DuraTex-ing my cab tomorrow!

watchitmike · #1 05-17-2010, 11:56 AM

So I posted a few weeks ago about possibly staining my SVT 810 and the number of suggestions to try DuraTex were enough to convince me. I'm gonna start working on it tomorrow and I'm looking for suggestions from people that have used it before.

How many coats should I give it? Should I do a flat coat with a brush or sponge before using the textured roller? Should I do 2 flat coats and 1 textured? Or 2 textured?

This cab gets slammed around a bit and I really want to protect it. Thanks!

Washishimi · #2 05-17-2010, 12:34 PM

I've never done a cab, but I've done 3 rack cases with it. I usually do 1 flat coat with a sponge brush to make sure the entire area is covered, and then 1 with the textured roller. The finish ends up being tough as hell, but not sure if you would want/need to give an extra coat for a cabinet. It couldn't hurt, and is probably a good idea. Just be sure that any wood imperfections are taken care of first, because they do show through. There is good info HERE if you haven't already seen it.

BurningSkies · #3 05-17-2010, 12:42 PM

Yep, depends upon the color too. The custom Red I used looked good at 2 coats but darkened a bit at 3 coats. Solid stuff if you apply it correctly.

watchitmike · #4 05-20-2010, 09:24 AM

I started by coating the entire cab with a giant sponge. It covered pretty well but left a few dots that I touched up with a sponge brush. Then I coated it twice with a 3/8" nap roller.

It looks pretty awesome right now but I'm nervous about using the textured roller. I've done a little with it on a piece of scrap wood and I'm not really liking the texture. I'm also having a lot of difficulty getting it to roll evenly.

Washishimi · #5 05-20-2010, 09:40 AM

Try this on a scrap peice of wood..... roll a nice layer on with the nap roller, then go over that while it is still wet with the textured roller. If you do this one panel at a time, it might be a little easier for you to get an even texture. Trick is not to push too hard with the textured roller.

mcapote · #6 05-20-2010, 09:55 AM

if you are using black, spray a flat black paint coat before putting the duratex, you will get away with 2 texture coats only, I usually put 3 though just for the added sealing in case I do outdoor events or a drunk splashes my cab with a beer. I use duratex on every cab i do so im at about 150 or so done by now counting car sub cabinet

John Bigboote · #7 05-20-2010, 10:00 AM

First, I wouldn't mess with sanding. Use a razor scraper to get off any and all old glue or chunks of tolex backing. And something I'm considering next time is adding clean sand (the type you find at Home Depot) to get a more pro-looking gritty texture, like that of my pro-sprayed bedliner coverings. The pictures above are very accurate regarding what kind of texture you'll get with a textured roller. Quite different from sprayed bedliner.

HTH,

-jb

emor · #8 05-20-2010, 10:06 AM

I've used a small foam roller to get a smoother finish.
I paint the inside with flat black spray paint and then roll on three coats of Duratex. When trying for a smoother finish, lap marks can be a problem, so I try to roll final coats in the same direction.

watchitmike · #9 05-20-2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emor

I've used a small foam roller to get a smoother finish.
I paint the inside with flat black spray paint and then roll on three coats of Duratex. When trying for a smoother finish, lap marks can be a problem, so I try to roll final coats in the same direction.

This is very similar to what mine looks like right now and I'm kinda digging it. It has a very fine texture but still very solid looking.

watchitmike · #10 05-20-2010, 12:20 PM

I just had a pretty wild idea... I still have a huge piece of the original tolex from this cab. What if I found a way to roll out a layer of DuraTex and then use the tolex to transpose that texture? I would have to rig up a piece of it somehow. Any thoughts?

mulchor · #11 05-20-2010, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by watchitmike

I just had a pretty wild idea... I still have a huge piece of the original tolex from this cab. What if I found a way to roll out a layer of DuraTex and then use the tolex to transpose that texture? I would have to rig up a piece of it somehow. Any thoughts?

Intriguing.

Very Martha Stewart. No 'fense.

Try it on a scrap piece first. It's gonna be messy.

Rick Auricchio · #12 05-20-2010, 02:13 PM

The tolex idea is intriguing, but it will "pull" the wet paint into a more peaky texture than the original tolex. Plus you'll have to clean the tolex before doing another section. Too much trouble.

On my BFM build, I first used a satin black latex base coat, which guaranteed no bare spots, even if I missed a bit of an inside corner with the Duratex roller.

