Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

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Nitrate
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Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000

Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby Nitrate » Sat Dec 03, 2016 7:49 am

Is there a preference as to Gloss or Satin finish on the face of the dashboard? My concern is glare when driving. RB

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RRoller123
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby RRoller123 » Sat Dec 03, 2016 8:26 am

Glare is not actually a real problem, so go with whatever suits you!
'80 FI Spider 2000
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'75 BMW R75/6
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Frog2Spider
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby Frog2Spider » Sun Dec 04, 2016 11:10 am

Clear gloss wood finishes absorb ultraviolet light much faster than does a satin finish. Therefore, the gloss finish will crack, chack and fade much faster than a satin finish will. Ask any owner of a wooden boat! :D

Dave.
Always looking for curves under blue skies!
Frog2Spider

'81 - 2000 Spider

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So Cal Mark
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby So Cal Mark » Sun Dec 04, 2016 2:39 pm

also, the high gloss dashes reflect sunlight and can be challenging to deal with on a sunny day 8)
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Funcar
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Your car is a: 1972 Fiat Spider 124
Location: Kitchener Ontario Canada

Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby Funcar » Sun Dec 04, 2016 2:57 pm

I have used the satin finish on my plastic interior parts like the map holders and rear side panels and stering column covers. I really like them. Someone told me gloss would make them look cheap. Along with this and the other respones it's your car and therefore your call.
Glen
Kitchener ON Canada
73 Fiat Spider 124

Mick124
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Your car is a: 1967 Fiat 124 Spider

Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby Mick124 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:29 am

Gloss looks fantastic. Here a few photos of mine finished last week
Image

Image

Image

TStark
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby TStark » Thu Dec 08, 2016 1:07 pm

Not a gloss fan here personally. Consider one can get a deep look from satin without the reflection from gloss.

Sand lightly between coats, then after curing well, rub with 0000 steel wool, then apply some bowling alley wax and rub till dissipated, the affect is quite dramatic.

davery
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby davery » Thu Dec 08, 2016 9:47 pm

When I veneered my dash wood I tried a gloss finish but couldn't get the smooth finish I wanted. I eventually went with a clear flat final coat. I can say this, a flat finish is much easier to make repairs to than a gloss finish.
Don Avery
Dayton, OH/Sarasota,FL
1985 Pininfarina
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grasshopper
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Your car is a: 1976 Fiat Spider

Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby grasshopper » Sun Dec 11, 2016 5:14 pm

The finish on my wooden panels is quite rough and cracked. Is it possible to just sand off old varnish and re finish it or am I better off getting some good used ones somewhere ?

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spidernut
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Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider Automatic
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby spidernut » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:09 am

I layered about 10 coats of gloss Spar Varnish (sprayed) on my dash. It was absolutely gorgeous. So much so, I kept staring at the dash instead of looking at the road. The reflection of the sun was never a problem, but being distracted by the dash was.
John G.
1979 Spider (Owned since 2000)
1971 124 Sport Spider (Owned since 2017)
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RRoller123
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby RRoller123 » Mon Dec 12, 2016 7:36 am

Since our eyes are positioned higher than the dash when seated, so that we can see out through the windshield, the sun would have to be below the horizon to reflect upwards off of the dash and cause any visibility problems. Dash reflection is a red herring, but it sure gets a lot of attention in the forums! So the answer is that generally most just pick whichever suits their preference.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

Jrscobra
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Your car is a: 1972 Fiat Spider 124

Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby Jrscobra » Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:42 pm

I've noticed a question was asked, but no response. Can the original wood be sanded and refinished?

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RRoller123
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby RRoller123 » Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:01 pm

Not really, it is actually a plastic, Formica type material. But it can be sanded and veneer applied.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

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azruss
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Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby azruss » Sun Apr 02, 2017 7:29 pm

I used wood from an 1890s english piano. I sanded the original 125 year finish off being very careful not to go thru the veneer. I then sprayed on thick coats of Urethane spar varnish and sanded between coats until all the imperfections in the wood were filled. I did a final finish gloss coat. The gloss really brings out the wood grain and I don't notice any glare. As far as durability, it's now 8 years later and I only notice one slight imperfection where a old crack in the wood grain is starting to rise. You have to catch the light just right to see it. Will probably need to refinish it 10 years or so.
Formica is a very solvent resistant material. I used to use it for a mold to lay fiberglass panels. The only way you will get a clear coat to stick to it would be to sand the formica. I'm sure the "grain" is only surface, so there is a good chance you will ruin it with sanding.

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Sparky
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Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Gloss or Satin for Dashboard refinish

Postby Sparky » Thu May 04, 2017 7:08 pm

You can always rough sand your existing dash parts and glue on a wood veneer of your choice and finish it however you'd like.
-= 1978 Fiat Spider =-


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