DIY: Refresh Black Cube trim to look brand new (easiest method) doityourself

[az3579]

I've seen a few other methods for refreshing Black Cube trim, but I have found this one to be the easiest.

All too often, we get scratches on our black cube trim, which can look unsightly. Usually the scratches will be silver in color, making it stick out like a sore thumb.

I've seen brand new silver cube and compared it to used silver cube. The new silver cube trim looks a little darker than used trim, and a little bit more matte (not as shiny). I can only imagine that brand new black cube would look the same in comparison to used black cube (darker, more matte). After performing these simple steps, your trim will look brand spankin' new.



What you need:
* (1) can of Performix PlastiDip (standard black)
* Masking tape is preferred
* Newspaper, paper towel, or something to lay the item on so you don't spray all over the place
* Something to tell time with

Procedure:
1) Prep your spray area with newspaper, paper towels, or masking paper to ensure your spray doesn't get on anything you don't want it on. Tape the paper down well so it doesn't make contact with the surface to be sprayed.
2) Clean your item very well. When done cleaning, wipe it down with a lint-free cloth with some rubbing alcohol to ensure the surface is free of oils. Make sure you do not touch the surface once cleaned (hold it from the bottom, for example), and also ensure that the surface to be sprayed is fully dried before continuing.
3) Place your item down and grab your can of PlastiDip. Shake it well for about a minute after the mixing ball moves freely inside the can. Make sure the can is at around room temperature just for good measure. Take the top off and do a quick test spray on your masking paper to make sure that the nozzle isn't clogged and is spraying well.
4) Spray a light coat onto your trim piece. You do not have to have full coverage on the first coat, though you'll have a hard time seeing how much it's covering since both surfaces are black. Just do a light coat and wait 15 minutes for this first coat to dry.
Note: If this was a light item, a light coat would look like a very fine mist of the spray on top of the light item, so transparency is about 50%. Don't worry, you'll cover the rest of it up with the 2nd and 3rd coats.
5) After 15 minutes has passed, spray a second coat on, making sure to cover uncovered surfaces. This coat should also be relatively light. You don't want to run heavier coats because it might drip or be too heavy. Wait 15 minutes for this coat to dry as well.
6) Spray a 3rd coat on the trim piece. At this point, it should be fully covered in product How many more coats you want to do is up to you. Personally, I did 3 and found it sufficient for making the trim look factory fresh. Wait 30 minutes for this one to dry and you're done!

It is recommended to let the product cure for at least 4 hours before using it. I would wait 24 hours to make sure it's fully bonded to the item. At this point, it will be its strongest and most durable.

After spraying my trim pieces, the silver cubes still showed through perfectly, and looks like it was never sprayed. Here are pics to prove it.


Before:

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2477_zps06d6fcc5.jpg

^ You can see some scratches in the lower right-hand corner.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2478_zps0c70b933.jpg

^ Individual spots where there's a speck of silver showing

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2479_zps0bb55537.jpg

^ Here, some of the cubes have silver streaks in them

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2480_zps9c3f8691.jpg

^ The big picture




After:

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2481_zps5422bb1e.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2482_zps04cb5f86.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2483_zpsb11685e7.jpg

^ No, the cubes aren't washed out in that section of trim, just the camera focus playing games on the eyes.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2484_zps4198d14b.jpg



And the product used:

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Interior/Black%20Cube%20Trim%20Refresh/IMG_2485_zps7ed7e9d9.jpg




I will in the future be replacing a broken silver cube trim I have. Once that is done, I'll experiment on the broken one and see if I can refresh silver cube as well with the PlastiDip Silver Metallizer. I don't see any other silver products from them, so I'll have to try that one and see how that works. The good news is, this product is fully removable. If you screwed up, just starting peeling up the edge and the product will peel right off if the coating is thick enough. Please note: the product peels easier if you have more coats on there versus less.

Also note: I did this outside. It is in the high 30's today temperature-wise, and the spray job was just fine.

[Hermes]

I might have to do this soon, thanks BP

[GMATT]

Has any body tried to make their own silver cube using their current black cube?
Using bps method?
Sent from my fancy telephone!

