cosmetic sergery

[Sasso]

hello all looking to get some advice. been meaning to get myself an av rack for amp/ps3/router etc.... and i finally found a bargain in a local shop for 30£ only one problem....its silver.... oh noess!!!!! so what must i do... PAINT IT BLACK

here is a pic of the unit in question...

as you can see it's silver. its also made of MDF/HDF. so firstly, what spray paint should i use to get a good matteish finish on it? as there also of spray paints out there.... also, just a simple sand down and then 2-3 coats of spray should be enough?

secondly are my back speakers... they are pretty old and could do with a touch up...

again a matte finish on this would be nice to keep them as close to origional as possible. would a simple roughing up and 2 layers be decent enough? and again what spray paint? think its made of chipboard/mdf xP

thirdly is the centre speaker, the only speaker that i have in a light colour as it was the only one bought new and they didnt have black at the time. its the speaker on the left.

whish this speaker i would like to try and get a similar finish to my front floor standers (pic on the right). tho im not too sure how to achieve this, its an eltac speaker and it seems that it may be made out of some laminate panals, was thinking about sanding and then using wood stain but seen that it doesnt have good results and if it is laminate its not possible so would just a thin layer of paint surfice? also would i need different spray paint as it is more of a plastic surface and just sand it down a bit to make it stick?

Fourthly as im going nuts with all the painting i figured i may aswell change the cable box and router while i am at it xD

lets start with the cable box, the shell is metal and also gets a tad hot so paint selection is crucial i think for this. the front is plastic so a different paint would proably be needed to make it stick properly. also just rought the surfaces with some fine wet and dry? also looking for a matte/only slightly gloss finish to this.

now moving onto the router, plan for this is to remove the clear band going round, mask up a thin strip that goes all the way around and then spray the unit black and remove the mask so that its all black with a white stripe all the way round with the yellow lights, so same paint as the front of the cable box? lightly sand the whole thing? what would be a good material for the mask?

Finally (thank god i hear you cry... i did say it woudl be long)

i wish to make some screens for the rear speakers, found some good material on the bay for just under £10 that would be more than enough to cover the areas. just wondering though what would be the best way to secure them in place? make up a wooden splint frame to staple the mesh to and then use some dowls or something to slot it into some holes if i make them?



if you got to the end of this congratulations, you deserve cookie

contrsuctive comments are welcome, and if you could state what item your comment is addressing (cable box, grille, av rack..etc) it will help me understand you replies.

 

[krisboats]

Firstly, i'd go with just spraying directly onto the tv stand. Spray it all with black spray paint 2 coats (30 mins between coats) and leave it overnight to dry. Spray it again the next day and your done. It looks to have a slightly dappled effect on it already so you can get away with spraying from a slight distance and edge on the side of slightly too little paint rather than chucking loads on and making a mess of it. Just remember to leave the paint for 2-3 days at the least in order to harden before placing all your gear on. Leave it too little time and you'll pull off the paint when you come to move things around as they'll have stuck to it.

The rear speakers look fairly pitted along those sides. If you get some sandpaper and take some time with them you can work up through some grades of sandpaper and get a nice smooth edge to them before spraying. That'd improve the look of them an awful lot more than just fresh paint.

The centre speaker if laminated will not get to a black ash woodstain effect. You can either spray it black and have it as a matt finish or peel away the veneer and buy some black ash effect veneer to replace it and iron on/cut it yourself. It isn't as hard as people make it out to be so don't let that put you off. Also, another option would be a black ash effect fablon sheet. It'll be a plastic laminate like is already on there but at the price and with some stonger glue spread over the box it'll be a similar effect but slightly cheaper and easier to cut than a real wood veneer.

You could use posts yes, and i'd just fold around the frame and staple like you suggested. Though an mdf frame might be a bit on the heavy side a few strips of pine from b&q would be an easy material for you to knock up some lightweight screen frames and the strips are usually under £3 for 2.4m in various sizes.

Posts would work, or if you want to get really fancy you could look at using some cheap high strength magnets.

also looking for a matte/only slightly gloss finish to this.

That would be a satin finish spray can.

Most sprays are much of a muchness. Halfords car sprays are pretty good and nice sized cans for the money too, though wilkinsons and plasticote are also perfectly alright at a slightly cheaper price.

Just to show i've had a bit of experience with this. Here's mine. I built the speaker cables, speaker stands, av rack and subwoofer. All mdf, and all rattle canned.

The subwoofer isn't quite finished, it still has some surface defects so needs resanding and more spray applying. Though i've used these coats to have a play with turning it to a gloss finish using 1500grit wet and dry and some t-cut. Turns out very nice with some patience so i'm awaiting sunshine for that job.

