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Factory speaker veneer. To paint or not to paint?

MusicNutt

MusicNutt

New Member
I have a couple of speaker projects going atm. I have a set of Polk 10Bs I'm putting real wood veneer over but I also have a set of Sansui S-65Us that while aren't the most prestigious, rock my room.

I'd like to change the color of the Sansuis but in no way wanna put the work into them that I'm puttin' onto the Polks. So I'm wondering if anyone out there has had luck painting right over the factory veneer?
 
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It depends on the sort of finish you are after. If they aren't to badly damaged you might be better off giving the old clear or oil a freshen up after a light sand. Veneer can hide a surprising number of sins if you aren't looking to closely. If you are keen on painting them, Zinsser make a shellac based product called B-I-N which will go straight over clear coat and allow paint to adhere. It's great stuff and fast drying but not cheap. Otherwise the original clear will have to be rubbed right back as paint won't stick to it. Painting straight over the veneer will give you a wood grain finish. To get a smooth finish, you will need to fill the grain or strip the old veneer. You will want to fill any chips, holes or heavy scratches. A gloss paint will show defects more than a satin or flat finish. Once again it all depends on what sort of finish you are after and how far you are prepared to take it. You could spend hours on this if you want a good finish. In any case use an oil based paint. It's a pain to clean up but is tougher.
 
It depends on the sort of finish you are after. If they aren't to badly damaged you might be better off giving the old clear or oil a freshen up after a light sand. Veneer can hide a surprising number of sins if you aren't looking to closely. If you are keen on painting them, Zinsser make a shellac based product called B-I-N which will go straight over clear coat and allow paint to adhere. It's great stuff and fast drying but not cheap. Otherwise the original clear will have to be rubbed right back as paint won't stick to it. Painting straight over the veneer will give you a wood grain finish. To get a smooth finish, you will need to fill the grain or strip the old veneer. You will want to fill any chips, holes or heavy scratches. A gloss paint will show defects more than a satin or flat finish. Once again it all depends on what sort of finish you are after and how far you are prepared to take it. You could spend hours on this if you want a good finish. In any case use an oil based paint. It's a pain to clean up but is tougher.
 
I had great luck making an ADS 810 into 810M as in Monitor or Matte Black. The veneer was bad. Reveneer was not an option at that time and well black speakers were made by ADS over the years. So I have the only pair of 810Ms that I know of and they look good and sound great.

These were an old, dry, damaged veneered speaker. I cleaned them, sanded them made em smooth but not with grain filler or anything and then cleaned em again with acetone to remove anything that paint would not like. It took a good bit of the oiled finish out of the walnut that was left and provided a great surface for some Satin Black spray paint.
 
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In looking around more, seems like theres a Krylon paint (in the states) that is good for plastic. I'll go that route.
 
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