[ckolchak]

i'm going to paint my diy component rack and projector stand and i was just wondering if i should be buying an eggshell finish or a satin finish.

it will be black paint.


i used a gloss or semi gloss black on a wood project a few years ago and it looked awful, so i think i should stay a way from a high shine ( a lot of the wood i'm using is just cheap pine).


i'm giving it all 3 coats of grey primer and sanding between coats- the stand has almost a glassy finish already just from the primer. is this too smooth for the future coats of paint?


any other kind of paint i should be looking at instead?



also- i'm finishing off some of the pieces with stained wood accents-are there any low sheen sealers for stained wood? or is there only high gloss lacquer/varnish/ acrylic?

 

[David_Larkins]

Hey... How 'bout some pics of that componnet rack??


Thanks,

David

 

[ckolchak]

on the left is the rack as it is now, on the right is a an aproximation of how the finished piece should look


http://members.localnet.com/~cocteau...101%20copy.jpg

 

[David_Larkins]

very nice indeed... I wish I had carpentry skills


It should look great when you finish it.


BTW - I think I'd go for eggshell.


good luck,

David

 

[ckolchak]

I don't have any real skills David, all i know how to build are crates .

this is the same design i use for all my bookcases.

i like it though.

its form following function, and seems to be pretty solid.


the guy at Home Depot tonight was able to answer a few of my questions.

he suggested i go with a high gloss, which i didn't want, but i realize a glossier surface would probably work better on this piece- so i picked up some semi-gloss.

i'll test some pieces first before i commit to the whole thing.


for the pj stand, i'm going to go with a satin.

i really don't want that too glossy because it sits right in the sweet spot and i'm afraid reflections off it will be a distraction (sometimes its in front of the seating, sometimes not).


i finally have a diital camera so i'm documenting my progress and may post more pics if anybody is interested.

 

[David_Larkins]

I am interested. I always love seeing pics of some great diy stuff. Right now I am considering making my own audio rack, as anything that I can find to fit my components (large cd changers - 24" deep) is prohibitively expensive.


I have a friend who is a carpenter, so I'm hoping to have him help me with it.


keep the pics coming.


Thanks,

David

 

[Jeff Hovis]

Nice rack. I built mine into a wall and used Glidden black eggshell from HD. I also used the same paint on the base of my Audax HT speakers. Here is a link to the pics:
http://lotuseuropa0.tripod.com/diy_e...nt_rack001.htm

 

[squid48072]

I have worked in the painting industry for many years. I hope I can can help you.


First, are these racks wood or metal ?


What kind of gray primer did you use ?


In regards to the gray primer being glossy, Paint will NOT stick to anything glossy. If you paint over glossy surfaces you can take your fingernail and scratch the paint right off.


What you will need to do is to dull the gloss down by sanding it lightly with some 150 grit sandpaper. This will put scratches in the paint which will let a new layer of paint stick.


In regards to the gloss of the paint that you should use. Any higher gloss paint will protect the finish better. So a high gloss will be stronger then a semi-gloss and a semi-gloss will be stronger then a satin. The draw back to a higher gloss paint is that you will see a lot more imperfections. If you use a higher gloss paint you will need to use a GOOD quality brush. The cheaper the brush you use the more brush strokes you will see.


Regarding to either use a latex paint or oil. Latex paint are better today then 5 years ago. They still have a draw backs. They are not as durable as oil paint. It also takes them 30 days to get totally hard. So you need to be carefully that you don't bang something into them for at least 30 days. Oil paints are stronger. The draw back to them is that they smell , take longer to dry to touch. The major advantage is that they are much stronger then latex paint. I would recommend a oil paint if you really want a durable finish.


If I was going to paint these I would use a industry enamel ( oil ) at least a satin if not a semi-gloss. Stay away from the color white because it will yellow over time ( oil paints only).


I am worried about the primer that you used. If it is cars primer then you may have a problem with your finish coat sticking to it.


Hope this helps.


Sean

 

[squid48072]

In regards to low sheen sealers.


Yes some company's do make a low sheen sealer. Very few make anything lower then a satin sheen. I have seen some very low sheen varnishes. You will really have to search high and low for a lower sheen then a satin.


Some other things that you can think about .


You can't really use a Lacquer unless you have a spraying system. They dry way to fast to brush on.


Polyurethane is much tougher then varnishes. The higher the sheen the more durable the finish.


Have you thought about any of the rub on finishes ? Like Tong oil. Draw back is that they have to be re-applied often.


I would use a latex polyurethane with a sheen of satin and apply two coats. If you want a lower sheen then satin you will have to search for one.


Hope this helps.


Sean

 

[ckolchak]

Sean,

thanks for all the info on the paint although i totally changed my gameplan now.

i'm going with spray cans.


i've just about finished painting my pj stand w/ a $.98 can of flat black and i plan to finish it with a couple of coatings of polyacrylic satin.


if that goes well, i'll just repeat that for the component rack.

i really don't want a glossy finish, just something to protect the paint from easily scraping, chipping off.


when i was in HD yesterday, i stumbled on some some oak runners that i'm using to give the two top pieces a nicer curve. i've already glued those on and am starting to apply some spackle to smooth out the tops and give it a nice flat surface.

i applied too much at first and realized a few hours later it was too thick to dry, so i'm applying that in thinner coats building it up to the proper thickness.

i'm really excited about this little tweek to the design because i think it adds a nice little flair.

hopefully this spackle will work the way i want it too and i should be priming it later tonight and painting it tomorrow-have to wait fo the weather to cooperate.


the primer i'm using is called gripper i think- its what they recommended to me at HD.


any reason i shouldn't be using spray paint?

i wasn't looking forward to rolling any house paint on this, as i've never had much luck getting a nice finish when doing that on these kinds of projects.

the spray paint goes on nice and smooth.

 

[squid48072]

I think spray paint would be the way to go. Just put on multiple light coats. Most sprays are oil based which will give you a harder finish.


Keep in mind that Spackle sometimes will shrink and crack.


The grip primer seems fine.


Good luck.


Sean

 

[ckolchak]

AAAARRRGGGHHH!


this is driving me nuts.

everything is painted, most of the shelves are finished (putting the wallpaper on was much more of a ***** than i expected), and now all i'm waiting for is the wood trim to dry out from the stain so i can put the polycrilic on them and get them on the rack.

other than that i'm very happy with how everything turned out.

i went thru a couple design modifications that ended up getting scrapped which dragged this out longer than it sould have, but the spray paint was the way to go.

and i like the satin sealer very much.

i think i would have been considerably disappointed had i used house paint and a roller.


i also (finally) got the bright idea to sand down the edges, which i think gives everything a softer, more finished look.

if i hadn't been in such a hurry to take advantage of the good weather to spray the paint, i would have rounded the edges even more.

as it is though, i am happy.

and it is fortunaely an improvement over the bare wood- which i also liked, but didn't make for cohesive decor.


thanks for all the help (even if i didn't take your advice


hopefully i can get the wood sealed tomorrow and everything finshed for some pics- then ...finally! i can get back to enjoying some movies.

 

[ckolchak]

 http://members.localnet.com/~cocteauj/DSCN0128.jpg