Painting your plastics
What and how to use for your interior projects.
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Whether updating the color scheme of your interior or doing a complete install, painting is an important step for protection and aesthetics. Our past newsletter featured ways paints help to protect plastic from the elements (click the link to view).

This newsletter will discuss reasons how to paint your plastics and recommendations for what products to use to get the best outcome for your project.
Why paint?
There are two main reasons to paint your interior trim -- for looks and for protection. 

Paint provides an extra level of protection against UV rays and extends the life of the plastic and helps maintain flexibility. Everyone who has been in an aging general aviation aircraft has noticed how brittle the plastics are. Painting helps prevent that!

The most prominent and obvious reason for painting is for looks. Whether you are trying to match a new part to the old or you are trying to create a new color scheme that doesn't involve a color pallet of pea green and orange together, painting is the easiest way to achieve your goal.
What products work best?
There are several products to choose from that are specially formulated to bond to plastic. These paints are engineered to be more flexible than other grades and include different bonding agents to provide better adhesion to the material. 

Two of the most prominent brands are Krylon Fusion and SEM Products; the later of the two being my choice. They both come in user friendly aerosol cans and are not hard to find. I have used and experimented with both. Krylon isn't a bad product but it doesn't seem to hold up to the same standard of SEM. They are made for different markets -- Krylon is for the general purpose (household items and lawn furniture) while SEM caters to the automotive industry (interiors and bumpers).

SEM Color Coat gets my recommendation every time. The paint is a higher grade and leaves a more professional finish. Formulated to bond into the plastic rather than just the surface; SEM Color Coat is highly flexible, doesn't peel, and resists scratches. This product is extremely user friendly and forgiving. I've had situations where I've had runs and they've dried flat, covering my mistakes. This is a top notch product. I recommend this brand objectively based on experience, even though Plane Plastics distributes it. We tested it first and it is what we use in our installs too. It can also sometimes be found at O'rielly's auto parts stores.

SEM also offers prep products to clean and promote adhesion to the surface of the plastic. These are recommended for aged plastics and certain grades that contain pvc.
Steps to painting
1. If possible remove plastic parts from the plane. If not (in the case of some panels that would be too difficult to remove), be sure to mask off extremely thoroughly to prevent over-spray.

NOTE: if you are doing an install, it is wise to have already trimmed and fitted the parts before you paint them.

2. Prep the plastic. 

- If the plastic is new, this consists of wiping down with rubbing alcohol to remove manufacturing residue and skin oils.

-  If the plastic is aged this process is a little more important.
- To remove set in grease and other chemicals that prevent adhesion use SEM Plastic/Leather Prep and follow up with SEM Sand-Free.

- If the material is Kydex (found in Beech and late model Cessna), this contains PVC and is tougher to bond to. For this application, Plastic/Leather Prep and Sand-Free is a must!

3. Choose a warm well ventilated area for your work space and lay out some plastic, paper or cardboard to keep the paint from where you don't want it. If you can paint on a table rather than the floor your back will thank you and your paint job will be more uniform. Also try to use a piece of cardboard under each part to allow you to rotate it without touching the paint.

4. Shake the paint as recommended per the instructions on the back.

5. Spray in long light strokes without stopping over areas of the plastic. Start your stream off of the part, sweep over it, then stop the stream once you have moved off the end at the end of the movement. This action prevents uneven coating. Try not to put too much paint on at a time. It is best to wait about 10-15 minutes between coats to let the previous coat tack up before applying more. This prevents runs. Remember to be patient, a rushed job can be seen in your work. Let the paint fully cure before installing the part.
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Special newsletter offer!
This offer Is valid for finishing products as well as plastics. Thank you for being part of our newsletter.
Coupon code: NL15
Offer Expires 4/18/15 Applicable on finishing products (paint, prep, and trim) and plastic parts.

If you would like an SEM color chart mailed to you or would like additional information, contact me at marketing@planeplastics.com or call us at 866-307-5263. I am also interested if you have additional tips!

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Next time: A behind the scenes look of the manufacturing process

The World's leader in Aftermarket General Aviation Plastics.