A textured roller does a wonderful job of the two Duratex coats. Then leave it alone for several days to cure. It will air-dry quickly, but won't be bulletproof for several days.

superbassman2000 · #13 05-20-2010, 04:03 PM

fun! I am thinking about duratex-ing my cab too--when you finish it, tell us (or at least me!) how much duratex it took!

BurningSkies · #14 05-20-2010, 04:25 PM

Yeah, nix the using tolex plan. Won't work.

The thing about Duratex is that its SOOOOOO EASY to apply. Its way thicker than paint and you have to work hard to get it to look ugly. I used only the textured 4" roller from Acryl-Tech and it came out fine. I did use 3 coats per cab (without any kind of sub-coat or primer) and I still have enough for at least 2 more full sized cabs. After about 8 months of use, my first cab shows no signs of wear to the coating.

Petebass · #15 05-20-2010, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Auricchio

The tolex idea is intriguing, but it will "pull" the wet paint into a more peaky texture than the original tolex.

I agree. But what about waiting until the duratex has starting drying before using the tolex? You know that not wet but not yet hard tacky state....... timing would be crucial and you'd have to work fast, but I'd be inclined to pull out a piece of scrap and give it a try.

chiplexic · #16 05-21-2010, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

The thing about Duratex is that its SOOOOOO EASY to apply. Its way thicker than paint and you have to work hard to get it to look ugly.

Great product! I did 3 coats of black using their textured roller. It was the blue full sized roller. I cut it in half and used it on a smaller sized roller frame. I didn't do any smooth base coat,just 3 even coats textured.

DONZI97 · #17 05-22-2010, 07:59 AM

Just put 3 coats on yesterday....its kind of fun. Now I want to duratex everything. Its pretty cool how you can do different types of texture by using different pressures while rolling.

Rick Auricchio · #18 05-22-2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petebass

I agree. But what about waiting until the duratex has starting drying before using the tolex? You know that not wet but not yet hard tacky state....... timing would be crucial and you'd have to work fast, but I'd be inclined to pull out a piece of scrap and give it a try.

Try it on a fairly large piece of scrap wood. I don't recall having enough "working time" with the Duratex to be able to texture a large surface. You'd probably coat the whole piece, texture 1/4 of it, and it would be too dry on the rest of the surface.

Here's a photo of my BFM cabinet: http://www.cfcl.com/rick/pix/rear.jpg

As for a texture roller, I bought a very-porous "stone texture" roller at a paint store. It looks somewhat like the attached scrubber pad. I cut it in half, because a four-inch roller is much easier to handle than a full-size one.

4Mal · #19 05-22-2010, 12:12 PM

I use on very thin base coat followed by two heavier coats. I'm not hung up on the kind of texture as I'm not hanging this thing on a wall - I'm playing bass through it ... I don't want it to be ugly mind you but still - Nobody will see any imperfection from about a foot away ... For me this is a tool and it's about durability, not art...

I used a 4" long, 1" (or so) diameter roller from ACE hardware. In between coats, I put the roller in a plastic bag. The kind you get your veggies in at the Super merc. I wrap it up tight to seal out the air and re-use the roller for the next coats. ...learned that from a guy that did a bunch of interior house painting for me years ago. Works great on paint, duratex too.

I would guess it took about a pint to do a fEarful 12 sub and maybe a scootch more to do a 12.6 - wish they sold the stuff in quarts ... I could duratex the car with what I have left over. If you are concerned about minimizing the waste, dispense very little at a time into the roller tray. this stuff spreads a ot further than you think it will. Next time I'm in a decent paint shop, I'm looking for a narrower roller tray...

Painters pyramids from Home Depot are helpful as well...

4Mal · #20 05-22-2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Washishimi

I've never done a cab, but I've done 3 rack cases with it. I usually do 1 flat coat with a sponge brush to make sure the entire area is covered, and then 1 with the textured roller. The finish ends up being tough as hell, but not sure if you would want/need to give an extra coat for a cabinet. It couldn't hurt, and is probably a good idea. Just be sure that any wood imperfections are taken care of first, because they do show through. There is good info HERE if you haven't already seen it.

Nice job on that head case. I might de-rack my WT-800 if I can figure out how to do that with removable covers. I really like that LH head and it sure looks sharp on top of the HyDrive 4x10. Nice looking rig.