Hand paint

[devonwoody]

I have been diverted from my usual past time in the workshop and needed to make a cabinet/tv stand for our living room.

We recently invested in a VBox television service from Virgin media and one of the facilities is that I can record programs on to the vbox harddrive and then at a later date transfer on to a dvd or vcr.

Unfortunately the new dvd/vcr recorders are oversized and do not fit our existing tv cabinet so I have made the item below.

This will stand on the existing cabinet housing the new vcr/dvd machine and the TV will stand on top of the new box.

The advice I am requesting is that I want the new cabinet to match coulourwise the existing tv stand (black).

I do not have any black primer (only pink) and I want to paint the new cabinet with black lacquer.

How would you go about this problem?

 

[mister henderson]

If you are looking for a smooth, satin finish then I would suggest a couple of cans of aerosol car paint, I'm sure I've seen them with satin finishes (for use on wheels probably)

 

[Gill]

Spray it with Chestnut's ebony lacquer?

Gill

 

[CNC Paul]

Hi Devon,

If you want to hand paint it in black with an eggshell finish try the following method.

Mix 2 parts oil based primer with 2 parts black eggshell and 1 part white spirit, this will give you an excellent dark primer. When it has dried overnight denib with 150G ali-oxide paper, then apply two coats of black eggshell with a denib between coats.

If you want it sprayed try a local car body shop.

Paul

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks above for the helpful replies, going to try the car body shop first, I don't enjoy or get the professional finish on projects myself, otherwise it will have to be one of the other choices.

BTW I was using 175mm wide board (Br. Mahogany) to make the cabinet 260mm wide and at the end of the preparation session I was quite despondent, the boards had cupped before starting the dovetail joints.
So left them overnight and next morning when I put a straight edge to them they had flattened again.
So although the timber has been laying around in my workshop for over 5 years it can still release stress when worked on.

 

[Jake]

If you are going to paint it, I'd save that timber and make a new one from MDF with butt or mitre-lock joints. I think there's a good risk that those dovetails will telegraph through the finish.

 

[wizer]

Would that not be an advantage Jake?

 

[Jake]

Not if the paint cracks.

 

[wizer]

oh I see, in terms of finish. Yes I can see how wood movement could make the finish crack. I wonder if there is some flexibility in 'car paint'?

 

[Oryxdesign]

Good advice from Jake, I don't think the car paint will survive, you maybe lucky of course. I like the Ebony stain idea, used some recently and it looked good. Simon

 

[mister henderson]

One point to bear in mind is that any finish that contains water will raise the grain, and that includes plain mdf, where the surface fibres will become visible depending on how close you look.

Professional display case makers would use mdf and have it sprayed by specialists using two-part lacquers.

 

[devonwoody]

I've got the new cabinet made and fitted in place below the TV as per picture.

I have had to add beading as a guide to keep tv in its correct position on the new box.
So dovetails are now no longer in view. Do the members think it would now be OK to have the cabinet sprayed black without fear of joints appearing if timber has seasonal changes?

 

[compo]

Hang on, have I got this right?

You take time and effort to build yourself a dovetailed cabinet out of SOLID Brazilian MAHOGANY and you plan to [/b]PAINT IT BLACK :!:


[-X

 

[devonwoody]

Well the colour doesn't match the other pieces.
And dovetails dont make very nice joints with softwood.
And that television weighs a ton on top and it needed something solid underneath with strength to thickness worth.

 

[compo]

Fair enough.

In that case you could use an acrylic undercoat as a primer/filler, either with/without a seperate grain filler. Then apply an acrylic top coat. I have found the B&Q ones to be really good. If you use a gloss roller and the undercoat is smooth you should get a decent finish, with little after work needed.
Depends on how black the other bits are and how good a match u need. But B&Q sample pots would be cheaper than a spray job.

 

[ike]

I'd go for sanding sealer base, followed by 'Spray putty' (ultra-high build filler/primer), followed with U-pol satin-black topcoat. The joints will, and the grain probably will eventually telegraph through, whatever you use, but the high-build primer will help to minimise it.

Ike