jenyap

Does anyone care to share some tips on using SEM texture coating?

rixter

practice practice practice
texture alters depending on how close/far you are from what you are spraying it on
during the drying process it emits gasses so allow it a minimum of a couple hours prior to adding color
it helps greatly if you have a humidty free environment

anything else?

jenyap

I'll be using it on top of epoxy, should I use an adhesion promoter? What distance is working best for you? How thick of a coat do you put on do you let it get a little "wet" or just mist it? Single coat or multiple? Did you use a scuff pad or just paint over the texture?
Thanks a bunch!

rixter

it may not stick very well to epoxy..
I generally spray from about 12-14".. using 1-3 light coats
I usually spray directly over it with the dye

note: if you get a sandpaperish finish you either, have to much humidity or didn't allow it to breathe long enough..
also, only use in a well ventilated area!
if you tell me what you're working on I'd be happy to help you out

jenyap

I'm doing the dash. Same thing other people are doing with fiberglass bondo, but i used epoxy.

rixter

why epoxy?

jenyap

It's more flexible and much easyer to work with.

rixter

have you checked out the thread I did on dash/pod repairs?

a couple things to consider if you're going to use epoxy: (I did experiment with a couple)
the SEM texture coat and dyes don't adhere especially well to epoxy
epoxy does not hold up that great to high temps (ie, sitting exposed to sunlight)

remember, no matter what product you use, you should concave the edges of any cracks to keep the vinyl from rolling up

Ron_H

When I did my NOS dash, it was a great color match out of the box but didn't match adjacent panels sprayed with SEM because my SEM paint was a bit too shiny and the dash was matte (Porsche original finish). I would spray some test panels first and check the finished color/texture against the rest of your interior. Also, I used a grey scuff pad on the dash prior to spraying, and then an adhesion promoter from SEM (nasty stuff - use a respirator and lots of fresh air or positive pressure mask). I also let the final coat cure about 30 hours. Now the interior is too shiny as if I had wiped it with (ugh - pardon the word) Armorall. I would check the test panel for shine against the other panels and add a dulling agent if necessary. The shiny dash can reflect too much sun in your eyes.

rixter

Ron,
thanks for the formula.. my local guy mixed it and adjusted for fade and it's great!!

Ron does bring up another issue when dyeing interior panels... especially for those restoring interiors
if you're going to dye something, be prepared to dye it all... due to items fading at diff rates in diff environments it is often next to impossible to get them to match

jenyap

Let me make sure I understand you: you don't let the texture coating get "wet" looking, just a light coat at a time right?

rixter

texturing as with the dye should be done in multiple light coats