[az3579]

JP,
I saw the DIY you posted and thought that it looks like an involved process. The cube after refreshing using your method appeared to be shinier as well. I guess you can use whichever method that produces the effect you want. :thumbup


Has any body tried to make their own silver cube using their current black cube?
Using bps method?
Sent from my fancy telephone!


You could probably spray paint it yourself with actual paint. I don't see a silver PlastiDip so this may be the only way. It's permanent though, so if something gets fawked up, then you'll have a harder time fixing it, which is why I want to experiment with PlastiDip Silver Metallizer on the broken silver cube trim.

[Hermes]

Yeah, my marker way works but is a PITA.

Now that I think about it, this won't work for coupe/vert... door cube trim is on the handle and a high wear item, the Plastidip just won't last.

Maybe somebody has a spare shitty set of 2 door trim we can try using a more permanent paint on. We could also try to switch the set from black to silver (I'm actually thinking Imola cubes) at the same time.

[kayger12]

Great DIY, BP. Looks brand new.

Looking forward to the results with the silver cube.

[danewilson77]

Surprising that Plastidip is the weapon of choice here.

[Avetiso]

Surprising that Plastidip is the weapon of choice here.

+1

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Whitexi]

I had plastidipped my wood grain trim then sprayed them with a silver paint. It was on for a year and even with multiple blows to the passenger side from my girl friends big pocket book it never rubbed off or even scuffed. I was very surprised with how well it stayed on.

Good DIY BP

[danewilson77]

I had plastidipped my wood grain trim then sprayed them with a silver paint. It was on for a year and even with multiple blows to the passenger side from my girl friends big pocket book it never rubbed off or even scuffed. I was very surprised with how well it stayed on.

Good DIY BP

Right, but with multiple textures and shadows, I wouldn't have guessed this.

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA

[az3579]

Yeah, my marker way works but is a PITA.

Now that I think about it, this won't work for coupe/vert... door cube trim is on the handle and a high wear item, the Plastidip just won't last.

Maybe somebody has a spare shitty set of 2 door trim we can try using a more permanent paint on. We could also try to switch the set from black to silver (I'm actually thinking Imola cubes) at the same time.

I think the solution for a coupe will end up being actual paint. The texture of the cube should stay.


Surprising that Plastidip is the weapon of choice here.

How come?


I had plastidipped my wood grain trim then sprayed them with a silver paint. It was on for a year and even with multiple blows to the passenger side from my girl friends big pocket book it never rubbed off or even scuffed. I was very surprised with how well it stayed on.

Good DIY BP

Yeah this is some very durable stuff. DipYourCar.com did a video on a fully dipped VW GTI (the whole car was dipped) and it withstood an automated car wash and was on the car for quite a while with no chips or any imperfections. I would this this stuff is pretty durable.

JP,
I think you'll be fine. I would try it. I don't think it'll come off, mainly because to remove the dip you'd have to start prying from an edge. The part you grab with your hand isn't on an edge, is it?

[az3579]

Right, but with multiple textures and shadows, I wouldn't have guessed this.

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA


Oh yeah. This was an accidental discovery. I was expecting the whole thing to be perfectly smooth when done, and was quite surprised when it retained its cubeyness. :)

[Torxuvin]

Hmmm. Interesting. My silver cube on my driver door is all scratched up. I wonder if the silver plastidip would work...

[zhpnsnv]

Nice. I thought the plasti dip would have filled in the little cube edges. Very cool that it didn't.

[az3579]

Hmmm. Interesting. My silver cube on my driver door is all scratched up. I wonder if the silver plastidip would work...

The problem is, I don't know if there is a silver one. I didn't see one available anywhere.


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[Torxuvin]

The problem is, I don't know if there is a silver one. I didn't see one available anywhere.


Sent from my iPhone 4S from Tapatalk

Hmm I would be willing to try some silver paint on that area. Can't look any worse near the handle than it does already. I will get a pic for you guys tomorrow.

[johnrando]

Nice BP, thanks!

[quikryptonite]

The problem is, I don't know if there is a silver one. I didn't see one available anywhere.



I'm not sure if this would work or not:
Silver Metalizer (http://www.amazon.com/Performix-075815112101-Silver-Metalizer-Plasti/dp/B007SPWTTK)

It might end up making it sparkle...

[Torxuvin]

Hmm. Worth a try. I should find some stuff on amazon to buy to convince myself to add this in...

