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How to apply Duratex to an existing cab

DukeLeJeune

DukeLeJeune

rational romantic mystic cynical idealist
Commercial User
Nov 24, 2008
4,343
7,163
Princeton, Texas
www.audiokinesis.com
Disclosures
Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
#1
The folks who make Duratex just posted this YouTube clip showing how it's done:

Road Case Reface with DuraTex.wmv - YouTube

They have three other helpful clips on their YouTube site as well:

Acrytech's Channel - YouTube

Also, Acrytech now offers a 16-ounce "trial size" that should be enough for two medium-size cabs or one big cab:

Invalid Link Removed

It comes in a heavy plastic bag, so have a washed-out Gatorade bottle or mayonaise jar or something on hand to put the excess into so you can seal it up. Thins with water; sprinkle or spray some on top of the Duratex before you seal it up and put it on the shelf so that the top layer doesn't skin over.

I use Duratex on my commercial cabs, two layers with a smooth roller and/or brush (for the hard-to-reach areas), and two layers with a textured roller. That's probably overkill, but I don't want to miss any areas. No fumes so I can do it in the basement in winter, and/or late at night between surfing TalkBass threads.
 
#3
B-string said:
Thanks for this! I've been thinking of a face lift for my old TL606s.
Click to expand...

I don't know anything about the construction of the TL606, but if you have to peel off rat fur, make sure the roundovers underneath are of sufficient radius for your corner protectors. I use a router with a roundover bit, but the same result can be achieved with wood-shaving tools (like the inexpensive Stanley "Sureform Shaver") and some elbow grease.

I really love Duratex: It gives me professional-level results in an area where I'm really not a professional. You see, I bet I'm no more skilled with a paint brush and roller than you are.
 
#5
Once you start to rehab a cab or reface a case, you might find primer that was applied to hide any seam shrinkage that may occur. Typically this primer is an inexpensive product that may be waterbased or oil based. No worries, just lightly sand the entire cab or case with a palm sander and 60 grit sandpaper to make sure there are no imperfections and to give the surface a little "tooth" or roughness to insure an absolutely great adhesion with the DuraTex.
Round over edges and prepare for the corner brackets etc and then use simple Drywall Spackle or Joint Compound to fill any gaps, holes or other imperfections. It dries quick, it's cheap, it's hard and it sands easily.
Good luck on your project and if you have any other questions, give me a holler!
 
#6
Having just used roller-grade Duratex for the first time, I'd just like to say that it's awesome stuff. It washes off hands and clothes easily (before it's dry, obviously) and that's a real plus. The trial kit comes with the roller, which is really nice. Just a suggestion: To make a truly complete kit, it would be nice to include a cheapie disposable paint tray. The Duratex pouch and roller would even fit into the tray and you could shrink-wrap the whole thing. That would truly make it a complete kit.

Cab prep is important (as Dan pointed out, above). I filled nail holes and chips in the wood with Elmer's Wood Putty and sanded it down with 120-grit paper. Did a 1/4" roundover on the edges and that was it.

Just as a heads-up for those who are researching, the trial kit is not enough for a 15/6 size cab. Not for two coats anyway, and in my very limited experience, you need two coats minimum for quality results. I did a light first coat (lots of wood showing through) and a medium/heavy-ish coat for the second coat and I used 1 1/2 trial kits.

Duratex is easy to use and gives professional-looking results. Very happy with how my cab turned out. (pics in my build thread, link below for those interested).
 
#8
If you're handy, I've gotten really good results with a ceiling texture sprayer. This takes practice for a consistent look, but if you get it down you can take it to the next level. Also I have found that a faux duratex can be made from tightbond 2 or 3 glue tinted with the same tint they use to tint latex paint. (not tinted with the actual paint this is important) This mix is a bit thinner than duratex so spraying is the best way to apply it, but I've had really good luck with it. Having dealt with both I find the durabillity is about the same.

blueballs.jpg
 
#10
Thanks, That's actually more towards the beginning of my experimentation. I got better but that's the only pic I had handy. Another tip, if you go the spray route, don't try to spray out of the large texture hopper that comes with the gun. A purity 16 oz plastic milk bottle with the bottom cut off, makes a great spray cup.
 
