Can you veneer PT wood?

[Crestwood23]

Ok I know you “can”, my question is will it work or will it be a disaster. I know it’s not ideal, but the only wood I have on hand is pressure treated. I am building thin frames with a bunch of 1x1’s. Want to slap some veneer on to pretty them up.

Will the veneer stick - I could use contact adhesive or get some self adhesive veneer strips? Or will the PT chemicals prevent it from sticking - maybe peel off down the road?

 

[woofmytweets]

i suspect that it would depend on the application. if you were going to keep them indoors in a relatively controlled environment, plus if everything is just thin 1" frames, i might not worry so much since there's not a lot of width there for expansion forces to work on the glue. as to the chemistry - no idea, but i suspect dried wood glue to be fairly inert.

what are you building?

 

[CJ Payne]

I guess my question as a speaker enthusiast and woodworker is; what are you building? and is it worth the extra work to veneer if you're cutting the corners on the basic box itself? Can you get the stick on stuff that's just plastic wrap? Absolutely! Just make sure the plywood acclimates in a dry room. If it's an experiment or just a cheap build it yourself subwoofer you want to throw in your dorm room...totally! Do it up!

But if you're working on a mock up of a nice speaker, either skip the veneer and use the mock up as a mock up, or simply wait until you have the correct materials to build a decent box.

Edit- In reading your post a few times I see this is a woodworking question more. A spray adhesive of good quality (3M, not the Elmers spray glue all...) will stick to PT ply just fine. As I said just make sure it's had time to dry out thoroughly.
Also, if well constructed, you can build some very solid frames with regular 1 by

 

[Crestwood23]

i suspect that it would depend on the application. if you were going to keep them indoors in a relatively controlled environment, plus if everything is just thin 1" frames, i might not worry so much since there's not a lot of width there for expansion forces to work on the glue. as to the chemistry - no idea, but i suspect dried wood glue to be fairly inert.

what are you building?

They will be indoors in a controlled environment. I am doing a little facelift on my AR9 speakers. I am attempting to give them an “AR3a makeover” - in an attempt to gain the necessary WAF to get them into my living room! She hates the 1970’s look of the stock AR9 - and loves the more 60’s vibe of the AR3a, KLH 6 etc.. So, I am building new grills, covering with cream AR3 type fabric. The front grills require a small wood “frame” around the cloth, this would be where the veneered 1x1’s come in.

here’s a quick rendering I did - OG speaker on the right, proposal on the left.




This is the 1x frame area

 

[CJ Payne]

I see. I'd really recommend against using your time on PT 1x1 for this. it's very likely to warp, twist, etc. even if you find pieces that long without knots. Run to HD and grab some 5/4 x 4 select pine, and stain it

 

[Crestwood23]

I guess my question as a speaker enthusiast and woodworker is; what are you building? and is it worth the extra work to veneer if you're cutting the corners on the basic box itself? Can you get the stick on stuff that's just plastic wrap? Absolutely! Just make sure the plywood acclimates in a dry room. If it's an experiment or just a cheap build it yourself subwoofer you want to throw in your dorm room...totally! Do it up!

But if you're working on a mock up of a nice speaker, either skip the veneer and use the mock up as a mock up, or simply wait until you have the correct materials to build a decent box.

Edit- In reading your post a few times I see this is a woodworking question more. A spray adhesive of good quality (3M, not the Elmers spray glue all...) will stick to PT ply just fine. As I said just make sure it's had time to dry out thoroughly.
Also, if well constructed, you can build some very solid frames with regular 1 by

the 1x I am using is solid wood, not ply. I glued the frames together already, and they seem very solid.

 

[Crestwood23]

I see. I'd really recommend against using your time on PT 1x1 for this. it's very likely to warp, twist, etc. even if you find pieces that long without knots. Run to HD and grab some 5/4 x 4 select pine, and stain it

I know this is the right answer - I’m just being lazy and trying to limit “frivolous” HD trips!

 

[CJ Payne]

the 1x I am using is solid wood, not ply. I glued the frames together already, and they seem very solid.

Well if you're half way in, then I'd veneer, staple the new fabric in, then put a couple more cross bars in the middle (naturally where they won't be interfering with a driver), use trim head screws if you have them.
and if you have a table saw I'd rip a 3/8" strip out of a 1x1 and staple it around the inside of the frame to also hold the cloth in place. My $.02 as a builder.

Biggest concern is they won't be square, or twisted so when you lay them on a flat surface one or two corners will be lifted off the surface. Sandbag them down overnight, and don't staple the fabric too tight or it will put the frame out with one that long and thin.

