Carlos Medrano will be awarded the 2018 ColorBond CLeo Award for the incredible interior color transformation of his 2013 Honda Civic SI custom show car. Carlos had previously used ColorBond LVP Refinisher to recolor his interior, which earned him the 2016 CLeo Award. He has once again used LVP Refinisher with incredible results.
ColorBond is pleased to announce Carlos Medrano is once again the winner of the 2018 ColorBond CLeo Award. His incredible show car will be on display in ColorBond's 2018 SEMA Show booth. At 1:00 on Tuesday October 30th, 2018 Carlos will be presented with the award in a special ceremony taking place at ColorBond booth #24181, located in the Main Hall. All are invited to attend and congratulate Carlos Medrano on a job well done. For more information on the CLeo Award Click Here
We find those changing the color of their vehicle interior, or correcting cosmetic flaws, are most concerned about expense and whether the results will look great and last. Having a professional do the job usually produces a great result, but often at significant cost. Many realize doing the job themselves would be far less expensive, however, are not confident that it will turn out well.
ColorBond Paint provides an option that lets the vehicle owner recolor their interior themselves, at a cost far lower than having it done by a professional, and while achieving excellent results. ColorBond is a revolutionary molecular bonding paint that penetrates deep into plastic, vinyl and leather. Allowing the user to easily restore or change the color of leather, carpet, plastics or metal with fantastic results.
Consider the cost of having a professional refinish or reupholster an auto interior. Using a 2013 Honda Civic Si as an example we determined the following. For an auto upholstery shop to replace a driver’s leather seat cover, the parts and labor is typically about $950 for an OE cover, and about $550 for an aftermarket cover. For a professional to refinish the seat with interior paint the cost is about $250. Yet, for a Do-It-Yourself vehicle owner to refinish the seat using ColorBond LVP Refinisher in aerosol can form, it would require approximately 1 to 2 cans, with the retail cost being $16.49 to $32.98. Now consider the extended costs when 4 seats are reupholstered or refinished… But, what about the quality and durability of the ColorBond result? To get answers we spoke with Carlos Medrano, and Lilith Garcia, who restyled their own interiors using car interior paint. This was their first experience applying it, as well as their first time using ColorBond Paint. You may have heard of Lilith and Carlos here before – Carlos won the 2016 ColorBond CLeo Awardand is hoping the current restyle of his 2013 Honda Civic Si show car will win him the 2018 award. Lilith’s beautiful show car, a 2014 VW Jetta, has been covered here previously and will be a feature vehicle at the 2018 SEMA Show.
Carlos' 2013 Honda Civic Si interior after he painted with ColorBond. He is once again restyling his interior using ColorBond.
Lilith Garcia's refinished the interior of this 2014 Jetta herself using ColorBond. It turned out great!
When asked what her concerns were before repainting her interior, Lilith explained “We decided we were going to do it ourselves. No matter how it turned out, we were going to shoot for it. Though, I was concerned if it was going to stick - if it would it adhere. I was especially wondering how it would bond in sharp folds and creases. It turned out the paint really grabbed in those creases. It is really stuck on. Also, it won’t scratch.” When asked the same question, Carlos said “I was concerned about whether the paint would hold up from the abuse, and if it would get scratched. In the car, I carry everything I need for car shows, including trophies. I was worried these things would scratch up the interior. But the paint didn’t scratch. It’s held up amazingly well. I never thought it would hold up this good.”
When asked what they did for preparation before painting, Lilith said “Using ColorBond made it so much easier. We just had to mask the door panels with tape for overspray, we didn’t have to remove the panels. For preparation we cleaned off the plastic and then let it dry for a day. I used ColorBond Adhesion Promoter #215 before spraying on the ColorBond LVP Refinisher. The paint was easy to apply evenly and dried in 45 seconds. Because the parts I was spraying were black, it made the Burgundy colored ColorBond appear a little dark with just one coat. So, I applied 2-3 coats and it lightened to just the color I wanted.” Carlos said “Preparation was very simple for us. We cleaned the panels with soap and water. We used ColorBond’s Adhesion Promoter on the dash and some panels. Then sprayed on the LVP Refinisher.
