Hi
Assume this situation:
You have 2 Speakers in their MDF enclosures,
and the enclosures are already painted in a color that you do not want.
For example in my case, the existing color is a dark one - black or dark maple,
and I want to make the enclosure white.
What are my options for changing the color for already painted speakers?
I want the result to look well and to hold well also,
so it doesn't have parts of it tear off with every hit/scratch..
Thank you
Assume this situation:
You have 2 Speakers in their MDF enclosures,
and the enclosures are already painted in a color that you do not want.
For example in my case, the existing color is a dark one - black or dark maple,
and I want to make the enclosure white.
What are my options for changing the color for already painted speakers?
I want the result to look well and to hold well also,
so it doesn't have parts of it tear off with every hit/scratch..
Thank you
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Use a sandable primer: some even come in white!
Sandable Primer
rimer | PlastiKote Paint Products
Sandable Primer
rimer | PlastiKote Paint Products
example of sandable primer:
Sandable Primer - Aerosol | Dupli-Color
first hit on google search for "sandable primer"
Sandable Primer - Aerosol | Dupli-Color
first hit on google search for "sandable primer"
Great
I will look in a local store for something similar,
thank you very much.
BTW,
please have a look at the following monitor:
It is called "Fluid audio - FX8",
and in its product page it says there regarding the enclosure:
"Cabinet: Vinyl-laminated MDF"
White - Fluid Audio
Is that another option which we can use to change the color of an enclosure?
(is it something we can do at home? or only factories can do it with special equipment that regular users usually don't have?)
I will look in a local store for something similar,
thank you very much.
BTW,
please have a look at the following monitor:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
It is called "Fluid audio - FX8",
and in its product page it says there regarding the enclosure:
"Cabinet: Vinyl-laminated MDF"
White - Fluid Audio
Is that another option which we can use to change the color of an enclosure?
(is it something we can do at home? or only factories can do it with special equipment that regular users usually don't have?)
This one looks like CNC machined MDF into the desired shape, sanded smooth, primed, sanded again for finish, and spray painted to desired top coat colour and thickness.
You can repeat the priming/sanding cycle a couple times, each time you achieve a more perfect surface; and IF you want shiny mirror surface finish, think car body type, you may also apply a couple coats paint, let dry, lightly sand, repeat a couple times, and end up polishing it.
Basically what car painters use; that Industry developed *killer* paints and finishes, so why not profit from their advances?
Electric Guitar body painters do
As of the "sandable" bit: besides regular paint components : resins which make the body of paint, solvents and additives, they incorporate some finely ground "soft" mineral "load" , so it gives body to paint, allows it to fill imperfections but is soft enough to be sandable, usually some kind of industrial gypsum or chalk is used.
That´s why basic colour is whitish or greyish and when sanded gives out dust similar to .... duh .... chalk or gypsum
Which is fine, you paint over the sanded smooth surface and mineral particles plus binder fill pores so paint absorption is uniform.
You can repeat the priming/sanding cycle a couple times, each time you achieve a more perfect surface; and IF you want shiny mirror surface finish, think car body type, you may also apply a couple coats paint, let dry, lightly sand, repeat a couple times, and end up polishing it.
Basically what car painters use; that Industry developed *killer* paints and finishes, so why not profit from their advances?
Electric Guitar body painters do
As of the "sandable" bit: besides regular paint components : resins which make the body of paint, solvents and additives, they incorporate some finely ground "soft" mineral "load" , so it gives body to paint, allows it to fill imperfections but is soft enough to be sandable, usually some kind of industrial gypsum or chalk is used.
That´s why basic colour is whitish or greyish and when sanded gives out dust similar to .... duh .... chalk or gypsum
Which is fine, you paint over the sanded smooth surface and mineral particles plus binder fill pores so paint absorption is uniform.
You can buy sheets of vinyl from hardware stores in just about any colour/pattern . Cut to fit then stick down in the same way that vinyl wrap is applied on mdf enclosures. It needs exact measurements and care and patience when applying . A spotless and smooth surface is essential and only stick a small section at a time using a plastic blade for smoothing and eliminating air bubbles.
