When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have never liked the tan interior my car came with, so I have been trying to find a good donor vehicle with a clean black interior. I haven’t done any work to my tan interior, expecting to replace everything. Well that was the initial plan about 10 years ago. I have been searching the local wrecking yards and classifieds the whole time, and they are either tan, or trashed. So I am going to try and fall in love with the tan. I bought some new OEM floor mats in black, and bought a black steering wheel with Blackwood trim. I really dislike the factory wood that looks more like pumpkin pie than wood. I tried sourcing a Blackwood kit from a Sport Design, and learned that they are actually 18k gold, with a Blackwood vinyl surface. I couldn’t afford the prices they command online. So I decided to try and do the Blackwood vinyl kit over my original wood trim.
I found a kit that came with a 12”x60” piece, soft squeegee and razor for only $14.99. And watched several how-to-videos on YouTube while waiting for it to arrive. The first kit didn’t have much stretch to it, which is critical to forming complex shapes, also it didn’t have a very convincing grain simulation. So it became a practice kit, and I left it on to form a good base under the final layer. Just in case there is any damage in the future. I ordered the 2nd kit from a different company and was much happier with its quality. I was able to form the multiple complex shapes on the piece around the shifter. I ended up using 3 separate pieces on it, so the grain all went the right direction, and if u look close, you’ll see the lines where the pieces meet. I doubt anyone will ever notice it, just making note for anyone who dicides to try it in their car.
Vinyl comes in just about every color and texture imaginable. My only limitation was finding something appropriate for the tan leather. It came out looking better than I had ever hoped. It looks just like wood, and looks much better than the original color.
What does everyone think? I am pretty happy for only a $30 investment.
I disagree with your decision to orient the grain vertically, but I like the matte, textured finish that emulates the open pore wood finishes that are popular these days.
I disagree with your decision to orient the grain vertically, but I like the matte, textured finish that emulates the open pore wood finishes that are popular these days.
i agree with you, but the grain was across the 12” wide section and I just couldn’t get it to stretch the way, it would only stretch parallel to the grain. And unless it was stretched at least a little when contacting the surface, it doesn’t stick. I am sure with practice and time I could run the grain the other way, I am just limited to how much time I could invest on it.
Looks pretty good, although I do prefer the real wood that came with it personally. What brand vinyl did you use? Trying to convince the GF to do something like this to her scratched plastic panels from the interior owner.
Looks pretty good, although I do prefer the real wood that came with it personally. What brand vinyl did you use? Trying to convince the GF to do something like this to her scratched plastic panels from the interior owner.
the first kit I ordered was from Vivid Vinyl, I have used some of their other products and thought they alerte top quality, however their wood grain is definitely a lower grade to the 2nd kit I ordered. I actually expected they would be identical kits, even though I ordered it from a different company the 2nd time around. Well when it showed up, I was very happy with the improvements over the the initial kit. I don’t see a brand name listed anywhere, it just says “Premium 3mil EZ Vinyl” or something like that but the seller is M2 Racing in La Puente California. The quality is 5 times better on the 2nd kit. Both of them had the grain running the narrow way. So if u want to run it the correct way on the door trim, you’ll have to use 2 pieces, and just hide the seam somewhere. When I decided to do it the easy way with the grain going the wrong way. I was using the first kit and the grain was hard to see unless looking close. So i didn’t think it was worth messing with. The 2nd kit looks so much better, and it was much easier to install. I have found some other kits that come in a much wider option, but they aren’t vinyl, they are made of “contactpaper”. Which looks excellent, is stronger than vinyl, and it was about the same price for twice as much. The only issue is it’s lack of stretch. So it would never work on the middle console piece. I think it would probably work on the door trim. It is supposed to be used on flat furniture pieces. But I think I am going to give it a try on my door trim. I will post an update and give my opinion on it them after I do it.
Once I have gotten a lot better at installing it on some complex shapes, I would like to try and do the instrument panel bezel. I have seen several Aristo bezels done with the grey marble looking pattern available on JDM cars. Also I am thinking about the cover over the steering column. I have seen a few made from carbon fiber, or at least that’s the idea. So they are always expensive. But I think it would be a good way to correct it, now that I have installed the black leather, with Blackwood steering wheel. When I first installed it, I just painted the original brown cover, to black. But I think wrapping it in Blackwood might be a nice touch, but if it it doesn’t look right, I can always go back to black like the airbag.
Last edited by dwoods801; Jul 14, 2021 at 12:01 AM.
An inexpensive solution to an ugly problem.
