What type of paint to use?

[truckinat15]

Me and my friend have decided to build another box and make the volumer the recommended amount to get the most performance out of the two subs. Our new box is going to be much smaller and we are going to use plexiglass so you can look into the box and see the bottom of each sub, then have the amp in the middle. Since the plexiglass will allow you to look into the box we've decided that we don't want to leave it wood and we are going to paint it white. I wanted to make sure that we used the right type of paint because I know that the fumes from the paint can damage the sub and I did not want that to happen. What tpe of paint do you recommend using? Would a couple coats of white spray paint work? We are going to home depot tommorow so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!

 

[exploreraudio]

You should be able to use any kind of paint you want...just let it dry first. Paint only emits fumes when it's drying. I have done what you are talking about, and I used some white Tremclad enamel.

I don't know what your woodworking skills are like, but if you can manage it, white formica will work much better for you (based on my experience with it).

Hope that helps, and good luck!

 

[truckinat15]

I am not the best at working with wood but we have quite a bit of MDF left over from the last box we built. What is this white formica you speak of I have never heard of it before?

 

[jimbo74]

formica is a resin molded type would...kinda like wood and plexiglass got stuck in a blender then it gets shaped like mdf...

 

[exploreraudio]

Umm...okay. Not the best description of Formica I have ever heard...but I know what you meant.

Formica is the same stuff they use when they make kitchen counters. It's about 1/16" thick, and it's a fairly brittle laminate that is easily worked with normal wood tools (routers, mostly). The way it is used is:

1) Cut out your piece of MDF to the correct size
2) Cut the Formica laminate about 1/2" larger on both dimensions
3) Coat both the surface of the wood and the back of the Formica in contact cement and let dry
4) Press the laminate onto the MDF (leaving 1/4" on all sides) and set with either a hard roller or a block of wood and a mallet.
5) Use a router with a flush-trim bit to take off the 1/4" and make the Formica even with the wood.

It sounds a lot worse than it is, but I will recommend it only for people very comfortable with box building and woodworking in general. The box you are making is NOT a good first project with the stuff....I think at this point you will have better luck with the paint. Just remember...lots of light coats instead of a few thick ones....patience, grasshpper!