As for paint preparation is everything start with a good key ( sanded ) surface and apply several coats of both primer and top coat allowing for each to dry completely and fine sanding between each coat and finally a polish or clear varnish .
If you are not fussy about looks then Hammerite paint will do and you can just slap it on
As for paint preparation is everything start with a good key ( sanded ) surface and apply several coats of both primer and top coat allowing for each to dry completely and fine sanding between each coat and finally a polish or clear varnish .
If you are not fussy about looks then Hammerite paint will do and you can just slap it on
So you say that Spray Paints that are good for car bodies, are good for speakers, in general?
Thank you very much for this explanation,
really makes it clear..
Regarding Vinyl-lamination:
Wow, sounds like something that will be difficult to do at home..
The spray method sounds easier (well, maybe not with all the many layers offered
) compared to it
No, not necessarily, but that will depend on the surface preparation (suitable primer) and the desired finish (appearance and toughness).
Personal note: "Spray paint" often does not mean what comes in a "rattle can". To get the very best results, you need experience and good spray equipment. Also note that while automotive paints can give excellent results, they can also be quite expensive. I did a set of chairs a while back, automotive silver. One quart of catalyzed automotive paint: $120. Yes, the results were beautiful.
Nice..
BTW, regarding the pre-paint stage, where we rough up the surface,
instead of sanding it, is there maybe a way to remove the existing paint chemically?
Like via using some liquid solvent or something?
(something that melts the old paint, yet does not ruin the wood)
Is that a good idea, or we should stick to sanding in the pre-painting stage?
BTW, regarding the pre-paint stage, where we rough up the surface,
instead of sanding it, is there maybe a way to remove the existing paint chemically?
Like via using some liquid solvent or something?
(something that melts the old paint, yet does not ruin the wood)
Is that a good idea, or we should stick to sanding in the pre-painting stage?
Agree.
You may do that on metal parts, but wood is porous, any solvent or stripper will get inside it and will never be removed, plus paint absorbed into the pores won´t be removed either, so sanding is the best option.
In any case, old paint does not hurt, consider it as pre applied filler
It saves some of your own work.
Only possible problem, which must be considered case by case, is the possibility of old paint dissolving (even partially) in new paint solvents, and "bleeding through".
Which may literally look so if your old colour was, say, red, and you now paint it white ... you might have ugly red (or at least pink) splotches here.
Some paints are hardened stable (as in, say, any kind of 2 component polyurethane) but if Nitro, Acrylic and similar finishes, they may partially dissolve in new paint thinner content, that´s why it´s advisable to first apply a very thin "veil" of new paint, let it dry; repeat, and only after you have that uniform new colour base you apply the final coats.
All this is well known by Pro painters, specially car painters, I mention it here only to give you a practical idea.
I was forced to learn painting, since I need it on a daily basis, I make guitar amplifiers and do all in-house processes, including painting, specially chassis, panels and speakers.
Just last night I finished painting a batch of 12" guitar speaker frames
Finished with car type paint, of course, mainly because although way more expensive than standard industrial paints, I save the oven , they just air dry in minutes.
Used a beautiful matte silver colour.
Here´s a picture I took of a pair of them, to show a customer how he should wire them in his cabinet for 16 ohms:
I could have painted a cabinet with the exact same paint if I wished; of course doing all the preparation (sanding/filling/priming) first.
You may do that on metal parts, but wood is porous, any solvent or stripper will get inside it and will never be removed, plus paint absorbed into the pores won´t be removed either, so sanding is the best option.
In any case, old paint does not hurt, consider it as pre applied filler
It saves some of your own work.
Only possible problem, which must be considered case by case, is the possibility of old paint dissolving (even partially) in new paint solvents, and "bleeding through".
Which may literally look so if your old colour was, say, red, and you now paint it white ... you might have ugly red (or at least pink) splotches here.