 

[Sasso]

awesome thanks for the info so some satin pait it is. think ill just spray the centre speaker as sounds less hastle and if going to be buying paint will reduce costs a bit

so to recap:
stand - no standing, 2 coats approx 30 mins appart, 3rd day after and left for 2-3 days to harden (no need to sand between layers?)

rears - sanding optional (only to remove dimples?), paint as above

centre speaker - possible light sanding to get grip on the vinyl? then same as above 2 coats and then another the day after?

cable box/router - again possible light sanding for paint to grip? and then same paint as above?

but what pait should i use? do i need a different paint for wood/metal/plastic? or can i use the same on all? what paint do i actually need? xP

 

[krisboats]

awesome thanks for the info so some satin pait it is. think ill just spray the centre speak as sounds less hastle and if going to be buying paint will reduce costs a bit

am not too fussed about the little holes on the rear speakers tbh, adds a bit of character i think

so can just spray straight onto the stand with no sanding? what about sanding the other speakers and cablebox/router? and what type of paint is best? will i need differnt ones for the metal, wood and plastice surfaces?

PLastikote on the router will be fine. I wouldn't sand it. Just whack a really light coat on so you can see it's mostly black but not quite opaque black (lgiht enough to tell it's white underneath) Then once thats dry give it another coat of the same amount to make it solid black and leave it to dry for 24 hours. The paint should stick to the router no problem, front of my pc case was a direct spray with no sanding and that takes some fair effort to scratch it.

In fact i'd probably say plastikote will do it all perfectly fine. The virgin box looks as though it's metal with a silver paint finish or maybe anodising?

EDIT: I wouldn't bother with sanding between coats. That's mostly to reduce the orange peel effect when your after a gloss finish or with paintbrushes. A speckled tv stand will be fine without it. Mine certainly had no sanding between coats and i only chipped it the other day by dropping a pair of pliers onto it (think i used wilko's own brand satin for that one)!

If the eltax is plastic veneer replica the plastikote will again go straight to it without any worries. If you leave it unsanded you'll retain your wood grain surface effect as well.

If you're terribly worried about durability you could always do a test patch on the underneaths of them but at the end of the day they're speakers, it's not like you'll be flinging them round the room or riding them to work so the durability is only an issue to the point of coffee cups or dvd cases being left on them.

 

[Sasso]

sorry i edited at you were replying xP cool ill get that paint then. yea the virgin case is metal and a plastic front... that paint still be good for the metal?

 

[krisboats]

sorry i edited at you were replying xP cool ill get that paint then. yea the virgin case is metal and a plastic front... that paint still be good for the metal?

I'd probably lightly sand the metal or at the very least use a few light coats of basic primer first just to get something adhered to it. You could use a metal etching primer but they're a little expensive and harder to come by.

 

[Sasso]

I'd probably lightly sand the metal or at the very least use a few light coats of basic primer first just to get something adhered to it. You could use a metal etching primer but they're a little expensive and harder to come by.

cool so just get the basic paint from wilkinson and use it on everything... wont matter that the cable box heats up will it? dont fancy fumes xP

 

[Sasso]

i hope i can post this link to B&Q...
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...refview=search&ts=1281648598282&isSearch=true

thats the spray i need yarrr?

 

[kingy666]

Don't forget that you don't actually own your vigin media box so when they want it back they may bill you for wrecking it. Is it not worth paying £49 for a new black samsung V+HD box?

 

[Sasso]

Don't forget that you don't actually own your vigin media box so when they want it back they may bill you for wrecking it. Is it not worth paying £49 for a new black samsung V+HD box?

thought it was kinda like mobile phones.... if you cancel the contract they take it back but after you have forfilled the min term then it's yours? i mean everyhouse ive been in they haven't asked for them back. mate has about 4 of the old ones left over from being in different houses xD

and well i'd rather spend the 6£ on paint probably going to cancel soon anyway and just use it for freeview

 

[kingy666]

I have had virgin tv for around 6 years (used to be telewest) and had an old telewest pace SD box. I Upgraded to a V+HD box a week ago and they sent me a box and plastic bag to post my old box back with a letter stating that if they do not recieve my old box back within a month they will charge me £50. My brother has just cancelled his broadband with virgin and he also had a box sent for his modem to be returned or he will be charged for it.

 

[Sasso]

oh really? because ive still got the really old box lying around here and they didnt ask for it back. and again, still got 2 modems from previous houses...

edit: also if this is true then how are people selling v+HD and other boxes on ebay.... surely that would technically be selling stolen goods? well u know what i mean?

also with the router they say you get it "free" so would that be considered a gift to me?

 

[kingy666]

oh really? because ive still got the really old box lying around here and they didnt ask for it back. and again, still got 2 modems from previous houses...

edit: also if this is true then how are people selling v+HD and other boxes on ebay.... surely that would technically be selling stolen goods? well u know what i mean?

also with the router they say you get it "free" so would that be considered a gift to me?

