[stroker52]

i know this has been ask before, i did a search but didnt see what i was looking for..

what i want to know is the SEM paint any good? or is there something better out there? i have tan interior and some is fadded so im going to paint every piece in the truck to bring back the new.. what would yall use that will not come off or flake chip

[DanTwoLakes]

Like every paint job, the results will depend on how well you prepare the surfaces you are painting. SEM is not actually paint, it is a flexible coating that will be drawn into whatever you are trying to re-color. Is it any good? I think it's the best stuff on the market. Just be sure to use all SEM cleaners and prep products and follow the directions to the letter. If you do, you will end up with a great job. If you don't, not so much. Remember, this is a coating, it will not make your old vinyl new again, it will only change the color of what you are coloring.

[stroker52]

i got one more question.. what all do i need to get to make sure the jub is done right? i see alot of cleaners and stuff all over made by SEM but can someone give me a run down on what i need?

[DanTwoLakes]

What are you coloring, vinyl or leather? Here's the training manual : http://semproducts.com/training/training-manuals/ click on the third one down.

[stroker52]

going to be painting all the plastic pieces in my truck dash, door panels, kick panels an so on.. just want to go a shade darker tan then whats in there and some of its fadded..

[DanTwoLakes]

That link in my previous post will tell you how to do it and what to use. SEM soap followed by Plastic/Leather Prep, rinse with water until water no longer beads up. Let the parts dry and spray with Plastic Adhesion Promoter. Let that flash for no longer than 30 minutes and then top coat with Color Coat or Sure Coat. Color Coat comes in spray cans, and there are 50 different colors. The color actually gets pulled right into the plastic, and there are no runs or globs anywhere if you follow the instructions.

[crsweet91]

Ive found SEM is the best if prepped right. If you dont prep correctly it wont last pretty much like anything else.

Heres some more info. http://semproducts.com/index.php/download_file/185/256/

Clean with soap and water. Clean with SEM plastic leather prep. Then either spray Sand Free or Adhesion promoter, and then color coat.

Youll need to figure out what type of plastic your spraying. Is it ABS or some sort of PP, EPDM, or TPO. Usually Ive found its stamped into the back of the panel. Sometimes not.

You can test it by using a drop of acetone. If the plastic melts from acetone then its ABS. If not then its PP, TPO, or EPDM.

For ABS use sand free before color coat. Ive used adhesion promoter instead and it doesnt work as well. Color coat will scrape off easy.

For PP, TPO, EPDM use Adhesion promoter.

If done correctly the color coat is super tough and durable.

[1800guy]

Will the SEM products cover well enough that I can re-color door and side panels that are not the same color to start with? I have enough panels for my project, but not a matched set. Thanks for the help.

[MARTINSR]

I had a pair of 65 Pontiac bucket seats for my truck back in 1977. One was white one was black. I painted the white one black and mind you did a horrible job of prepping as I didn't have a clue back then. It lasted many years with only a few tiny scratches where my comb in my back pocket hit it.

I have found it to be great stuff and cover well. My recent use was black over black but using all the SEM products following the tech sheet they provide I feel it is as good as I can get. They make great products.

Brian

[1800guy]

Thank you! Once again I'm reminded that if you save enough junk, long enough, eventually you can use it.

[John long]

I also have had nothing but good experiences with SEM products.

John L

[DanTwoLakes]

If you clean and prep properly with SEM cleaners and prep products, and follow the instructions you will never know that the panels were once a different color.

[spikebot 81]

SEM products work great. I used dish soap and water to clean all interior parts and sem prep spray for final cleaning. Some parts had to be washed 4 or 5 times to remove silcon cleaning products (Armoral). The 81 Vette interior was light tan and changd to black. After 4 yrs and 3000 miles per yr I'm very pleased with the results. Clean is the name of the game. The seats are the only part not treated with SEM.

[DanTwoLakes]

Using SEM soap to do the cleaning would have been a better idea and you probably would have saved yourself some time.

[jdecker]

Sorry for jumping in on someone else's thread, but I have a question about SEM Classic Coat. Is it necessary to scuff the leather with the 400-600 grit sand paper as suggested in the SEM video if the leather is new? I'm asking because I recently purchased a new leather wrapped steering wheel for my truck, but the color doesn't exactly match my interior. I was hoping to use SEM Classic Coat to color it, but I really don't want to lose the grain that's in the leather when I sand it. Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!