need advice on my stand. paint or stain?

[xcuter]

I want a dark color stain like mohagony or should i paint black? whay wouls look good with this stand. My tank is a 150 gallon and it has black trim and black silicone used. what would come nicer if i primer and paint it black. Use a stain then polyurathane.

 

[comatose]

if your not sure then i would stain first and if you don't like it you can paint over it.
you can't do it the other way around, paint then stain.
it also depends on your preference and how it compliments the rest of the room.

 

[jaden1]

What type of wood and its quality. Alot of filler on it. Again what type and quality? If you are not sure of the quality of your wood to handle stain. Test it out on a peice and see for yourself. Also make sure to test a peice that has filler sanded out on it. Then make a judgement based on your test.
Jason

 

[xcuter]

I was thinking of staining it with Ebony to get the best of both worlds Stain and black. The stand is basically a garf design. 2x4 frame wraped with birch plywood. all the trim is maple. Thanks for the tips guys.

 

[hesstondc]

I am working on my 125 gallon stand today. Did you just use 1/4" plywood to wrap the stand?

I painted a birch canopy with grey kylze primer then black paint, on my 90 gallon. It is working great as of now. I will probably do the same thing with my new stand and canopy.

I know all glass uses a black stain with their standard stands. It looks ok...

I would paint it black

 

[Dubbin1]

I would try staining it and see what it looks like where all the putty is. I'm guessing that its not going to look very good.

 

[xcuter]

there is really not that much putty. Its hasnt been sanded yet. The putty says its stainable too. Well i'll take your guys advice and try to stain first if i dont like i can go with black paint.

 

[xcuter]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6498123#post6498123 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hesstondc
I am working on my 125 gallon stand today. Did you just use 1/4" plywood to wrap the stand?

I painted a birch canopy with grey kylze primer then black paint, on my 90 gallon. It is working great as of now. I will probably do the same thing with my new stand and canopy.

I know all glass uses a black stain with their standard stands. It looks ok...

I would paint it black

I use 1/2" birch plywood from home depot. Was thinking of 1/4" but didnt want take chances with it warping. The thing is i paid 1/4" price for my 1/2" plywood. Noticed when i got hiome that they charged me for 1/4". What type of black paint did you use and how did you apply it? Do you have any pics of it?

 

[donta42]

i built a stand pretty much exactly like yours 2 years ago, also using sandable woodputty. even after the sanding, the putty spots really stand out no matter how many coats of stainer you put on it. it always stays brighter and breaks up the pattern of the wood grain. the stand ended up black with a laquer finish

 

[hesstondc]

I have plenty of pictures.

But not sure how to post on reefcentral.

I could send, pm me your email. I just used a roller brush. It looks cleaner to me. I used kilz tinted grey and just cheap $5.00 a can black paint.

Donta42 has a point that wood filler stuff will even show through black if you don't get it sanded down enough.

I used 1/4" today....I didn't even think about it warping dangit! I shot about 150 3/4" nails in it so I hope it will not warp.


I am going to order some nice cabinet doors for it in the next few days.

 

[xcuter]

So how do people make stands without using and nails. cause i think in order to get the trim and panels in i had to use a nail in. There fore i have lots of hole to cover up. Well i guess i will just paint since majority herer say the holes will show and not look nice. Ill keep you guys updated with my progress.

 

[SUNSETPRO]

I use pocket hole screws and various methods of joinery.
With the right wood glue and clamps, you can have a nail free stand. It will take extra time but well worth it.
Good luck on the stain, I've never found a putty that is truly stainable.

 

[Atomahawk]

Forget staining the putty, its just won't look good and will always show. no matter how hard you try.

Like Sunset mentioned the best method for joining wood is joinery and screws. I use mostly dado joints or slots for most of mine then glue up.
If I need screws they are always inside and well hidden, I use stainless around humidity, just to avoid rust.

 

[mcox33]

I used 3/4 birch plywood from HD and wood screws sunk in and puttied over. On the inside. Lots of wood filler.

Painted the inside and out with white indoor outdoor primer. Then used Black High Gloss Outdoor Paint. It stands up to water. I know it has been on my kitchen cabinets for 7 years with no problems.

Don't use cheap paint you do get what you pay for the cheap stuff will peel.

 

[xcuter]

OK now that we concluded we are going to paint what is the best method to paint to have durability and have look nice. Should i use oil based, water based paint? Should i use roller, brush, sponge brush to apply primer and paint.

 

[lunner]

That is a nice stand.

Wish I know how to do that...

 

[kane4187]

Use outdoor acrylic paint and roll it on where you can and use a trim brush for the others.

 

[yodawagon]

paint it, with all the putty you used, stain would look nasty.

 

[240-Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6506680#post6506680 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yodawagon
paint it, with all the putty you used, stain would look nasty.

My thoughts Exactly

 

[BigJPDC]

Seriously, a filled and sanded 16 or 18 gauge brad hole is practically invisible, especially with darker stain. If all the putty work on the top will be covered by the tank and more edging, then you could just just finish off the front and stain to your preference.

Painted or stained, it really just has to match your decor or preference.

jp