How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

[Andrew C.]

The black plastic on my truck's cowl is somewhat faded. I typically use GC trim detailer on it, but with time it wears off and gets back to being dull and faded.

So today I manage to completely remove my cowl and wipers. Cleaned them all of with a soft brush and APC+, then hit them up with 3 coats of Krylon Fusion Plastic Paint. Here are the pics:

Before:









During:





After:











I plan on doing this to all my black plastic, but am going to tape it off and cover the entire truck rather than try to remove each individual plastic part.

Thanks for looking!

[Maserati Mario]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

Kewl!
Nice job!

[MyFirstES300]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

Yes, really nice!

[I Shine]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

I have been using Kylon Fusion for awhile now. It's amazing stuff, it really bites into the plastic.

[cardriver]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

Brilliant idea, and the results are amazing :-).
I'd google search this, but for the convenience of myself and others in here knowing...
What is this Fusion stuff like? Spray-on or paint-on? I see you didn't get the runs or drips, which is awesome. Description of the product/application process would be great!

[miahjohn]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

wow that looks really good. i wasn't expecting it to look that good when reading the post. can you post a pic of the paint can?
I would remove the plastic before painting. it will take a bit longer but no overspray mess to deal with and look how good the cowl came out!

[Andrew C.]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

I'll get some other pics up tomorrow but the sun was setting when I took these ones. It looks great in the light.

Krylon Fusion for Plastic is a type of spray paint. I chose the black gloss color. My process was:
Remove Windshield Wipers
Remove Screws on Cowl
Open hood, remove screws and clips on cowl under hood
Take off soft rubber linings
Spray with APC+, clean with soft brush, hose off
Let Dry
Tape off any non removable plastic or padding
3 Coats of Krylon Fusion
Voila you are done (make sure to put it back together haha)

As for application I just held the can 6 inches away and did short sprays from left to right the short way of the cowl, not the long way. I also did this coming from the right end and also coming from the left end of the cowl to make sure it was evenly covered. I got a couple drip marks where I sprayed too heavily so I took out some paint thinner and went to work removing the paint there. I had to repaint that section and it also cost me a microfiber since I needed a towel that would not leave lint on the paint. Try not to get carried away and spray too heavily, that is what I did and it cost me by having to remove paint and then reapply.

miajhohn, I will be masking off the whole truck with newspaper and tape to avoid overspray. It would be a living hell trying to take all of the black plastic off of an F150.

I had the can in the back right:

[Tuck91]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

looks great Andrew!

[Carfire]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

Great Idea!!
One of my friends did that on his bumper too!!
Looks Great!!

[xantonin]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

I'd like to see an update a week later, then another a month later.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

looks great.

Please, periodically give us a update on the durability.

[Andrew C.]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

I'd like to see an update a week later, then another a month later.

looks great.

Please, periodically give us a update on the durability.

Will Do. I wanted to put a clear on it, but I couldn't find any clear that was made to bond with plastic so I figured I would rather not risk it with some other clear that wasn't specifically formulated for plastic.



If the clouds break up today i'll make sure to get some pics of it in the sun!

[VoicesInMyHead]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

Will Do. I wanted to put a clear on it, but I couldn't find any clear that was made to bond with plastic so I figured I would rather not risk it with some other clear that wasn't specifically formulated for plastic.

Awesome job! I am interested in this... Couple questions:

- Did you do any sanding? (I assume not, so the texture isn't ruined).
- If you did 3 coats of paint, wouldn't the clear be bonding with the pain and not the plastic?

I have some clear, and might try to clear a scrap piece of plastic I paint... although I'm not sure when I might get to it. Great info! thanks for posting!

[xantonin]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

Awesome job! I am interested in this... Couple questions:

- Did you do any sanding? (I assume not, so the texture isn't ruined).
- If you did 3 coats of paint, wouldn't the clear be bonding with the pain and not the plastic?

I have some clear, and might try to clear a scrap piece of plastic I paint... although I'm not sure when I might get to it. Great info! thanks for posting!

While technically you're correct that the clear is bonding to the paint and not the plastic you have to take into account the flexibility of the plastic.

You don't want the clear cracking when the plastic expands or contracts in the heat or cold, or bends from pressure

[VoicesInMyHead]

Re: How to make your black plastic stay wet looking

While technically you're correct that the clear is bonding to the paint and not the plastic you have to take into account the flexibility of the plastic.

You don't want the clear cracking when the plastic expands or contracts in the heat or cold, or bends from pressure

Ahhhhh!

Duh and Doh!
Very true! The brain didn't engage 3rd gear there.