Also - stick with the grills. I wouldn't bother with the little 45* piece on the back.

 

[Drugolf]

Well all I can say is, if you can figure this out and the results are good, you will be a hero to many. Good luck.
Illustrate it with the grills stopping just below the front drivers etc. Might be more stable.

 

[Crestwood23]

Well if you're half way in, then I'd veneer, staple the new fabric in, then put a couple more cross bars in the middle (naturally where they won't be interfering with a driver), use trim head screws if you have them.
and if you have a table saw I'd rip a 3/8" strip out of a 1x1 and staple it around the inside of the frame to also hold the cloth in place. My $.02 as a builder.

Biggest concern is they won't be square, or twisted so when you lay them on a flat surface one or two corners will be lifted off the surface. Sandbag them down overnight, and don't staple the fabric too tight or it will put the frame out with one that long and thin.

Also - stick with the grills. I wouldn't bother with the little 45* piece on the back.

thanks for the tips! I am NOT a builder, just a hack with too much time on his hands LOL. This is what I have so far - feel free to tell me it sucks .

1x frame with 1/4” veneered MDF support pieces (stolen from an old credenza sliding door). The cloth part would then be stretched on a screen door frame, just like a screen but with fabric. That fabric panel then gets inset into the frame - maybe with some hot glue or construction adhesive onto the MDF support pieces.

 

[Crestwood23]

Well all I can say is, if you can figure this out and the results are good, you will be a hero to many. Good luck.
Illustrate it with the grills stopping just below the front drivers etc. Might be more stable.

Thanks! I thought about stopping them just below the drivers to increase stability, but the issue with that is the pegs that attach the grill at the bottom are pretty low down. If they stop short you would see the female peg holes at the bottom of the cabinets. I think with some “beams” hopefully they would rigid enough, and I could follow the template of the original grills.

 

[CJ Payne]

That looks like a pretty darn good plan. And pretty clean cuts. I'd go hot glue over construction adhesive, which will never give again. got any cherry stain lying around? I'd try that first before vinyl veneer, the wood looks clean enough. Also consider the benefits of velcro for both the cloth/screen frame and also connecting to the speakers themselvs.

 

[Drugolf]

You can also apply a finish (oil or lacquer) to help keep it from warping over time etc.
Maybe even drill in some dowels at each joint.

 

[Crestwood23]

That looks like a pretty darn good plan. And pretty clean cuts. I'd go hot glue over construction adhesive, which will never give again. got any cherry stain lying around? I'd try that first before vinyl veneer, the wood looks clean enough. Also consider the benefits of velcro for both the cloth/screen frame and also connecting to the speakers themselvs.

Will try to stain but wondering if the PT grain is too far off. I was going to go with real walnut veneer, then try some stain combos to “age” it so it matches the cabinets.

 

[swechsler]

I'd be afraid of that screen frame rattling with the bass. Make sure it's tightly attached everywhere it comes in contact with wood.

 

[Crestwood23]

I'd be afraid of that screen frame rattling with the bass. Make sure it's tightly attached everywhere it comes in contact with wood.

I planned on running a hot glue bead all around where the frame touches wood. One thing that will help there is that on the AR9, there is an “acoustic blanket” adhered to the front of the cabinet surrounding the drivers. It’s wool felt, and about 1” thick. The cloth grill and screen frame that I am building will be pressed up against the blanket, hopefully preventing any vibration of that part.

 

[Crestwood23]

Also - stick with the grills. I wouldn't bother with the little 45* piece on the back.

Oh yeah, that was just me playing around and seeing what it would look like - not sure how I would execute that cleanly even if I could!

 

[Drugolf]

Are you going to re-veneer them entirely?

 

[Crestwood23]

Are you going to re-veneer them entirely?

No, the sides and front are in good shape, just need a little oil. The tops were someone’s plant stands for years and had giant black rings that I couldn’t get out. So I’ll re-veneer the tops, and the new front grill frames. I run the risk of it looking like a patchwork quilt of wood tones, but I have a few different shades of stain, I’m going to do my best to get the woods reasonably close in tone.

 

[steven94]

Crest this is not a good idea. PT wood has alot of bad chemicals in it. Copper Sulfate is one of them bad for us.Home depot & Lowes, lumber yards are not allowed to cut it inside buildings. It's against building codes to use in interior construction. Speakers in this case. Also the chemicals are injected under high pressure it penetrates completely through the wood. It takes a couple of months to dry out. The contact cement will probably peel if not properly dried. I would not use it. A cabinet grade MDF would be a lot better not Home D's it's crap. Good luck