Some paints are hardened stable (as in, say, any kind of 2 component polyurethane) but if Nitro, Acrylic and similar finishes, they may partially dissolve in new paint thinner content, that´s why it´s advisable to first apply a very thin "veil" of new paint, let it dry; repeat, and only after you have that uniform new colour base you apply the final coats.
All this is well known by Pro painters, specially car painters, I mention it here only to give you a practical idea.
I was forced to learn painting, since I need it on a daily basis, I make guitar amplifiers and do all in-house processes, including painting, specially chassis, panels and speakers.
Just last night I finished painting a batch of 12" guitar speaker frames
Finished with car type paint, of course, mainly because although way more expensive than standard industrial paints, I save the oven , they just air dry in minutes.
Used a beautiful matte silver colour.
Here´s a picture I took of a pair of them, to show a customer how he should wire them in his cabinet for 16 ohms:
I could have painted a cabinet with the exact same paint if I wished; of course doing all the preparation (sanding/filling/priming) first.
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And as another option, speaking of car painters, in another industry, we used to need some things to be painted now and then, and we had an autobody paint shop across the street. We took things to them, and picked them up the next day. No mess in our shop, no having to buy more paint than the project needed. And professional results. Even hard as nails powder coat.
Thank you for amazing tips!
You painted the driver body?
I hope that you do it in a place with good air rotation..Just last night I finished painting a batch of 12" guitar speaker frames
I just want to verify that I understood you well:Used a beautiful matte silver colour.
Here´s a picture I took of a pair of them, to show a customer how he should wire them in his cabinet for 16 ohms:
I could have painted a cabinet with the exact same paint if I wished; of course doing all the preparation (sanding/filling/priming) first.
You painted the driver body?
You could make those look like glass with a good prep job and good quality automotive paint.
Avoiding strippers sounds like a good idea, it will eat through glues and fillers. I would hit them with 180 or 240 grit paper on an orbital then a straight edge to keep surfaces levels checked, critical when using certain colors depending how perfect you want your end results to be.
I have no idea what kind of paint exists, chances are it isnt as hard as good automotive acrylic enamels or clears. The 240 grit might be the better one to start with. It should bite through well while allowing you to work slower avoiding burn through or low spots. Once your happy with surface step up to the 340 to get ready for your primer sealer.
Depending on surface you may get away without a sealer primer. On metal surfaces it seals bondo preventing bleed through and seals bare metal to inhibit oxidation.
Porous build primer would be next. Its job is to build up any preexisting low spots or any that resulted while sanding, fills in very fine sanding grooves and swirls.
If prior coats were done with care a couple uniform coats should be adequate. The build primer is wet sandable. I never skipped that step remember prep work determines how nice the final coat of paint or clear will look. Dont forgot to wipe down surfaces with acetone after sanding then you can start shaking up your final surface primer.
That can also be wet sanded again depending what you want. Sanding is a step I will not skip, make it baby butt smooth and ready for your base colour. I will aim for a minimum 3 coats of colour and have done up to 5 on a car. But two nice evenly applied coats should look fine. Again you can wet sand your base colour paint, why not? It will pay off and it should take little time on the small surfaces.
Next step is the fun step a couple coats clear coat to bring life to the paint and gloss to the surface. The clear applied well in ideal conditions looks pretty good after it hardens. Even the best sprayer working in the best environment wont avoid some small percentage of orange peel surface like surface.
If your a perfectionist and notice the finer details and want to achieve that perfect flat glass finish grease up your again elbows and grab the water. Be careful especially near edges.
For paint 3M products is one of the better production names with stage options that range. The same paints GM dealerships collision shops used at one point and may still do. There are a rainbow of colours, plus custom tint.
Some stages can be skipped still resulting in a very nice presentable surface. But take your time go the long way and end up with surfaces that look brilliant.
There obviously a lot of work involved and more expense the more step paint jobs, to some its worth it. If you dont have spray guns and compressor and cant borrow those you will have to rent.
