Older speakers - Cherry Veneer to Black ?

[RTRoberts]

Have a pair of older Paradigm Titans.

They are in Cherry and I would like to see if there is a way to re-do them in black.

1 option given to me was have a car shop paint them..

Can you veneer over top of the existing finish?

Another option would be to build new or find a blown set of titans to swap out the cabinets...

Thoughts?

 

[Rickster71]

Hi RT,

I don't think painting would be as durable; though it is cheaper and easier.

Yes you can veneer over the existing finish.

Are the foam surrounds in good enough shape, to warrant the cabinet work?

Good Luck
Rick

 

[highfihoney]

Ive seen more speakers completely ruined over the last 10 years from people trying to paint them black,what is the deal with black speakers that would fuel the desire to destroy any future value of the speaker,other than for parts on ebay

Really,i dont get it at all,what does a black speaker have to offer that a cherry speaker dont,unless a living room is done in all black laquer(pretty tacky lookin) why wont a cherry finish fit the decor.

A word of advice for painting speakers,it will INSTANTLY drop the value of the speaker to zero,home made paint jobs end up looking like pure he!! & unless an automotive painter uses a high epoxy based primer before painting the finish will never hold,it will peel & chip like crazy,keep in mind that these type primers are not in the normal range of use in the automotive painting industry.

Even for a professional,painting (properly) over veneer that has a finished surface is not easy,it requires use of a high performance epoxy primer because the existing veneer is always too thin to properly sand out the finish,without removing the old finish normal primers will not sink in,they just lay on top of the wood causing a very poor bond.

My advice would be to either live with the finish you have now or to sell your speakers & use the proceeds twords a pair with a finish that you want,there is no cheap/lasting process to change a finish of a speaker, unless your skilled in cabinet refinishing yourself,then you can go over the old veneer with your chosen veneer.

 

[RTRoberts]

Thanks for the replies

Thanks for the replies.

The only motivation to change to black would be to match the sub and centre. There is nothing wrong with them, they sound great. I think, as per the comments, that I will leave them as is.

Cheers
Ryan

 

[NYyankeeboi]

Ive seen more speakers completely ruined over the last 10 years from people trying to paint them black,what is the deal with black speakers that would fuel the desire to destroy any future value of the speaker,other than for parts on ebay

Really,i dont get it at all,what does a black speaker have to offer that a cherry speaker dont,unless a living room is done in all black laquer(pretty tacky lookin) why wont a cherry finish fit the decor.

I couldn't agree more, I don't know what it is with my taste in wood, but black just makes me think of 80's. Cherry or Rosewood are for the most part timeless and classic.

I had such an issue when I had to get all the wood flooring in my house to match or accent my speakers and or entertainment system.

Grrr, now I look over at my kitchen, yuck, I don't know what to do with that. Thankfully, I don't know how to cook...lol

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

The best way to turn them black and still have them look good would be to dye them. Unlike stain, black dye don't really have to be applied evenly as it soaks into the grain of the wood, no matter how much you use, the color is the same.

Take your drivers out and sand all of the clear coat off of the speakers. BE CAREFUL NEAR THE EDGES! so you don't sand through the veneer. Brush black dye over the entire speak and let it dry (it takes maybe an hour or two). Sand the entire cabinet with 220. Spray the cabinet with black lacquer grain sealer (comes in rattle can). This is a laquer that is tinted black. It looks like paint when you first apply it but then it soaks into the wood as the (toxic) solvents evaporate. Give it two coats with the black and then two more sanding very lightly with 400 or 600 grit between the last two coats.

The more coats you put on the more the grain starts to vanish. I just finished a jewelry box base of poplar with this method and the results were outstanding. If you wanted a really glossy finish (like tacky 80's black laquer) then you can top it of with a coat of gloss laquer. Use ventilation or a organic vapor mask, that stuff is TOXIC as hell.

 

[Addy]

sanding the clear coat off the speakers will be nearly impossible 1, the stain/ lacquer that is put on be for hand has all ready been soak in by the veneer.. good veneer is usually 1/32 but most veneer is around the 1/64 range at least the commercial stuff is. with it being that thin you can drop water on it and watch it come out the other side in Meir seconds... personally the best bet would be to leave them or re-veneer them, re-veneering requires some skill and is a very unforgiving job especially if you dont have the proper tools. you can buy pre-dye veneer usually oak that is dyed black apply this and add a gloss lacquer coat and your in business

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

well, it really depends on what stain/finish the speakers have been treated to. Commercial veneer is uber thin but unless they are sealed with polyurethane (doubtful) I think you could still get the stain to take. The other option would be to sand smooth (400 grit) and finish with black laquer in a rattle can without dying the wood. You would have to sand pretty damn hard with 400 to burn through the veneer.