When asked about project expense, Lilith said “We had replaced the seats and were going to have the armrests reupholstered to match, which was going to be pricey. Leather was $44.50 per yard and between that and upholstery shop labor (including dismantling the doors) the cost was going to be $500. I decided to use ColorBond Paint, and the armrests came out great. So, I kept going and did the door panel inserts, arm rests, shift knob trim, stereo/ventilation system control panel, center storage compartment, and all protective plastics covers that fit in the cup holders and door recesses. An upholstery shop would have charged thousands to refinish these parts.” Five cans of LVP Refinisher were used to paint these components – a total of $82.45. Add to that $15.95 for a can of Adhesion Promoter (recommended) and the grand total comes to only $98.60 for an incredible transformation!
Carlos was also happy about reduced expenses using ColorBond. “We had pulled 100% of the interior out of the Civic. The only thing left was the handbrake. This was an extensive restyle and everything was going to be professionally wrapped in vinyl - the seats, dash, door panels, hard-plastic trim, and the trunk. As well we were going to replace the carpet and floormats with vinyl. The original estimate from an upholstery shop came to $8,000. That was way too much money. So, we decided to just upholster parts of the console, rear seats, trunk, as well as replace the carpet and floor mats with vinyl. That reduced the price at the upholsterer to about $4,500, which saved us about $3,500. The rest of the interior I painted with ColorBond. I covered a lot of area and went through 30 cans of paint, which is about $495. Originally, I thought I would paint about 30% of the interior. Instead I painted about 85% of it. So, instead of upholstering the panels for $3,500, I painted them for $495!”
ColorBond Paint allows Do-It-Yourself vehicle owners to easily and confidently restyle or restore their interiors at a fraction of the price charged by upholstery shops. We thank Lilith Garcia, and Carlos Medrano for discussing their experience painting their car interiors. We wish Carlos good luck with winning the 2018 ColorBond CLeo Award, and Lilith a success full display of her vehicle at the 2018 SEMA Show.
_______________________________________________
See ColorBond at the 2018 SEMA Show! The company will be located in booth 24181 in the Main Hall.
Carlos Medrano continues the restyling of his 2013 Honda Civic Si interior to change it from black and teal to white with a white carbon fiber decal overlay on hard surfaces. First the surfaces are being base coated with a ColorBond white car interior paint and then the decal is applied. Carlos is hoping the results of his interior restyle will earn him his second ColorBond CLeo Award, which is to be presented at the 2018 SEMA Show. Here are videos of Carlos' progress:
Presented in 2016, Carlos Medrano was the winner of the Third Annual ColorBond CLeo Award for the incredible results he achieved using ColorBond car interior paint to transform the interior of his trophy winning 2013 Honda Civic Si. As part of restyling the stock black interior to a beautiful teal and black combination, Carlos had ColorBond car interior paint color-matched to his teal vinyl seat inserts and then applied it to the hard-plastic interior trim. Including the console, dash and door panels. You can see details about his 2016 CLeo Award win here.
Carlos is one again restyling his Civic and hopes to win his second CLeo Award! Here are some photos of the interior as it appeared when Carlos won the 2016 award.
Interior before current restyle
Carlos is now in the process of changing the complete interior from black and teal to white with a white carbon fiber decal overlay on hard surfaces. First those surfaces are being base coated with a ColorBond white car interior paint and then the decal overlay is applied.
Checkout this video to see how the interior trim turned out!
We’ll be continuing to follow Carlos’ restyle project, and his quest to become the winner of the 2018 Colorbond CLeo Award. We’ll be posting updates periodically. So, check back for the next segment!
Annual bestowment of the CLeo Award is an honored tradition at ColorBond. The award recognizes individuals who have shown excellence utilizing ColorBond car interior paint to restore, or restyle, the interior of any type of automobile including, trucks, muscle cars, classics. Award recipients receive the CLeo Crystal trophy, $500 and have their vehicle showcased in the ColorBond booth at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. They’re also provided with a space in the SEMA organized 100-car parade down the Las Vegas Strip! The CLeo Crystal trophy and $500.00 are presented to the winner in a special award ceremony that takes place in the ColorBond booth during the show.
The CLeo was established in 2014 to honor Mr. Leo Kagan who was responsible for moving the SEMA Show in 1977 from Anaheim, California to its current location in Las Vegas. The SEMA Show is the world’s largest automotive aftermarket trade show. Leo is 102 years old and continues to work for ColorBond Automotive Paint.
Mr. Leo Kagen
“The CLeo Award was not only created to recognize excellent craftsmanship and to honor Leo Kagan” states ColorBond President Malcolm Johnson. “The award also serves to create awareness among Do-It-Yourself people and Professional Automotive Restylers and Automotive Reconditioners as to how truly easy it is to achieve, easy excellent results with ColorBond products. What can be created is only limited by the imagination”.
