Refinished my Tera Eucalyptus wood today.

[TheAirman]

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.

 

[jfran2]

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

 

[TheAirman]

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.

 

[TheAirman]

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.

 

[cpallenjr]

Nice work!

 

[ksnax]

Looks great. I will never do it though due to the increased glare. Considering going with a very dark stain on mine.

 

[Skye2002]

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

 

[Chrism88]

You could use natural products like Odes oil or Odes butter fyi. Would come out real nice imho.

 

[Christopher Guay]

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...

 

[rcpmac]

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.

 

[tongsli]

Looks really good. Nice work. As long as it makes you happy, that's all that matters.

L

 

[ME2SC]

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.

 

[ME2SC]

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.

 

[CJP]

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

 

[ksnax]

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.

 

[ME2SC]

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.

 

[ksnax]

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.

 

[CJP]

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.