Wayne Parham Messages: 18786 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
That's been my experience too. I'm really the guy to ask about electronics and acoustics, but not so much on cabinetry and finishes. I tend to leave the woodworking and finish-coating answers to those more familiar. There are some really good cabinetmakers here.
That said, I have done a lot of speakers with various truck bed liner finishes and they apply great right onto MDF or Baltic Birch, without any special preparation. Some paints really need adhesion modifiers and/or primers applied, but truck bed liner seems to be an exception. It bonds to wood just great. And its texture tends to cover rough spots in the wood and also to hide joints, so you don't have to work as hard in the sanding department either.
jtwrace Messages: 66 Registered: October 2009 Location: FL
Viscount
Next was some sanding. I chose to use an orbital sander with 80 grit to knock the overhang of the baffle off and really get the MDF smooth. As my previous painting training has taught me the prep work is the dirtiest and certainly the most important for the final finish. I used BIN Primer that I had tinted as a white base with black Duratex going over didn't make any sense to me. I did one coat of BIN then sanded with 120 grit and repeated.
jtwrace Messages: 66 Registered: October 2009 Location: FL
Viscount
I like to finish the inside. If it was ever sold and someone opened it, I like it to look finished. Also, it really cuts down on the possible MDF dust and just makes it so much nicer to me. How crappy is it to open a speaker and see it raw and cheesy inside? Yuck. Doesn't take much more effort to make it look a bit nicer and an advantage of diy since you're not against the Excel Sheet of the bottom line.
jtwrace Messages: 66 Registered: October 2009 Location: FL
Viscount
2-3 coats of Duratex provides an excellent finish. I have found that while you put it on heavy, it really takes rolling it in all directions to smooth it out evenly. Then for the final finish, you slowly roll one direction with no pressure with 50% overlap. No zebra stripes and a consistent texture.
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