Suggestions for next step on side art options?

[aldub516]

Hey guys. So I came far along in my restoration. As of now, the two sides of my arcade are from an original track and field cabinet. After sanding off the old paintjob i realized it still has its white laminate/hard smooth surface that was under the original artwork. So, after bondo-ing the hell out of the big broken corners and filling all the holes, im going to spend a good amount of time sanding the bondo and trying to get the most clean smooth surface i can get. So that will leave me with  the sides having mostly the smooth laminate/hard surface from the original cabinet, and areas of bondo smoothed out. What are my options after this? IDEALLY id like to try out vinyl side art for the first time. I watched a video of a restoration of someone changing side art and got excited. So, if I wanted to do a full wrap of the sides, would u suggest doing it right over my current side? seeing as most of it is hard smooth surface anyways? Will the result be based strictly on my sanding job between the bondo and the surface? Would you suggest i laminate it or cover it in some hard plastic, THEN adding vinyl art wrap? I assume the last thing id want to do is prime or paint it if im adding artwork to it. What would you do next in my position as far as the sides?

[mgb]

It will really depend on how nice you make the bondo.

after you finish the bondo, you can't hit it with a coat of paint to get an idea of if it'll look good or if you'll see the hills and valley.

after hitting the whole thing with flat black you can use that to help make it smoother by sanding it off and seeing where paint stays (low spots)

If you are just using bondo in the damaged spots, you will most likely have some waves.
Best betto get smooth with bondo is to skim coat the whole side after repair.
Or you can quickly repair bad spots and then use laminate for a guarenteed smooth surface.

On my cab, I had done a fair amount of bondo repair but because I used laminate, it was much easier.

[aldub516]

Most of the edges I'm going to have aluminum edging as I like the look. The only other bondo areas on the sides are filled in holes where the bolts were. So if I can hide enough of the corners with aluminum, and smooth out the hole fills, maybe I can skip the laminate? But to humor myself, what's the ups or downs of laminate. I assume it's just a giant piece of material, that just lays over a layer of glue? How easy is it to cut to shape? It seems either way I have a good amount of work to do, but I'd rather mess with laminate than paint. Paint for me is costly and timely because of multiple rollers, pans, etc it's just a mess. Say I decided to go with laminate, what would be my best approach? As I said eventually id like full art wrap. Is there a particular material? Or thickness? Best places to buy and best ways to cut ?

[lamprey]

Basically, you put adhesive (contact cement) on both surfaces (cab and laminate). Let dry until tacky and stick 'em together. You can use your hand or a roller to press on the laminate to help it bond. After that you, typically, use a router with a trim bit and just go around the edge of the cabinet. Pretty easy peasy and the results are great.

[vwalbridge]

You have probably already seen this video but It's a pretty decent demonstration of laminating a cab. An oldie but a goodie.



However, I don't see how you will totally avoid having to paint. There is going to be inside edges and other misc small spots that will need paint. Not really possible to laminate everywhere.

Also, it sounds like you might be putting laminate over laminate? I'd make sure that your t-molding will cover whatever the new thickness might be.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Instead of skimming with bondo - Use "Filler primer" instead.  It has bondo type filler in the paint.  Simply prime it and then sand it down.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Automotive-1-qt-Gray-Filler-Primer-2-Pack-254863/204711766


D

[aldub516]

Hey and thanks as always for all the suggestions. As for the primer filler, I already used the bondo but I will look into that in case I do need to cost or paint. As for avoiding painting all together, I'm currently only worried about the 2 out sides of the cabinet. I know I'm going to have to paint inside and other areas but for the sides id like to lay down laminate. Next up, suggestions on where to get it or what kind?

[lamprey]

I have not used these myself, but they were recommended by someone on the KLOV forums:

http://www.cabinetmakerwarehouse.com/home/bev/formica-laminate
https://www.topcabinethardware.com/index.php?option=com_mijoshop&route=product/search&search=laminate

[mgb]

For laminate, I use good ol' formica.
There are two grades 1) standard grade like you'd use on counter top. It's 1/16" thick.
2) vertical grade, it's thinner than the standard.

I used standard formica flat black which has a very nice satin like sheen to it.
You can get it at Home Depot or lowes.
Around here, Home Depot stocks black, white and then the ugly marble stuff in 4x8' sheets.
I ordered mine at lowes and got it in a 4x12' sheet so I had enough for the sides and front.

There are a good amount of adhesives out there for laminate.
Look into reviews on this.
When I did mine, it was my first time laminating so I did a lot of research and I read that chemical based laminate adhesives had real bad fumes.
I was doing mine in the house during the winter I wanted to use water based but I read some bad reviews on many of the water based adhesives.
I ended up using 3M N30 and it worked awesome.
As far as adhesives go, it is expensive though at $30 a quart.
I guarantee that a quart is more than you'll need for one cabinet.
I bought the N30 at Graingers.

When putting on the laminate, you basically lay the cab on its sides and coat the side of the cab in adhesive and also coat the under side of the laminate sheet in adhesive.
With the N30, it's something like 1-4 hours before putting the two together.
When putting it down, you want the piece of laminate over sized to the cab. I line the straight edge up with the back edge of the cab.
Use a laminate roller to get it down good and then just throw some weight on it and let it sit for a good 24 hours.
Then trim with a router and trim bit.
Best results hands down, over painting.

You can even get a cheap trim router at Harbor Freight.
Mine has lasted through a few laminate trims, slot cuttings plus numerous household projects.

[aldub516]

Boom.. consider me schooled on the art of laminating. I shall take all of that into consideration, and go with the laminating! I guess if i can get my sides 98% smooth with the bondo the laminate will hide just about every minor problem? Also, will the printed vinyl/sticker artwork adhere best to these laminates?

[mgb]

If you go with laminating, you can go base minimum with bondo, just filling and making sure there's no high spots.

Vinyl adhesive graphics will stick excellent to laminate.

[aldub516]

48 bucks for a 48"x96". Not bad. What kills me is that I'm about an inch short of using one piece for both sides lol. Oh well. Slowly but surely. I'm very excited