Maybe you will be the 2018 CLeo Award Winner? To enter the CLeo Award Contest simply send us photos on your ColorBond success story along with a brief testimonial write-up. This can be submitted through our online portal. For more information Click Here.
CLeo Award Winner Hall of Fame
2014 CLeo Award – Ken Bolen
The inaugural CLeo Award was presented in 2014 to Mr. Ken Bolen for his beautiful restoration of a 1969 Cadillac Deville. The 20-foot-long Cadillac Deville convertible was owned by Kay Stevens, a singer, entertainer and celebrity guest host and was frequently seen in the company of the Rat Pack. Ken purchased the vehicle from Miss Stevens for $2,600 in 1994, and the Caddy then sat in a garage until 2013. The vehicle was restored in 2014. Ken spent a total of $350 for ColorBond LVP Refinisher car interior paint and restored the leather seats, door panels, convertible boot and dash panel to the original color, Diamond White. Reskinning the leather interior would have cost between $3,000-$5,000.
Ken Bolen says:
“I am amazed at the transformation that Colorbond was able to achieve”.
Mr. Ken Bolen
Ken's Refinished Cadillac Interior
2015 CLeo Award – Jay Van Houten
Jay Van Houten, from MARS Automotive Reconditioning Center, was the winner of the 2nd Annual CLeo Award for his expert refurbishing of the interior of a 1954 Rolls-Royce. The car was originally built for a Baron and had been purchased by his customer from an estate, where it had sat neglected for many years. This all-aluminum bodied Silver Wraith may be one of only four from this coach builder. The customer wanted the interior restored, but also wanted the original seat covers, door panels and other soft trim retained. So, Jay used ColorBond to refinish those components. The results were excellent and saved hundreds of dollars - which reupholstering would have cost. The car is now used by the customer as a part of his limousine service.
Jay Van Houten says:
“Of course, ColorBond made my customer happy. The results were fantastic. The ease of application, the speed it went on, and the durability of the finish are phenomenal. I now use ColorBond in place of the hand mixed interior paints I used to use. I’m really pleased with the product – it has done a great job.”
To learn more about the 1954 Rolls-Royce interior restoration project Click Here.
Jay Van Houten Receiving the 2015 CLeo Award $500 Check
Rolls-Royce Seat Cushions - Before Refinishing
Rolls-Royce Interior – After Refinishing with ColorBond
Rolls Royce Sitting Pretty
2016 CLeo Award – Carlos Medrano
Mr. Carlos Medrano Accepting the 2016 CLeo Crystal trophy
Honda Civic Si Interior – Before (representation) Carlos’ Honda Civic Si Interior – After Refinishing with ColorBond
Carlos’ Restyled Honda Civic Si
2017 CLeo Award – Eddie Black
The Third Annual CLeo Award was earned by Mr. Eddie Black, owner of Blacks Body Shop located in Adairville, Georgia. Eddie customized a 2012 Camaro for Vic Beasley, an NFL All Star outside Linebacker who plays for the Atlanta Falcons. The interior was painted Lamborghini Orange, and Purple with ColorBond LVP and no interior replacements part were used. All components are original. The vivid colors honor Mr. Beasley’s alma mater, Clemson University. The three hundred and fifty man-hours that were needed to complete the exterior and interior reflect the artistry and dedication of Mr. Black and his staff.
Eddie Black says:
“ColorBond is extremely easy to apply. It’s a great product, and holds up well. Other brands of interior paint we have used peel-up. For example, we painted a convertible top and it’s gone up and down many many times. There is no wear showing on the ColorBond finish. Same with the interior panels we painted – where they get rubbed by getting in and out, there is no signs of wear. We will use ColorBond from now on.”
To learn more about the Vic Beasley Camaro build Click Here
Mr. Eddie Black Accepting the 2017 CLeo Award
Camaro Interior – Before
Camaro Interior – After Refinishing with ColorBond
Vic Beasley and His Transformed Camaro
ColorBond Paint makes it simple to restore, or restyle, automotive interiors. Knowing the product is easy to use and provides excellent, durable and long-lasting results inspires confidence and peace-of-mind for those tackling projects. We would love to see the results of your ColorBond project! Who knows – maybe you’ll be the 2018 CLeo Award winner!
