# painting a wooden box



## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

i have a silver cmstacker 810 case and i have made a wooden box to house my water pump, radiator and tec to chill the water.

now i have made it i need to paint it so i get a close as possible finish as my case,  probably impossible but it's gonna be good fun trying.

what type of spray paint should i be looking at or can you get some of that sticky plastic type thing that goes on cupboard doors etc that would give me a good finish?

any tips appreciated


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 8, 2007)

SpookyWillow said:


> i have a silver cmstacker 810 case and i have made a wooden box to house my water pump, radiator and tec to chill the water.
> 
> now i have made it i need to paint it so i get a close as possible finish as my case,  probably impossible but it's gonna be good fun trying.
> 
> ...



In order to get a good finish you'll need to prime it first. Otherwise you'll end up with wood-looking paint 

Then use the same type of paint that your case has- Acrylic usually has a shiny-ness to it.

EDIT: Wait, your case is brushed aluminum? Not gonna work with paint 

You could get some sheet aluminum and polish it up and plate the wooden box. Probably easier, and it would match a hell of a lot better.

But if you're not gonna do that, if you used a decently finished wood (Veneer plywood, or solid boards) you could stain it and keep it wood looking.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

yeah i thought getting an aluminium finish out of paint was a bit much to ask, i cant really panel it with aluminum cos i cant afford it lol hence the box being made of wood instead of aluminium panels which is what i wanted to do.

i only made it out of mdf as i planned on painting it so i dont have to look at a nasty wood box next to my shiny case lol,  hmm where to get some cheap alum from......


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 8, 2007)

SpookyWillow said:


> yeah i thought getting an aluminium finish out of paint was a bit much to ask, i cant really panel it with aluminum cos i cant afford it lol hence the box being made of wood instead of aluminium panels which is what i wanted to do.
> 
> i only made it out of mdf as i planned on painting it so i dont have to look at a nasty wood box next to my shiny case lol,  hmm where to get some cheap alum from......



If you don't use aluminum, I would suggest an acrylic black... but getting rid of the normal MDF texture is a toughie.

Also, with the AL you could probably just screw the panels on top of the wood covering it all and it would probably look decent (as long as you polished it to match, well)


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

the mdf i have is quality stuff, extremely smooth with no rough texture to it at all, a few coats of primer and i reckon it would look ok.

out of this world idea but it might work,  what if i got some aluminuim foil and covered the box in that, would i be able to apply a clear lacquer overcoat to it?


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## DR.Death (Jul 8, 2007)

just paint it black it will blend in with the soundings


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

yeah it seems thats the only way i'm gonna be able to do it


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## DR.Death (Jul 8, 2007)

take some pictures and i will see what it looks like


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

you could try coating it in leaf, such as gold or silver. Had some gold leaf from building car models. It is cheap, easy to do, and looks like metal.  All you do is apply the glue, stick on the leaf and smooth it out. If you ask at the store you get the leaf at, they sell burnishing tools to patern the metal look, then just polyurethane when all done to protect.
check this...http://www.gildedplanet.com/aluminumleaf.asp

By the way dont look at the prices as I only paid $5 for like 10 sheets of gold leaf at my local hobby store.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

unfortunately i dont have a cam to take a picture just yet  but i will as soon as my mother in law gets back in the next day or so.

isn't that leaf just like tin foil? sure looks like it lol and at $67 a book it would be cheaper to just buy some aluminium panels surely ?


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

sorry had to edit original post, prices there are way off, and yea sorta...some 3M spray adhesive and aluminum foil would work. Plus after it was dry the foil could be brightened, or polished to match .


EDIT: one thing also , Its almost free to try aside from the $5 worth of 3M( go with it, it is the best) , and some free foil from the kitchen, its worht a try IMO. If it looks bad ,scrape it off and sand the glue off(not hard to do at all) and start over!

@ spooky that price was for 500 sheets, most hobby stores sell like 10 in a package.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

well my case is brushed aluminium so i reckon it would be better to use the dull side maybe?  if i got some high quality tin foil do you think it could be "brushed" slightly to give the same kind of finish as my case? or would it just tear ?


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

there are burnaching tools for metal and I do recall brushes as well . I'd suggest starting with softer bristled brushes, so you dont tear the foil if effect is not quite there move to a stiffer bristle, and repeat untill desired effect. As i say if you go this route I strongly urge a finnish coat of something to "seal in the goodness" .

you might even try a sanding with very fine grade paper after its applied, would give same type of lines. just put the paper down and move the box in a constant left right or up down motion so the lines stay straight.


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 8, 2007)

sneekypeet said:


> there are burnaching tools for metal and I do recall brushes as well . I'd suggest starting with softer bristled brushes, so you dont tear the foil if effect is not quite there move to a stiffer bristle, and repeat untill desired effect. As i say if you go this route I strongly urge a finnish coat of something to "seal in the goodness" .
> 
> you might even try a sanding with very fine grade paper after its applied, would give same type of lines. just put the paper down and move the box in a constant left right or up down motion so the lines stay straight.



