Front desk dropped my aquarium canopy and won't pay for damages. How to repair?

[teddyzaper]

So I bought a nice new canopy ($200) and I bring it home to put on my tank. It's big so I have the front desk people bring it up to my apt. (They call this complimentary yet refuse to do it unless you rip them $3). Well the buffoon drops it and makes this huge dent in the most visible corner. It also destroys the hinges (I will be getting new ones and making new holes).

Does anyone know how I could fix this as I don't really want to replace it for another $200...

Sorry if this came off very angry, obviously I'm a little ****ed off.

 

[vashawn]

im not a carpenter but i would sand and remove all the broken edges and fill back up with
wood filler, shape it then sand it down and repeat.
Just like bondo for cars of mud/compounding sheet rock .
or
u can cut out the pieces completely if u can find the replacement wood. glue the prieces together, wood filler, sand and paint.
If hinges left a huge hole fill with wood filler, sand and repeat if necessary. then pait.

GL....good help is hard to find without $$$

 

[Sk8r]

Trim damage delicately to remove splinters,, repair sprung joint with screw (sink it to hide same) add wood filler or spackle, use ruler or other edge to smooth to perfection, allow to dry as per instructions, then repaint area. Total repaint might be in order if matching issue. I used molded spackle mixed with wood dust, stain and varnish, to replace a missing 'pineapple' finial on a dog-chewed thousand dollar buffet table and it's good enough to pass for wood. Just be patient and get it even.

 

[teddyzaper]

Trim damage delicately to remove splinters,, repair sprung joint with screw (sink it to hide same) add wood filler or spackle, use ruler or other edge to smooth to perfection, allow to dry as per instructions, then repaint area. Total repaint might be in order if matching issue. I used molded spackle mixed with wood dust, stain and varnish, to replace a missing 'pineapple' finial on a dog-chewed thousand dollar buffet table and it's good enough to pass for wood. Just be patient and get it even.

Ok i'll try that. I hope ace hardware sells something like that, i imagine they do.

What do you mean by repair sprung joint with screw?

ninja edit: i think i see what you mean by that, thats actually the hinging part, so those 2 boards are supposed to be seperate. I'll be giving the whole thing a couple coats of paint anyways since the store did a terrible job on the inside.

 

[lagatbezan]

I'm not an expert either but you might be able to buy a thin sheet of wood and paint it and put over it. maybe use luan. cut it down to the length of the entire front and just nail it in and paint it to match the canopy. Very easy and quick. just a suggestion if its possible.

 

[teddyzaper]

Bought some wood filler epoxy, spray paint, and an orbital sander. Let's do this!

 

[75mixedreef]

It is a laminate edge finish, you cant just fill and paint that. You might need to replace that whole edge piece. The wood will be fine with sand fill and paint, but you just can't match that plastic with paint.

 

[teddyzaper]

It is a laminate edge finish, you cant just fill and paint that. You might need to replace that whole edge piece. The wood will be fine with sand fill and paint, but you just can't match that plastic with paint.

It's wood not laminate. I think the pic just looks like laminate

 

[davocean]

The wood filler Vashan mentioned is really best if you go that route, a 2 part that requires a catalyst is what most of us use, similar to bondo, or actual bondo.
Sand, fill, sand, prime, paint.
A cool trick is tape a shim or similar thin piece of straight edge wood and tape it to the side, making a form of sorts, and then fill, makes a perfect square edge that needs minimal sanding.
I'm not a fan of spackle or anything similar, that's ok for nail holes and small dings in walls but not so great on outside corners like that.

 

[ericarenee]

The wood filler Vashan mentioned is really best if you go that route, a 2 part that requires a catalyst is what most of us use, similar to bondo, or actual bondo.
Sand, fill, sand, prime, paint.
A cool trick is tape a shim or similar thin piece of straight edge wood and tape it to the side, making a form of sorts, and then fill, makes a perfect square edge that needs minimal sanding.
I'm not a fan of spackle or anything similar, that's ok for nail holes and small dings in walls but not so great on outside corners like that.

I keep Bondo in my work van at all times.. I use it more then you would think doing small repairs.

 

[Smokey Stover]

There are trim mouldings, Corner,Edge etc. take a look at your local Home Depot. Some basic 3/4 x3/4 might trim it up.

 

[davocean]

I keep Bondo in my work van at all times.. I use it more then you would think doing small repairs.

Same here, always have it in my carpenters box just in case.

 

[EvenFurther]

Same, I would use bondo to reshape the edges. The next challenge will be matching the paint color and gloss, especially if you're trying to spot repair. White is easy to color match, but you'll also have to match the gloss. If your expecting like new results, paint some test pieces to match the color and gloss. Looks like semi-gloss to satin gloss level. Or, just re-paint the entire thing so it all matches, once you've nailed the color/gloss.

 

[teddyzaper]

Same, I would use bondo to reshape the edges. The next challenge will be matching the paint color and gloss, especially if you're trying to spot repair. White is easy to color match, but you'll also have to match the gloss. If your expecting like new results, paint some test pieces to match the color and gloss. Looks like semi-gloss to satin gloss level. Or, just re-paint the entire thing so it all matches, once you've nailed the color/gloss.

I'm just going to fix the corner and hinges then repair the entire thing. I didn't like the semigloss finish much anyways as it won't match the full gloss that the rest of the stand will be.

 

[mhepburn]

It is a thin laminate.

The best thing to use is the Bondo.

Follow the directions as suggested.

All else will give you a headache.

I've used Bondo on picture frames and furniture. It works.

Post as you proceed and I'm sure you will get the best next step.

Good Luck.

 

[AuroraDrvr]

The canopy is wood, most likely plywood. However, the bottom edge of the panel has a plastic veener to give the edge a finished look. Peel this completely off. Once you are done filling, sanding and painting, reapply a new strip of veener with an iron.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Actual-00-020-in-White-Veneer/3604572

 

[ericarenee]

The canopy is wood, most likely plywood. However, the bottom edge of the panel has a plastic veener to give the edge a finished look. Peel this completely off. Once you are done filling, sanding and painting, reapply a new strip of veener with an iron.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Actual-00-020-in-White-Veneer/3604572

The edge on his stand is Wood Veneer but you can install it the same way..
I do not like the pre glued veneer . i use Contact cement in places where it will not be bumped or get wet. In a high demand place i will 22 deg cut the end and Glue/ nail on a piece of wood stock with the same cut.. this will give a more solid edge . the downside is the 1/4 inch seem on the under side of the lid . but that can filled and sanded out as well..

 

[lukewithcats]

you could just buy some trim to cover it up if you can get it sitting properly. Some stainless decorative corner edging or even some decorative wood trim. Just make sure to make it symetrical and no reason it can't look even better then when you bought it.

 

[teddyzaper]

you could just buy some trim to cover it up if you can get it sitting properly. Some stainless decorative corner edging or even some decorative wood trim. Just make sure to make it symetrical and no reason it can't look even better then when you bought it.

I got it all fixed up and it looks like new.

 

[Sk8r]

Excellent!