I was going to use veneer in a speaker project, but I have discarded using veneer, and will paint. I want to mimic or get close to a piano finish, or at least a high gloss finish. The enclosures are MDF that has not been primed or painted. Few questions?
1. Should I sand with 180 Grit and apply primer? Or just sanding will do?
2. Will use a water based paint Any paint "model" recommendations from Home Depot or PPG (Pittsburgh)?
3. I will give no more than 3 coats. Can I use something easy to work with like Shellac, or will Water Based Polyurethane be easier to work with?
4. For the paint I will use a foam roller, but for the clear coat, should I use a foam roller or simply a good quality brush?
5. For sanding the clear coat, should I use 220 Grit between coats and between 330 and 400 Grit for last coat?
1. Should I sand with 180 Grit and apply primer? Or just sanding will do?
2. Will use a water based paint Any paint "model" recommendations from Home Depot or PPG (Pittsburgh)?
3. I will give no more than 3 coats. Can I use something easy to work with like Shellac, or will Water Based Polyurethane be easier to work with?
4. For the paint I will use a foam roller, but for the clear coat, should I use a foam roller or simply a good quality brush?
5. For sanding the clear coat, should I use 220 Grit between coats and between 330 and 400 Grit for last coat?
Since I was going to the hardware store and Home Depot, I decided to read as much as I can. I ended up buying Behr Acrylic Latex Paint and Minwax Clear Brushing Lacquer Gloss. I will paint in a few minutes, then let dry (88 Deg. F Today and Sunny) a few hours, then light sand, apply a second coat of paint, then let dry for a few days, and then apply three coats of lacquer, wet-sanding the last coat with 320 Grit and 400 Grit sand paper. I will only sand if there are brush marks, if not, as recommended by Minwax, I will leave as is.
Check out Shinobiwan's "a how to for high gloss finish" thread. Really good info. I suggest you read up before proceeding. It really helped my understanding of the proper proceedure. Here is a picture of my studio monitors, they have 6 coats of primer and 9 coats of automotive paint (not laquer.. the other type, cant remember right now) but the cabinets still need to go thru a final 4 step sanding/polishing process.
Heres the link→https://db.tt/XEziFpgK
Heres the link→https://db.tt/XEziFpgK
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Appreciate it...Would be nice if in the future you could include the thread address or the title, so I can refer to it. Anyways, thanks to Top Shelf I was able to find a few threads addressing the subject, and been hard at reading about it. I will go the lacquer route, and post how they look.
This is a pic of the rear of one of my studio monitors after wet sanding with 3M 1000 grit for 5 minutes
https://db.tt/Ag44G1DF . And this is another after using Turtle wax polishing compound for about 5 minutes→ https://db.tt/ybpfMWbz.
Of course I still need to get a finer polishing compound but the T.W. stuff works good and is $5 a jar. Oh yeah I remembered I used acrylic enamel spraybombs to paint my cabinets. About 10 cans @ $6 a can.
https://db.tt/Ag44G1DF . And this is another after using Turtle wax polishing compound for about 5 minutes→ https://db.tt/ybpfMWbz.
Of course I still need to get a finer polishing compound but the T.W. stuff works good and is $5 a jar. Oh yeah I remembered I used acrylic enamel spraybombs to paint my cabinets. About 10 cans @ $6 a can.
good luck getting anywhere near close to a piano / high gloss finish with only 2 or 3 coats, or in less elapsed time and expense* than veneering and oil /varnish/ sprayed or lacquered finish
* I assume that the manner in which the question is parsed that you don't have the experience or supplies required to achieve the quality of finish you're hoping to achieve - it's not as simple as you think
* I assume that the manner in which the question is parsed that you don't have the experience or supplies required to achieve the quality of finish you're hoping to achieve - it's not as simple as you think
I've never thought that it is simple, I am trying to make it simple, but in my heart know that it is not. Supplies I have plenty, if not I can just go and buy what is needed. Funds is not a problem, but as Project Mgr, and Director of Operations that I have been most of my life, I like to budget and stick to it as much as possible; it is my nature. Aware that 2-3 coats might not be sufficient, just being lazy, because I don't have much time. But, at the same time, like to learn and appreciate your responses. The problem with the veneer I have is that it is pieces, and I would have to match the pieces (not very difficult). The biggest veneering problem I have is being able to make seamless joints in the same plane.
Don't worry, sometimes I also get frustrated by some posts. If you want to see how they came out, check the TABAQ For Tang Band thread. I am using them until the paint cures more, so I can start to lacquer.
Hi,
The original post assumes a very high level of finish
of the cabinets and is hopelessly inadequate for
a typical MDF box with any end grain showing
and typical joints of a typical MDF box.
Preparing the cabinets for whats outlined in the OP
is far more work than the work outlined in the OP.
Painting is a 90% preparation, if you skimp on
on it it makes the painting exponentially harder,
very often to the point of futility, you cannot
fix any preparation problems with the paint.
rgds, sreten.
Car stopper on the end grain and all seams sanded
and sanded coats of car primer / fine filler followed
by sanded coats of primer is the only sort of base
that will take a piano finish. And trust me what
you can flatten in one coat of the primer/ filler
you simply cannot fix with paint and lacquer.
The original post assumes a very high level of finish
of the cabinets and is hopelessly inadequate for
a typical MDF box with any end grain showing
and typical joints of a typical MDF box.
Preparing the cabinets for whats outlined in the OP
is far more work than the work outlined in the OP.
Painting is a 90% preparation, if you skimp on
on it it makes the painting exponentially harder,
very often to the point of futility, you cannot
fix any preparation problems with the paint.
rgds, sreten.
Car stopper on the end grain and all seams sanded
and sanded coats of car primer / fine filler followed
by sanded coats of primer is the only sort of base
that will take a piano finish. And trust me what
you can flatten in one coat of the primer/ filler
you simply cannot fix with paint and lacquer.
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Sreten is 100 percent correct. If you want the good finish ,all the prep work at the wood level is the most important part. I didn't realize this till it was too late, granted the mirror finish is absolutely beautiful but the minor imperfections show up easily and are visible when moving past the speaker as the reflected image "wobbles". But I'll tell you one thing all the pictures don't do this finish justice, you have to see it in person.
As an aside it took me a month to get the cabinets built and prepped, I let them sit for a month after priming and then 3 months after final coat of acrylic enamel. Even after so many coats of paint the was still a couple miniscule points that I rubbed through.
As an aside it took me a month to get the cabinets built and prepped, I let them sit for a month after priming and then 3 months after final coat of acrylic enamel. Even after so many coats of paint the was still a couple miniscule points that I rubbed through.
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Sreten and Top Shelf...Thanks, and yes, just like a car (worked on many of those as I have road racing cars) prep work is key to success. In this case, being my very first serious project, I will go ahead and go for a high gloss finish as simple as possible, which still means 3-4 coats of lacquer that has been sanded. But, my next project (OB Hybrid Bookshelves) will be a painful one, as prep work, painting or staining, and gloss finish will be properly done. Thanks for all the tips!
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