Painted Finish

We had a power transformer catch on fire in the neighborhood this week and we lost power for several hours. Our TV was on when the power went poof and when power was restored, we turned on the TV only to see all the magic smoke coming out the back....

Off to the store, new SONY 42" LCD wide-screen (love it) but did not like any of the stands they had. Besides being ridiculous in price, wife thought I needed a project.......(ya can see a new tool creeping in here can'tcha......;-)

I'll build one okay but kinda wondering about how I can finish it so it matches the silver/gray color of the TV set. Anyone ever get into matching paint finish between plastic and wood? I'll probably use poplar to build the stand/cabinet. I remember reading a post here from one of the pro's that told how he had a similar problem and how he finally resolved the problem but I haven't been able to find it in the archives.

I have a compressor and could get a spray gun and visit our local Sherman Williams - or try the borgs to see if they have anything in a spray can that is close. I seriously doubt I'll find a good match from what I recall seeing in color choices, so custom mix is probably the only way.

Painted finishes look different when applied to various surfaces (plastic, metals, wood, composites, etc.). Any advice on what primer, or particular paints I should be using?

Thank you,

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS
Loading thread data ...

Sherwin Williams has regional tech centers that you can call and ask about the problem.

I'd think about using MDF as your base, if you're going to paint.

Then again, I'd think about doing something that is in harmony with but does not match the TV, rather than go through the agony of trying to develop an exact match.

Tom Watson - WoodDorker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)

formatting link
(website)

Reply to
Tom Watson
[snip]

Consider going with laminates. Many of the companies like Wilsonart, Arborite, Micarta, and Formica now make metallic laminates exactly for the type of thing you're building. I agree with Mr. Watson that it might be a better choice to harmonize with the Sony's colour than trying to match it... although I'm pretty sure Wilsonart has a real close match to that particular silver. (They also have some cool 'real' metals on laminate that work with ordinary wood-working tools.)

Reply to
Robatoy

I agree with the harmony notion, but how about harmonizing with other furniture in the room.

SteveP.

Reply to
Highland Pairos

The nice thing about spray cans is that you can just buy one and see how it works out. There are a variety of metal colors and see Wal-mart if you have one near by, several different "brands" are made by the same company. If you aren't used to using the spray cans you'll need some practice to get it looking okay.

Josie

Reply to
firstjois

I built a stand form my TV for two reasons.

  1. I did not like the style of the one that were offered
  2. I did not want a big piece of silver/gray plastic looking stuff sitting in the room.

I don' tknow your taste in furniture or the decor of the room so maybe silver/gray works for you. I'd try a good paint store to see if they can make a match.

You can see mine about 2/3 of the way down the page

formatting link
Originally I was going to have doors on the front but found drawers are far more practical with full extensions. Easy to get to DVD's CD's etc.

I had mine for over a year before we could finally get High Definition from the cable company. What a difference!

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

"BobS" wrote in news:hKhAe.22130$e% snipped-for-privacy@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

I agree with the harmonize idea Tom and the others espouse.

The primer/filler question is the one with current applicability for me, as I'm doing a painted finish vanity & closet system. Latex caulk isn't going to cut it for filling brad/finishing nail holes, and I'd like to get a nice, self leveling finish on the painted surfaces.

I'm assuming an alkyd satin painted finish. What's a good sandable filler? And is Zinsser BIN as good a choice as any?

Patriarch

Reply to
Patriarch

If you have the patience, nothing on the planet will beat epoxy fairing compound to fill depressiond, nail heads, etc on a surface that will be painted.

Mix up maybe 2-4 oz or catalyzed resin (use a slow hardner), then mix in microballoons to achieve a consistancy of mayo.

Use a popsicle stick, etc and wear protective clothing.

Fill all depressions proud, then allow at least 24-48 hours to cure before sanding (I did say patience didn't I?)

You are good to go.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

It's not self-leveling, but bondo works pretty good for filling areas that are to be painted. I've used it to repair large broken areas (read "holes") in a couple of doors for a client, and you couldn't even see where the repair had been afterwards. Before painting, I set the door on a couple of saw horses, and stood on the patch and bounced a little to make sure it was strong- and it was fine. Just wear a mask when you sand it- that gunk can make you pretty sick without one.

Reply to
Prometheus

Ditto that.

I tried Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty but it didn't adhere to the latex paint very well. I'll bet one of 3M's 3 glazing putties would work well. They're very fine and easily sandable.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Given any thought to going the other way and matching the TV to the stand? It'd solve one set of problems.

I don't mean replacing the exterior TV surfaces (ala a certain IPod), I'm sure you wouldn't want to void your warranty that quickly! But the latest "style" of TV's here in Oz are very streamlined, plasticky and IMHO tacky... although I like the performance of our new 'un I hate the look. So, some thought has been given to making a "classic" cabinet for it to reside in...

Reply to
Andy McArdle

Thanks for the reply. As for your problem, use Bondo - works great, no shrinkage and certainly paintable...

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS

To all that responded - Thank you.

Some good ideas to ponder. I certainly like the new TV (image) but the color of the case is not exactly a fit with our contemporary furniture. The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of making the stand look like the TV and going with Tom's idea (that's why we pay him the big bucks here...).

Did a bit of snooping to see what others have done and found some sites where they have made stands that "are in harmony" with the rest of the room. So it looks like that will be the best overall solution. Easy enough now, but when I was initially standing in front of that monster pondering what I would do, all I could think of was matching "it" and nothing else at the time.

Thank you and as usual - good input.

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS

I should mention this.

I went to a computer trade show a few years back. There was a guy there who was a painter. It turned out the many women objected to computers being in a room where it "clashed" with the decorator theme. Since he was a very good "theme or decorator" painter, he began to get calls from these folks to come over and paint the computer case. He also painted monitors, printers, etc.

He could do anything from woodgrain to marble. Even the family pets could end up on the box. He was quite good. He got $300 for about two hours work. It was a full time activity for him and he earned a good living. He often had four or more jobs a day. All the decortors in town used him.

Just a thought. You might consider this approach.

I thought is was kind of silly myself. But the demand was there and he did well at it.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Lee,

Good idea but I've looked at a number of stands from those that are made of glass shelves to give it the floating look, to stands painted flat black and many in between. The TV itself doesn't fit with much unless it's a modern look. Making it "float" in our room would be like wearing a polka dot suit to a dinner party - just doesn't work. This things needs an anchor now that I've had some time to think about it and gotten other ideas from those that have had this kind of problem. I don't know how the "whole look" will end up at the moment but the stand will be more in line with our early depression furniture. Film at 5 of me being slapped upside the head for that remark by SWMBO....

Thanks,

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS

"BobS" wrote in news:5FZAe.26644$e% snipped-for-privacy@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

Integrating our ever-larger viewscreens is becoming a real challenge. Particularly challenging, when, even with sattelite and TiVo, there is so frequently nothing appealing available.

Now about the library shelving...

Patriarch

Reply to
Patriarch

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.