Panel color and gloss
 

I have used the search function and find many comments but nothing very solid.
I am about to paint my panel and need to decide on color and shine.
Many comments about reflections and not to use a glossy panel or even objects in the cockpit. I know someone that will only wear dark clothing. I have never noticed a problem while flying although a C172 and a Citabria probably don't have the same issue as a RV. They also have a flat black panel.
I think the best looking of my choices is the dark blue I am using outside the plane. However I am using a clearcoat and maybe should be using a matte finish clearcoat. If I thought the problem was bad enough I would paint flat black but that seems a little drastic. Plus with a flat black panel all my expensive panel parts won't stand out.:rolleyes: Most reflection I see are a light colored panel not the gloss.
What have others used and would you do it again. Thoughts?

I have always been partial to dark gray and painted my RV-4 panel and interior such and would do it again. Seems to hold up better than light gray that I see in many RV's. Looks more "aircraft like?" Not a fan of colored panels.

Dark color, matte finish.

Vinyl wrap it. Change your mind in two years and wrap it again. Endless choices. Im going to use a carbon fiber vinyl that is cross thatch textured and flat black.

2400 hours with gloss blue panels
 

Both my 4 and my 6 have had gloss medium blue (sky blue) No complaints. Liked the first one so much that I painted the second one same color.

Steve "The builders Coach"

Gloss promotes glare and reflections; flat shows fingerprints and skin oil marks. Matte or satin work best ...whatever color you like.

I used a rattle can flat black from Lowe's. Don't remember the brand but it worked out great. The edge padding and the glare shield material is black microfiber from Classic Aero. No worries about banging the noggin' into the edge of the glare shield with this stuff. Looks and feels great.

The colour of your panel probably only matters if you're planning on taking pictures from inside the cockpit. Apart from that, you'll probably never notice the reflections when you're flying. I don't, my panel is light beige. But the reflection really shows up in cockpit photos. When I re-do the panel, I'm going matte black, but only because my wife and I like taking pictures.

I've been flying an off-white under PPG matte clear in an RV-8 with no issues at all. Love it.

Mine is light gray rattle can from home depot. I'm still very happy with it and have never, in 1200+hrs, thought that I should have done something different. You could probably reliably guess what color the one in the -8 is going to be if you saw pictures of the current interior.