely dry in order for the paint to stick well to it. So, let the dashboard air dry while you apply painter's masking tape to the interior. Painter's masking tape is blue tape that peels off easily after the job is done. That's why it's recommended over regular masking tape. Painter's masking tape won't leave a sticky residue like regular tape can too.

Tape off the areas of the dashboard you don't want to get paint on. This may include the bottom part of the windshield, the radio, gauges, the gear shift, and other chrome, et cetera.

Before you paint hard plastic areas, you'll need to rough it up with a piece of fine sandpaper first. Use an old rag to wipe up the dust the sandpaper creates. Then, you'll need to remove the remainder of the dust with a wet, soapy rag. Rinse the area again and dry it well.

Finally, use a clean rag and some rubbing alcohol to go over the plastic pieces, and the dashboard, (if it's made of plastic), one more time. The rubbing alcohol will remove any residue left from cleaning the area with the soapy water.