Refinished my Tera Eucalyptus wood today.

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TheAirman

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2023
Messages
120
Location
Mc Donald, PA
I not a fan of a wood that is matte, and my eucalyptus trim was feeling pretty rough to the touch, so I decided to refinish it.

The small piece and the glove box piece pop off fairly easy, and I watched a couple youtube videos on how to manipulate the center part from under the display. Then I gave all the parts a quick sanding with 200 grit sandpaper and blew off the dust with compressed air. Avoid use water because the trim is somewhat porous.

I gave it about 4 coats of semi gloss polyurethane I got at the home store. I like the way it came out, and it even make the the accent light reflect and pop a little more at night, especially if you use the orange color.
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Very pretty! Does it reflect on the inside of the windshield? How about the little piece on the far left of the dash - did you do it as well?

John Francis
Rolla, MO
 
Very pretty! Does it reflect on the inside of the windshield? How about the little piece on the far left of the dash - did you do it as well?

John Francis
Rolla, MO
No it doesn't reflect. But that's what I thought about when I was doing it, and the reason I picked semi-gloss over a gloss poly. It does make the orange ambient light reflect and pop a little more though.

I did the little piece on the left also. It just pops right out.
 
Very pretty! Does it reflect on the inside of the windshield? How about the little piece on the far left of the dash - did you do it as well?

John Francis
Rolla, MO
Sorry for the late reply. Yes I did the little piece, in fact, it was the test piece before I took on the bigger ones. I don't notice any reflection on the glass either.
 
Looks great. I will never do it though due to the increased glare. Considering going with a very dark stain on mine.
 
I agree, it does look good. However to my mind, why not use a quality cabinet maker's polish, such as Goddard's? (now owned by SC Johnson). I think it would have the same effect, with much less hassle
 
You could use natural products like Odes oil or Odes butter fyi. Would come out real nice imho.
 
I think (like my dash) the grain might of been 'puckered' up, creating a rough surface (after 9 years in the sun). I am probably going to go down the same route, sand then coat. polyurethane should last a while...
 
I appreciate the work you did to do this. Personally I don't care for the dark grain marks. I have the plain dash in my i3S and I'm perfectly satisfied with it. When I was searching for my i3 I was attracted to the wood and settled for the plain one that was available. Now I'm glad to have this version. Looks good, totally functional, not pretentious, no maintenance. I just don't think about it. Putting wood veneer in a modern car, especially a carbon fiber electric car, is just anachronistic to me. Regarding shine, semi was a good choice. If you use extremely fine steel wool or pumice you can knock it down a bit more and add depth to the finish. A coat of paste wax would be the finishing touch.
 
Congrats! I went with Howard's Feed & Wax Polish when I refinished my eucalytus wood. I used it many times over the years on everything from countertops to musical instruments. It does darken wood somewhat, but I wanted that effect so that the trim would be more harmonious with the leather accents of the Lodge (Giga) interior. 4 couts later, no glare, buttery smooth to the touch, and retains the appearance of the natural wood. Love it.
 
I appreciate the work you did to do this. Personally I don't care for the dark grain marks. I have the plain dash in my i3S and I'm perfectly satisfied with it. When I was searching for my i3 I was attracted to the wood and settled for the plain one that was available. Now I'm glad to have this version. Looks good, totally functional, not pretentious, no maintenance. I just don't think about it. Putting wood veneer in a modern car, especially a carbon fiber electric car, is just anachronistic to me. Regarding shine, semi was a good choice. If you use extremely fine steel wool or pumice you can knock it down a bit more and add depth to the finish. A coat of paste wax would be the finishing touch.
I personally appreciate the balance of the natural materials (wood, leather, wool) with the high-tech of the carbon-fiber, LED, and voice activation. Yin-yang.
 
Hi.
I have the lodge interior and think the wood is a great compliment.
I use a light wire wool and apply a wood wax yearly to rejuvenate.
I appreciate that the i3 is a high tech marvel but the Lodge and wood add a fabulous and comforting feel.

CJP
 
I hate appearance maintenance. So far, my eucalyptus looks good as new, so I'm not going to touch it until it doesn't. When I do however, I will definitely darken it and keep a matte or satin finish to reduce sun glare. Obviously, it's not bad stock, the less of it the better in my mind.
 
IMG_0027.jpeg
Pre-finish on the left, after 10 years of South Carolina sun bleaching, and a light sanding.

Post-finish on the right, after 4 coats of Howard’s Feed & Wax Polish. It looks far better with the leather of my Lodge/Giga interior.
 
View attachment 1246
Pre-finish on the left, after 10 years of South Carolina sun bleaching, and a light sanding.

Post-finish on the right, after 4 coats of Howard’s Feed & Wax Polish. It looks far better with the leather of my Lodge/Giga interior.
I like that. Mine doesn't appear to have bleached enough to notice yet, but that color looks really good. I know the wax finish also tends to dull toward matte over time, so that would probably be the easiest solution.
 
Hi.
Looks nice.
As the sun is not as strong here in the UK the wood tends to darken naturally, no doubt with the pollution from ICE cars too!!
I can see you took all the panels out,
not an easy task but results worth it.

Take care.
 
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