Painting...

[Nightmare03]

First off what should i use, Spray paint or normal stuff?

When should i paint the wood? Should i assembly the whole cabinet then paint it, or cut the wood paint it then assembly it ?

Thanks,

-Nightmare

[tmasman]

You best bet is to assemble, then paint (Brush & Roll)...
It's VERY hard to get a nice even coat with spray paint. (possible, but not easy).

Use a fine sponge roller & only use the brush where the roller can't get to.  Then run the roller over that area to get rid of as many brsh strokes as possible.  This way will give the finish a little bit of texture, but that's always better! It hides lots of little imperfections & fingerprints better that way.

If you have access to a professional paint spray rig, I would probably go that route. Faster, easier, smoother finish. But don't even try spray cans... You'll end up spending more & having a sub-par finish.

[MilitiaMan]

First off what should i use, Spray paint or normal stuff?

When should i paint the wood? Should i assembly the whole cabinet then paint it, or cut the wood paint it then assembly it ?

Thanks,

-Nightmare

In my experience, the key to a quality paint job on your cab is PATIENCE !!

Sanding thoroughly, primering several times, and sanding lightly between EVERY coat will provide you you the best finish possible.

A few other quick recommendations:

Do NOT use spray paint.

Use a foam brush and clean it thoroughly after each coat. The more paint that becomes "soaked in" to the roller, the more roller lines you are going to end up having to go over again.

Use a gloss paint rather than a flat or a textured. For my money, this most closely resembles the true arcade experience.

Follow the paint and primer can directions "to the letter". If it says let it dry for 4-6 hours, do not try sanding it after 2.

Do not use an electric sander on your cabinet unless you are highly experienced in using them. If not used correctly, you will "eat" grooves into your wood - very unpleasant. A hand sander and a little elbow grease are the best bet.

Hope this helps ....

MM

[Nightmare03]

Thanks to both of you...

At least i know how to do that now, always plan ahead  

-Nightmare

[Ken Layton]

Use a good oil based paint. Latex house paint looks cheesy.  

[Wienerdog]

Use a good oil based paint. Latex house paint looks cheesy.  

You couldn't PAY me to use an oil based paint, I would use latex.

[Hammerbot]

You can spray paint these cabs quite nicely. But don't use spray paint in a can. Using a HVLP sprayer allows a much finer spray than out of a can.

I painted my with a borrowed gun from a friend and an oil based Enamel. Only problem was the airborne black paint that got on everything in the garage. Definatly need some sort of an ad-hoc spray booth.

[Minwah]

You can spray paint these cabs quite nicely. But don't use spray paint in a can. Using a HVLP sprayer allows a much finer spray than out of a can.

I painted my with a borrowed gun from a friend and an oil based Enamel. Only problem was the airborne black paint that got on everything in the garage. Definatly need some sort of an ad-hoc spray booth.

I rolled my paint on but was disappointed by the finish.  It looks a bit patchy, and I couldn't help but get roller lines in some places.  Also, the paint I used (black satin finish) seems to mark pretty easily.

This is probably all explained my a) my poor technique, and b) crap conditions (very cold + very dark shed).  Since it isn't going to get any warmed or lighter in the next few months, I started thinking of alternatives...

A mate of mine works at a place that designs + makes (really quite nice) custom-built furniture/fittings.  He reckons he could get one of the spray blokes there to spray my cab one weekend - so I'm gonna prepare it and see how it goes.  Not sure when this'll happen (still have a bit of work to do first), but I'll no doubt post a few pics when completed

[Rocky]

Use a good oil based paint. Latex house paint looks cheesy.  

You couldn't PAY me to use an oil based paint, I would use latex.

Oil based paint is the way to go.  It requires more patience and cleanup, but the finish is beautiful and much more durable.

Oil based paint need a day to dry between coats.  Also, sand lightly between coats.

If you want to paint your whole cabinet in a day or two, forget it.  It will look bad.  Painting the cabinet will take a week or so if you want it to look good.

My first experience with oil based paint was painting my Q*bert machine.  I was very slow and particular (read anal) about it.  The end result is worth it.

Good luck,
Rocky

[Geekboy]

Oil based paint is the way to go.  It requires more patience and cleanup, but the finish is beautiful and much more durable.

I agree with this also.  Oil paint is the way to go.  It is much more durable than Latex paint.  Plus the paint will give you a better finish.  I've been looking at painting my Kitchen cabinets and will be using Oil based paints just for this.

The ---smurfette--- is that it's a pain in the ass to clean up.

[Sephroth57]

i also vote for the foam brush, i think it eliminates the annoyance of roller lines and of course a brush will leave brush strokes. ive never used oil paint personally but my friends swear by it even though it is a little harder to work with