| boogs |
I'm about to start building 4 sub boxes and have been wondering about finish options. The boxes will be about 18"x18"x24" and are part of our, "nearly finished" home theater. I was thinking either paint or veneer but i've also seen a sub cabinet covered in ceramic tile that looked really good (but must be a bear to move).
Any ideas? Pics would be great!!
Thanks, Scott |
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| eLarson |
If you go the painted route, a way to get very smooth edges and faces is to use spackling compound to fill the pits. Sand it down after, then prime, sand again and you should be ready for paint.
Check out this month's American Woodworker for a few more details. Fine Woodworking also took on painted MDF a few issues back, but I'm not seeing the article yet on their website. |
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| sprucemoose |
i finished my home-made double advents with a very dark grey "granite" paint. it has a rough texture, almost black, with dark and light grey flecks in it. looks nice with a pure black grill cloth and the black and silver advent label on the front.
sm. |
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| Cloth Ears |
I've got a couple of simple boxes (15"x18"x23"). I used a veneer in Tasmanian Oak (about the same colour as pine, maybe slightly redder but with a different grain). As the box is square with sharp edges, I veneered the sides and then sanded back the edges to show the darker backing wood. Later I might actually cut the edges entirely and putin some half-inch rounds of Jarrah instead.
But, I like the blonde wood as it is at the moment (and I have other things to do - heh heh!) |
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| JBasham |
If you're going to paint, I usually roller on a coat of primer and a coat of base black, then spray on a finish coat of Krylon black textured spray-paint. This stuff has a subtle texture, like the slightly rough finish on black amp chassis and the like. It hides small imperfections, but you still need to start with a pretty nicely caulked & sanded MDF surface. If you go directly to spray paint as the first coat, you'll need a ton of spray paint to get good coverage.
I have trouble getting MDF boxes perfectly squared up for veneering. What I do instead sometimes is get 1/4" plywood with one face done in decent veneer (usually red oak; it's widely available for $12 a 4'x8' sheet). You can easily miter-cut panels of this stuff for the top and sides, glue it on, and finish it like veneer. The ply edges on the front are hidden by the grille, and the ones on the back don't show because they face the wall. Paint the back panel black before you glue on the plywood.
For grilles, I like 1/2" MDF cut out in the middle to make a frame, wrapped with black speaker cloth. Looks best if you round over the outside edges of the frame before you wrap the cloth on. Adhere the cloth to the inside of the frame with contact cement on the frame (then stretch the fabric over it). Use glue, velcro, or speaker grille guides to affix the grille to the front. |
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| hooha |
If you like the idea/look of ceramic tiling, check out places like Home Depot or Rona for some of the specialty textured paints. Using these, you can make some very interesting patterns that resemble ceramic without a lot of muss and fuss...
Mark |
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| boogs |
Thanks for all the replies!
I'm still trying to decide what would look best. I'm also concerned about filling some screw holes; i've tried wood filler but it's slowly started to work it's way out, ruining the finish on previous projects. Is there an easy way to fill screw holes?
Scott |
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| eLarson |
| spackle? (If you are painting over it, that is... it wouldn't suit under any kind of translucent finish.) |
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| boogs |
| Is spackle, drywall mud? |
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| eLarson |
I think spackle is lighter duty than that, but I've never done any drywall taping.
DAP makes a cool product which goes on pink and turns white when fully dry. Sand it back flat and you are ready to prime. |
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| hooha |
| quote: | Originally posted by boogs
Thanks for all the replies!
I'm still trying to decide what would look best. I'm also concerned about filling some screw holes; i've tried wood filler but it's slowly started to work it's way out, ruining the finish on previous projects. Is there an easy way to fill screw holes?
Scott |
Would that be on account of the screw coming loose or the filler compressing?
What I do for the screw problem is to use a bit of epoxy on it when screwing it in. And for the other, I've used drywall mud without issue.
Mark |
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| ma_tt316 |
| I have a question in relation to this topic. What would be easiest way of painting MDF? Using a foam paint pad or using a regular bristle brush? I only ask this because I don't have paint rollers but lots of the others. Thanks. |
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| BassAwdyO |
Paint rollers are best unless you have really good paint and brushes(which dont leave brushmarks)
I found that painting a speaker cabinet with a wall roller and primer then house paint works pretty well. Primer and cabinet paint would probably work even better. Gives a good texture
I'm going for a veneer for my current project. Either that or a laminate. |
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| mac |
IME veneer almost always turns out looking better than paint.
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| BassAwdyO |
are those w frame dipoles? What kind of veneer is that?
Has anyone used any of the veneers available from partsexpress? |
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| boogs |
"Would that be on account of the screw coming loose or the filler compressing?"
Good question. I believe it's a result of varying humidities causing the MDF to expand and contract which slowly pushes the screw out. The epoxy sounds like a pita but a good idea nonetheless, so I will try that.
Thanks for all the replies!
Scott |
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| mac |
| quote: | Originally posted by BassAwdyO
are those w frame dipoles? What kind of veneer is that?
Has anyone used any of the veneers available from partsexpress? |
They are W-frame dipole woofers using SCC300 drivers. The veneer is NBL cherry from TapeEase.
I have used the Band-It veneer sold by PE on other projects. It works okay but is rather costly compared to what you can get from TapeEase. |
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| hooha |
| quote: | Originally posted by BassAwdyO
Paint rollers are best unless you have really good paint and brushes(which dont leave brushmarks)
I found that painting a speaker cabinet with a wall roller and primer then house paint works pretty well. Primer and cabinet paint would probably work even better. Gives a good texture
I'm going for a veneer for my current project. Either that or a laminate. |
Agreed. At least two coats with a decent primer works for me. All of my mistakes then become VERY prevenent... :rolleyes:
| quote: | Originally posted by boogs
"Would that be on account of the screw coming loose or the filler compressing?"
Good question. I believe it's a result of varying humidities causing the MDF to expand and contract which slowly pushes the screw out. The epoxy sounds like a pita but a good idea nonetheless, so I will try that.
Thanks for all the replies!
Scott |
Well it is a bit. But think of it this way, you'll only have to do it once! ;)
Mark |
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| dnsey |
| quote: | | If you like the idea/look of ceramic tiling, check out places like Home Depot or Rona for some of the specialty textured paints. |
Or polystyrene tiles (the hard sort, not expanded). Very easy to cut and fix, but once fitted almost indistinguishable from ceramic - much lighter too. |
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| ma_tt316 |
What type of spackle/putty do you guys like the best? I want to make sure I get the right stuff and it won't crack over time. Thanks.
Matt |
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| rinx |
I suggest epoxy.
I have tryed regular wood-spackle based on water. But what will happen in MDF after painting(based on water)-it constringe, so teher will be still socket on the surface.
Make sense?! |
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| lousymusician |
| quote: | Originally posted by ma_tt316
What type of spackle/putty do you guys like the best? I want to make sure I get the right stuff and it won't crack over time. Thanks.
Matt |
I've not tried painting MDF myself, but I've seen several threads that recommend Bondo (auto body filler) rather than spackle. Bondo's not water based, so it won't cause the MDF to swell, and it sands very smooth. |
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| dangus |
| I've used 1/4" dowel plugs to fill countersunk screw holes, then trimmed them flush with the router. It looks good on varnished plywood cabinets. Over time, though, they don't stay perfectly flush. I guess the different woods are affected by moisture differently. |
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