A less involved but pretty nice paint option would be spray bombs. Not the crap shake cans on shelves in chain stores save that for the lawn mower. I mean spray bomb cans you have mixed and loaded into on the spot at automotive pain suppliers. Its real auto paint with your reducers and hardeners and everything ready measured and mixed ready to spray. Although its not exactly cheap either, and cost goes up depending what paints you want. On the average I paid almost $40 per can for average acrylic enamel, but it worked very well, end result looked better than factory paint on a YBA preamp top surface. Partly for the paint partly for the can and sprayer tip. Paint exits them fine light and consistently. With the cold weather arriving its the best time to plan days with low humidity and best to spray in providing you dont do so in the cold. That will cause orange peel. So will too much humidity so ital defeat the whole idea. A warm portable heater in the garage should do.
Avoiding strippers sounds like a good idea, it will eat through glues and fillers. I would hit them with 180 or 240 grit paper on an orbital then a straight edge to keep surfaces levels checked, critical when using certain colors depending how perfect you want your end results to be.
I have no idea what kind of paint exists, chances are it isnt as hard as good automotive acrylic enamels or clears. The 240 grit might be the better one to start with. It should bite through well while allowing you to work slower avoiding burn through or low spots. Once your happy with surface step up to the 340 to get ready for your primer sealer.
Depending on surface you may get away without a sealer primer. On metal surfaces it seals bondo preventing bleed through and seals bare metal to inhibit oxidation.
Porous build primer would be next. Its job is to build up any preexisting low spots or any that resulted while sanding, fills in very fine sanding grooves and swirls.
If prior coats were done with care a couple uniform coats should be adequate. The build primer is wet sandable. I never skipped that step remember prep work determines how nice the final coat of paint or clear will look. Dont forgot to wipe down surfaces with acetone after sanding then you can start shaking up your final surface primer.
That can also be wet sanded again depending what you want. Sanding is a step I will not skip, make it baby butt smooth and ready for your base colour. I will aim for a minimum 3 coats of colour and have done up to 5 on a car. But two nice evenly applied coats should look fine. Again you can wet sand your base colour paint, why not? It will pay off and it should take little time on the small surfaces.
Next step is the fun step a couple coats clear coat to bring life to the paint and gloss to the surface. The clear applied well in ideal conditions looks pretty good after it hardens. Even the best sprayer working in the best environment wont avoid some small percentage of orange peel surface like surface.
If your a perfectionist and notice the finer details and want to achieve that perfect flat glass finish grease up your again elbows and grab the water. Be careful especially near edges.
For paint 3M products is one of the better production names with stage options that range. The same paints GM dealerships collision shops used at one point and may still do. There are a rainbow of colours, plus custom tint.
Some stages can be skipped still resulting in a very nice presentable surface. But take your time go the long way and end up with surfaces that look brilliant.
There obviously a lot of work involved and more expense the more step paint jobs, to some its worth it. If you dont have spray guns and compressor and cant borrow those you will have to rent.
A less involved but pretty nice paint option would be spray bombs. Not the crap shake cans on shelves in chain stores save that for the lawn mower. I mean spray bomb cans you have mixed and loaded into on the spot at automotive pain suppliers. Its real auto paint with your reducers and hardeners and everything ready measured and mixed ready to spray. Although its not exactly cheap either, and cost goes up depending what paints you want. On the average I paid almost $40 per can for average acrylic enamel, but it worked very well, end result looked better than factory paint on a YBA preamp top surface. Partly for the paint partly for the can and sprayer tip. Paint exits them fine light and consistently. With the cold weather arriving its the best time to plan days with low humidity and best to spray in providing you dont do so in the cold. That will cause orange peel. So will too much humidity so ital defeat the whole idea. A warm portable heater in the garage should do.
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I love that stuff. At one point I wanted to take everything in to have it blasted and powder coated. There was a shop by me that used to charge similar prices as it would to DIY paint a car rim. that would start chipping off in no time. Only down side to powder coat you have to be down to bare metal. at some shops cost usually goes up they dont include it with the coating. I ended up getting a portable snap on blasting gun that plugged into an airline. Lots of mess but everything thats fun gets messy at some point.
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