Or like a metal brillo pad.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

yeah that was my main concern with foil, it tears so easy when you try and do anything to the surface of it but i know i can get some high quality stuff thats reasonably thick.    

what type of coating should i use?  i dont really want to paint it with a brush as it tends to look nasty (my painting skills aint the best lol) so is there a spray?

i'll pick some up tomorrow and give it a go, i should have a camera by then so i'll post up some pics too  cheers for your help guys


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

If you Plan to pray it 3M does have pray adhesive,which works great. AS for the top coat just look for some spay polyurathane (clear drying) Light coats is the tip here. And I have worked with the "commercial" grade B4 on previous projects and its way more forgiving than the "usual" stuff.


EDIT:   APPLY FOIL TO BOX THEN LINE IT.....will be more solid and shouldnt tear once glue is dry. just be carfull in the corners.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

well i think i'm gonna do a lot of praying that it goes well and looks good but yeah i plan on spraying it if i can 

right, i'm gonna go search about and find some polyurathane spray and see how much it is


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

Local hardware store should have it cheap. Home Depot, lowes , or the local guy ,should be in the $5-10 range , depending on size of the can.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

well i'm in the uk so i'll have to have a look in do-it-all or sommat,   is this the stuff i need?

http://paint-and-supplies.hardwares...hane/varathane-spray-polyurethane-617950.aspx

what do you mean by line it?


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

that looks like the sray I was recommending ...

By lining I just mean the finish on the metal.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

ok i thought thats what you meant but just checking to be sure


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

Good luck Man, and the beauty part is, if you mess up the first time, there should be extra adhesive and foil to try a second time.


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## Namslas90 (Jul 8, 2007)

SpookyWillow said:


> well my case is brushed aluminium so i reckon it would be better to use the dull side maybe?  if i got some high quality tin foil do you think it could be "brushed" slightly to give the same kind of finish as my case? or would it just tear ?



Here in the U.S. we have "Heavy Duty" foil available, its almost twice as thick as the regular.  If the wood you used is soft like 'pine", use a "sanding sealer" to seal the wood first, let it dry then lightly sand it, so when you polish/burnish it the chances of the grain showing up will be minimized.  BTW; the shinny side can be brushed, and the dull side can be polished, after all it's just metal foil.

@ Sneakypeet - Great Idea!


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

yeah it should just scrape off if i screw up but i got some spare bits of mdf i can practice on first


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

NAMMY you are completely right on the sealer coat. It will produce a much smoother finish to start on!


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

Namslas90 said:


> Here in the U.S. we have "Heavy Duty" foil available, its almost twice as thick as the regular.  If the wood you used is soft like 'pine", use a "sanding sealer" to seal the wood first, let it dry then lightly sand it, so when you polish/burnish it the chances of the grain showing up will be minimized.  BTW; the shinny side can be brushed, and the dull side can be polished, after all it's just metal foil.
> 
> @ Sneakypeet - Great Idea!



i used mdf, no grain at all just very very smooth but that sounds like a good idea as its very absorbant and it may prevent any bubbling when i apply the foil.

that heavy duty foil, is it the kind used for cooking? if so i think thats the same kind of stuff that i was  going to get.  you get cheap kitchen foil or you can get the brand name stuff thats quite thick.


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## sneekypeet (Jul 8, 2007)

yes sir you are on the right track, "heavy duty" or "commercial grade" is how its labeled here.


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## Namslas90 (Jul 8, 2007)

SpookyWillow said:


> i used mdf, no grain at all just very very smooth but that sounds like a good idea as its very absorbant and it may prevent any bubbling when i apply the foil.
> 
> that heavy duty foil, is it the kind used for cooking? if so i think thats the same kind of stuff that i was  going to get.  you get cheap kitchen foil or you can get the brand name stuff thats quite thick.



MDF a great choice, but has "pores" so yeah seal it.  Yes Heavy Duty Kitchen Foil, as for brand name - most brands have both regular and Heavy duty types here in U.S.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 8, 2007)

yeah thats the same type of stuff, proper catering grade.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 9, 2007)

ok i found some clear spray sealants,  which of these would be best to use as theres quite a few to choose from,

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...ed=products&fh_start_index=0&ts=1183970226975

was looking at this one, http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/Product/pcode---4311   its for metal surfaces so would this be better? it can be found on the first link in this post.


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## penguin (Jul 9, 2007)

*good idea m8.*

you have the right idea the best stuff i would say is heavy duty most of the time you can't go rong with it.

hope it works for you m8.


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## keakar (Jul 9, 2007)

simply go to home depot, get an aluminum kick plate for the front door.

they are 8"x34" and are thin aluminum sheet metal, they cost $12

you can even bend 2 in half and make a case out of them if you want to.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 9, 2007)

i'm in the uk so no home depot for me, i wish i lived in the states at times cos your stores have everything you can think of and it usually costs next to nothing to buy it lol

i was looking at an aluminium splash gaurd for the back of the cooker, they were on sale not too long ago for £25 but they have since gone back to around £60-70,  they were a good size too, around 150cm x 100cm


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## Namslas90 (Jul 9, 2007)

Try Ebay.UK;

http://business.search.ebay.co.uk/aluminium_Metalworking-Supplies_W0QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ98641

You can even find the location and just go there.


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## SpookyWillow (Jul 9, 2007)

i found some !!!

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...earch.jsp&_requestid=379573&selected=products 

bargin price too i might add, i stumbled upon it while i was looking for a kickboard but that costs £32 :O   i just need to go get it now


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