[az3579]

I'm not sure if this would work or not:
Silver Metalizer (http://www.amazon.com/Performix-075815112101-Silver-Metalizer-Plasti/dp/B007SPWTTK)

It might end up making it sparkle...

That's the only product I've seen. I don't want it to be metallic nor do I want sparkle, which is why I think I'm going to look into having DipYourCar.com make me custom color silver PlastiDip.

[tunamelt]

Thanks for this tip. I've tried the Sharpie method and found it gave a purplish sheen that did not quite match the OEM look. I was going to shoot it with satin black spray paint, but maybe I'll try this method first. Results look promising!

[az3579]

Thanks for this tip. I've tried the Sharpie method and found it gave a purplish sheen that did not quite match the OEM look. I was going to shoot it with satin black spray paint, but maybe I'll try this method first. Results look promising!

For black, you can't go wrong. For silver, well... I'm working on it. :)

[Stu]

Thanks BP, Dane directed me to this thread. I'm going to give it a shot.

[Avetiso]

Any update on silver cube?

[az3579]

Any update on silver cube?

No; I haven't replaced my broken trim yet so I don't have a test piece at the moment.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[Washburn]

Thanks BP, Dane directed me to this thread. I'm going to give it a shot.

Hey man, will you let me know how to take off that trim piece off the driver's arm rest? I need to do this as well.

[az3579]

Good luck with that, Jeff. lol
I hear some of the coupe stuff is a PITA, and I don't mean the bread.
A lot more work involved; I think you have to take the door panel off for those pieces!

[Washburn]

Argh! That's bad news :(
I wish plasti-dip would make a 'pen' / applicator of some kind....then application without removal might be possible...

[az3579]

Argh! That's bad news :(
I wish plasti-dip would make a 'pen' / applicator of some kind....then application without removal might be possible...

Don't worry about it though. Taking the door panel off is easy enough. A few screws, pop it loose from the frame, disconnect the wires, and out it goes.

If you're coming to the reunion, I could show you.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[az3579]

Since this was brought up in another thread, I just wanted to confirm here that I never was able to replace that broken silver cube piece with another one, so I ended up spraying my matching black cube piece to replace it and resprayed the rest of the silver cube to match. I used Precision Grey paint (I think it was Duplicolor), which is a Nissan Altima color. It ended up being a lot lighter than I expected it because the color itself is more of a dark grey than anything (I was going for the shadow Titan cube look). Instead it ended up looking like BRAND NEW silver cube, which is darker in color than used silver cube. I am very satisfied with the results, and spraying that color on my black cube piece made it perfectly match the silver cube. Spraying a light color on the dark trim was no issue at all. :thumbsup


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[ELCID86]

I didn't like the way PD came out on the shift surround. I may try Krylon. Has anyone else? I also heard Rustolum Stain Canyon was a match.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1807374-DIY-ZHP-Black-Cube-Interior-Repair

[az3579]

I didn't like the way PD came out on the shift surround. I may try Krylon. Has anyone else? I also heard Rustolum Stain Canyon was a match.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1807374-DIY-ZHP-Black-Cube-Interior-Repair

How thick did you spray it? The thicker the better. Any pics of the result?

[ELCID86]

How thick did you spray it? The thicker the better. Any pics of the result?

I actually thought it was to thick. I peeled it off.

This was the other DIY I was thinking of.

[ELCID86]

Another option to consider. I didn't like the look of PD (might have been my fault for applying to thickly) or the Rustoleum Satin Canyon so I tried this Valspar black satin and like it.

16326

16327

16328

16329

Remember to have several of the orange (dash) and clear (doors) pin holders on hand as the OE ones go to crap pretty quickly.

16330


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[az3579]

Looking really good, Shawn.


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[Johnmadd]

Another option to consider. I didn't like the look of PD (might have been my fault for applying to thickly) or the Rustoleum Satin Canyon so I tried this Valspar black satin and like it.

16326

16327

16328

16329

Remember to have several of the orange (dash) and clear (doors) pin holders on hand as the OE ones go to crap pretty quickly.

16330


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

Stupid question of the day, what is that sitting on? :biggrin

[danewilson77]

Quartz or Granite counter top.

"No flamesuit required"

[ELCID86]

Quartz or Granite counter top.

"No flamesuit required"

Yes. Granite.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.