#11
DuraTex Dan said:
Once you start to rehab a cab or reface a case, you might find primer that was applied to hide any seam shrinkage that may occur. Typically this primer is an inexpensive product that may be waterbased or oil based. No worries, just lightly sand the entire cab or case with a palm sander and 60 grit sandpaper to make sure there are no imperfections and to give the surface a little "tooth" or roughness to insure an absolutely great adhesion with the DuraTex.
Round over edges and prepare for the corner brackets etc and then use simple Drywall Spackle or Joint Compound to fill any gaps, holes or other imperfections. It dries quick, it's cheap, it's hard and it sands easily.
Good luck on your project and if you have any other questions, give me a holler!
Click to expand...

@ Duratex Dan

Thanks for the straight-from-the-horses-mouth tips. DuraTex looks like just the thing I've been looking for to
fix up some old bass guitar cabs I have and to cover some new cabs I'm thinking about building.

I used to work for a loudspeaker manufacturer and they used a coating they call DuraFlex to cover their Tour Sound products
and used it on some other product lines as well. The guys in the cabinet shop used Bondo to finish off the wood
before they sprayed on the DuraFlex. They told me that the stuff was basically the same material as truck bed liner. It is
pliable and handles sharp hits very well without fracturing. I assume that they used Bondo so that it would not crumble
under the coating when it took a sharp hit.

Is DuraTex pliable/fracture-resistant and is it OK to use Bondo as filler under the DuraTex coating?
Thanks in advance. :bassist:
 
#12
Ive used it with Bondo with good results. Bondo is in fact my first chioce for this application. Duratex isn't line-x of rino-liner but it's as close as you can get and still be able to apply it without majorly expensive equipment. The good news is it touches up pretty well if you skin it up.
 
#13
DuraTex Dan said:
Once you start to rehab a cab or reface a case, you might find primer that was applied to hide any seam shrinkage that may occur. Typically this primer is an inexpensive product that may be waterbased or oil based. No worries, just lightly sand the entire cab or case with a palm sander and 60 grit sandpaper to make sure there are no imperfections and to give the surface a little "tooth" or roughness to insure an absolutely great adhesion with the DuraTex.
Round over edges and prepare for the corner brackets etc and then use simple Drywall Spackle or Joint Compound to fill any gaps, holes or other imperfections. It dries quick, it's cheap, it's hard and it sands easily.
Good luck on your project and if you have any other questions, give me a holler!
Click to expand...

Hey Dan,

Its been almost 2 years since I spoke with you and ordered a special tint Duratex (oxblood red) for my fEARful cabinet projects. The color and the finish came out very well, and I've gotten compliments here and in person since. I bought it with the roller, etc. and it was as easy, or easier to apply than advertised. AND it was a pleasure to deal with you and AcryTech.
 
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#15
I'm not Dan, but I did use duratex.

Coverage is about the same as a textured paint, very dependent on how heavy you apply it. A couple of hundred sq ft to the gallon. But that's assuming very thin film thickness. I used roughly a quart to cover a 15/6/1, sprayed.

Yes custom colors are more, and available only directly from Duratex.
 
#16
robd said:
DuraTex Dan ,

What is the coverage rate on this stuff..How do I know how much I need to buy to cover my cabinets

Is there an upcharge for custom colors?

Thanks
Click to expand...

As I said above, 1 pint (the trial size kit) will not cover a 15/6 fEARful to good effect. I took 1.5 pints (1 and half trial sizes) to get two good coats on my fEARful. You will always "lose" some Duratex/paint to stuff you can't get out of the can/pouch, stuff that gets caught in the nooks and crannies of the paint tray, stuff that spilled, etc.
 
#17
I recently bought a cab that was coated in WHITE Duratex. There were some minor touchups needed ( I'm pretty OCD) so I sanded the whole cab and plan to recoat. I ended up not jibing with this cab and plan on selling it. I'd like to hear the general opinion on the marketability of a WHITE cab as opposed to the more standard BLACK cab?
 
#18
White is a niche market. Some artists like it, Rod Steward for example. White is a good base if you want to paint artwork over it. The problem is, it shows any flaws as well as dirt and scuffs. For resale, I think that you’d want black.
 

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