I am just telling you what happened to me. Maybe this is a new policy from virgin to stop people hacking old boxes/modems or maybe because they want to recycle their old equipment. If you have another old virgin/cable box apart from the one you will be using then you could just send that back to them if they ever ask for it. Maybe it was because i recieved my new V+HD box via courier so i installed it myself as i didn't need an engineer to do it and i saved about £35 on an installation fee. If it is a 'self' installation maybe virgin think i may use my old box in another room for free and that is why they want it back. I am just making a few guesses here as i don't know but it is the truth that they said they would charge me £50 if i did not return the box.

 

[Sasso]

ahhhh yea probably part of their cracking down on cracks policy. mine was also a self install and even said i had all the old stuff if i could save time and just use it but they said no it wouoldnt so i had to wait for the delivery and about 10 mins later it was all installed screw waiting the quoted 3 weeks for someone to fit it

anywhooo...

UPDATE:

well today was a bit up and down on the painting front. the spray was good for the back speakers and also filled in the little holes a bit so it's a bit smoother.

tried a thin layer on the centre but that went mammary glands up ( hehe xP). tried a really thin coat but the paint ran on the surface a bit and look rubbish so going to use that layer as an undercoat and paint over it properly tomorrow.

the router was fine (although fell on the floor so had to re do a small section). 2 coats down, giving a final one tomorrow.

cable box was hit and miss.... the metal case was painted no probs, final layer tomorrow..... but the plastic front... the paint really didn't like it. i thought front the patterns and movement of the paint that it was disolving the plastic but luckily it was just the paint not wanting to stick down. so kept applying a few thin layers till it was covered. going to sand it down and use that as an undercoat like the centre.

the av rack.... well the thing i was going to paint initially i left till last... started spraying it and it was sticking to it fine... just not really covering it well with the spray. so called it a day on that.

PLANS: returned the little wodden splints and one can of spray to B&Q and bought a sheet of MDF top hack at to make the frame for the grilles as this is more thought out solution also bought some internation black satin paint pot to use on the rack and the plastic part of the cable box. also need to buy the acoustic cloth....

i actually went ionto sextons today and asked if they had any acoustically transparent cloth to put onther the front of speakers and i was guided to a wall with one box of really thick blue cloth and told the only other stuff they had was the grey stuff that you cover the speakers with... dissapointment bah!

 

[Sasso]

update:

right well the router is finished woohoooo have a look.. i think it looks pretty damm sexy

what ya guys think? (btw the little marks on the top are not paint scratches xP little bits of lint from the duster )

also have painted the rear speakers with another coat using the internation and they are looking much better think another coat tomorrow and then they are done

cut the MDF for the rear grill frames and glued on some risers so that they wont be touching the speakers gotta let them dry till tomorrow and then sand them down to make smooth and fillet the edges. then paint and attach mesh when it arrives

the metal for the cable box came out stunning..... shame the plastic front didn't been sanding and respraying it a tiny bit at a time. it's looking better but not that great, but it will be in the rack so hopefully wont be able to see it that well xD

centre speaker was looking a bit rubbish when i went back to it today so i sanded down the curtain marks and took lots of time slowly spraying it and i must say it looks a hell of a lot better. just letting the paibnt dry and harden now and should be ready to move back up tomorrow or thursday

that's all from me for now. shall take more pics as i forgot to today xD

 

[Sasso]

UPDATE:

woo so pretty music finished the cable box, just waiting if someone can help me with modding a fan to it (see my other thread in this section )

can see from the left the kinda bubbling i was on about but the right hand pic of the front of the unit turned out alright... it will be in the dark so won't notice the imperfections

here is the centre speaker, turned out quite alright i think

here are my rear speakers finally painted and dried. and also all the other bits drying in the welsh sun can see the grille frams i made on the end of the row

so just gotta attach the cloth and then its just a case of putting it all together and setting it all up again

 

[Sasso]

wooohoooo everything is assebled and after a few hours of running cables its all operational hope you all approve

everything in place sory bout the glare as these are iphone pics and on the right cables are taken over to the left and then tied using these lil velcro ties. they are awesome!!! if you get some velcro squares as i did aswell and stick them to the frame, you can tie up the cables and then stick to the frame so if you need to add/take out cables its simples

here's the front gear and the rear speakers look much tidier now with the mesh very pleased and close up below

overall a grand success me thinks hope you guys liked my work

 

[paulh]

Nice work mate.

Can't belive how well it all turned out. Love the router, might do that to mine.

Those rears look cool too.

Nice one!!!

 

[Sasso]

thanks \o/ yay approval yea was a bit hit or miss at onestage with the spray paint but once i adopted a more conserative approach to my spraying it it was great and with the black bands on the slip behind the seethrough plastic on the router(the bit with the symbols on) i used this thin black tape we had around the house and trimmed it to fit. paint smelt a bit at first but its all fine now

thinking about adding to it now though and possibly getting some cooling for the amp as it gets rather toasty, been looking at these rack coolers, like a panel for pro racks (almost like server racks) with a few fans and screwing it on in the gap above the amp to get some good air flow over it

 

[krisboats]

Looks really good mate. They've really turned out nice.

Is that metal gear rex on the front speaker?