Repairing wasted door panels and textured plastic.

[YellowThumper]

Thanks for this. Others ideas and options are always good to see.

[Mr Cuda]

I'm back with another pair of seat backs. Ultra rare if in good condition,  but since you can cut the leg off a bucket cover to make a split bench one, not really.
Time study, 40 minutes to sand both with 80 grit on a DA. Then some hand sand of edge detail.
I noted that the white panels were smooth plastic under the factory crumbly texture layer,  but the blue panels had some nice pebble that could be used as a base layer assistant.  If you didn't scratch the crap out of it sanding.
I didn't get too worried about random scratches as I give everything a texture coat that gets sanded.
Scratches are a problem and should be avoided.  To completely be on the safe side, 120 grit would keep the plastic safe from random marks.
I am still using the industrial polyurethane as a base, primer if you will. I have done adhesion tests and it binds and is flexible.  There are 2 part plastic primers available,  but they are more expensive.
Look at how much sanding dust drops off.

[Mr Cuda]

Since I was painting other parts and had paint left over, I gave them a texture coat.
Today was nice and sunny,  so I tried to get the paint to shrivel,  sort of like what wrinkle paint does, but that didn't work.  Still trying to get a coachman grain. In the end, fine pebble again,  darn.
As always,  applied  with the air cap removed to get texture.
This will get scuffed and top coated with sem Landau black.

When is someone else going to give it a try?

[Mr Cuda]

Today I scuff sanded,  re fogged the seat back with the polyurethane,  and while still tack, put the sem black on.
For seat backs,  they look good.

[Mr Cuda]

Going back to the rear seat panel, today was sunny,  so I put the panel in the sun to simulate a parked car with interior heat.
Destruction testing of the coating time.
I started with the edges and the boss around the window crank, as they probably didn't get full prep attention.
Slightly chalky,  but no peeling.
Ran fingernails,  then finally the  back of  a razorblade till I scratched through the sem interior paint. You had to get through the interior paint before you could damage the texture,  so probably as good as refinishing a faded factory panel.
  Then a razor blade to destroy the coating on my way to stripping it again.
Next test, 2 part plastic primer with texture.

[johnr]

     Impressive. Thanks so much for sharing all of this with us. I think I am going to spend the time to attempt to achieve the same thing. This is great.

[cuda hunter]

I have sanded the texture off of panels and painted the sem black with adhesion primer. 
The look okay, but look terribly incorrect.

I've not tried the textured undercoating and am very curious as to the results. 
In residential building there are multiple styles of spray textures depending upon your thickness of product and what type of product is being applied.  Not once have I seen anything that compares to the factory texture referenced as the Coachman's grain.

As a residential general contractor I deal with items like concrete that gets stamping often times.
I've thought of sanding down a panel smooth, extensively cleaning the panel, then using some type of a silicone stamp that is a copy of the original texture to install a texture on the panels.  Then adhesion paint and spray paint.    The silicone stamp would be pretty simple to create but I am unaware of what could be used as a semi liquid that will both adhere to the original plastics and harden enough to be slightly flexible.

Thanks for the pictures and your time to share your experience's with all of us.

[YellowThumper]

I have sanded the texture off of panels and painted the sem black with adhesion primer. 
The look okay, but look terribly incorrect.

I've not tried the textured undercoating and am very curious as to the results. 
In residential building there are multiple styles of spray textures depending upon your thickness of product and what type of product is being applied.  Not once have I seen anything that compares to the factory texture referenced as the Coachman's grain.

As a residential general contractor I deal with items like concrete that gets stamping often times.
I've thought of sanding down a panel smooth, extensively cleaning the panel, then using some type of a silicone stamp that is a copy of the original texture to install a texture on the panels.  Then adhesion paint and spray paint.    The silicone stamp would be pretty simple to create but I am unaware of what could be used as a semi liquid that will both adhere to the original plastics and harden enough to be slightly flexible.

Thanks for the pictures and your time to share your experience's with all of us.

@cuda hunter interesting you noted the silicone stamp.
That is exactly what I have been pondering as an attempt.
Would be simple enough to mold a silicone impression of the actual texture. Then set it up on a roller.
Repair panel surfaces. Then as the surfacing cures, roll the surface texture on it. Obviously the sharp edge lines couldn't be done.

[Mr Cuda]

I have an update to follow,  but regarding a "imprint " to duplicate coachman,  sure. Reverse pattern of course. 
It would be easier get a sheet of it in silicon,  and lay it over the whole panel that has been  coated with something (but what?). Once cured, pull off the template.
  The problem I see with something small on a roller is digging into a curved surface with the roller edge. And buildup on the roller or "tracking".
But here we are,  with the options of buying metro/ palco or trying something.

I'm trying something different right now.

[cuda hunter]

In concrete, the stamp is round and overlayed on top of other stamp patterns. Therefor blending the stamps together.  Spinning each stamp as you lay and "stamp" the wet concrete so as to not create a Patterned look. 

[YellowThumper]

I have an update to follow,  but regarding a "imprint " to duplicate coachman,  sure. Reverse pattern of course. 
It would be easier get a sheet of it in silicon,  and lay it over the whole panel that has been  coated with something (but what?). Once cured, pull off the template.
  The problem I see with something small on a roller is digging into a curved surface with the roller edge. And buildup on the roller or "tracking".
But here we are,  with the options of buying metro/ palco or trying something.

I'm trying something different right now.

Agreed the "tracking" would be difficult to blend.
I have done it in the past long ago on a texture repair for my home.
Trick was to leave no end markings. Roller was barrel shaped.

@cuda hunter yea for the stamp overlaping previous stamps to align properly.

[Mr Cuda]

The destruction testing after leaving the panel in the sun became more difficult.
I had been working in the cold months,  and the multiple layers of paint/ texture  never got above 60°.
After having it in the sun, then getting back to it later, the remaining coating was hard as a rock. So that  product  combo would work, and would fill scratches.
But always hoping for better,  so I scrubbed that panel down to base plastic again.  3 times stripping it with DA sander and putty knife,  and various crevice tools has left it a bit compromised,  but I will show the starting point again.
I hoped to get a harder,  more heat resistant finish,   so now I'm using an epoxy coating  that has grit encapsulated in it. It's trial and error to get the grit coverage sprayed  tight enough,  that when the peaks are sanded off, you have the same valleys as coachman.
So, bare plastic  followed by 3rd pic of texture  (texture pic came on first)

[Mr Cuda]

Fog coat of black, then painted  with  comparison to factory panel.

[Mr Cuda]

Then finally,  sanded the peaks down to flattened the tops, then recoated.  This process is only epoxy  on bare plastic,  followed by SEM plastic interior paint.  So this should be the most durable replacement coating.  But you know I will test it.
Up next, repairing speaker holes.

[cuda hunter]

Well, from the pictures, that looks really good.