Glareshield - paint or cover?

[Bryan Cotton]

Hi all,

I am thinking I want to paint the glareshield flat black, like the Pawnees and Super Cubs I used to fly. It seems to me that a lot of you cover it with fabric instead. Has anybody painted it and were you happy with it?

[Sonex1517]

Bryan

I obviously have not flown yet, but I left mine painted. One thing I noticed is it is nearly impossible not to scratch the paint.


Robbie Culver
Sonex 1517
Chicagoland
Tails and Wings complete - finishing fuselage.
N1517S reserved

[ScottM-Sonex1629]

I covered mine with indoor outdoor carpet and extended the glareshield and used a vinyl u Channel trim to cover the edge. It looks good, has no glare, and I cannot scratch the paint off!

The other positive side effect of this material versus vinyl or paint, I can attach the hook side of hook and loop "Velcro" and it grabs the loop pile,in the carpet!

[mike.smith]

I figured carpet was going to be hard to keep clean. I installed a faux leather black vinyl on mine. Easy to clean with a damp cloth. It's a lot cooler to the touch in the summer than black painted metal.

[SonexN76ET]

I painted my glareshield with black pickup bed liner. It has a crinkle cast look and does not scratch easily. There is no glare. It is easy to wipe clean and it has not peeled.

Jake

[planeolbob]

I covered mine with "Dark Grey Headliner Material" I got at JoAnn's fabric. Easy to install with the spray adhesive I got there too.
Here is a video of my flight into Oshkosh going in and out of the sun. Note that there is zero reflection. Also note that I should have covered the two little areas at the front with material as they do reflect.
Bob Mika

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MWFFmgI3Q4

[n982sx]

I painted mine flat black. Delighted with it.

[fastj22]

Mine is painted with Krylon metal flake flat. Looks good, has held up surprisingly well. But I do like the idea of using a loop pile carpet so you can just put hook stuff on things you want to stick up there, like GPS receivers and stuff.

[nwyooper]

I powder coated my glare shield and it is holding up well.

[Rynoth]

I covered with the fabric included in the Sonex upholstry kit, and am very satisfied with it so far (though it hasn't seen sunlight yet.) I think maybe the biggest difference (if there is a big difference) between paint vs fabric is how much heat it absorbs from sunlight. I imagine dark paint on metal will absorb a lot more heat into the cockpit than dark fabric. Which, depending on your region, could be a good or bad thing.