painted gauge dash?

[TastyReuben]

the black upholstery around the instrument gauge dash face (what's that area even called?) is pretty rough and peeling off. I think I' d like to rip it off entirely and spray that area matte black. seems easy enough to remove gauges, steering wheel and tape everything off. Obviously the cool guys go with body color but I'm not looking to get that fancy.
Not my car, example pic:


has anyone done this without ripping the whole dash apart? What's that surface like under the upholstery? best method or product to get a smooth professional finish? thanks.