Pros/Cons priming cab insides

[GAtekwriter]

Just wondering if there are any pros or cons to priming the inside of the cab.  I've seen some prime bright white and others black, but I'm really just curious if it provides any true benefits or drawbacks.

Jim

[javeryh]

I don't think there is any real advantage other than for aesthetics.  It's not like plywood or MDF will warp if you paint one side but not the other like a solid wood panel might.

[SavannahLion]

About the only thing I can think of that might have a practical influence is whether you paint behind the marquee or not. Painting the cavity black might absorb some of the light, painting it pure white might help "push" some of that light forward.

The effect is probably negligible considering the volume of the space and the amount of light involved.

[shardian]

On new cabs, it is more of a "completeness" factor.

On old cabinets, it is done if the cabinet is extra skanky. It locks the skank in so your cabinet won't smell like rat pee once it is restored.

[DaOld Man]

Ive read somewhere (cant find it now) where MDF emits a chemical over time.
Priming the MDF supposedly seals it, keeping moisture out and the chemical in.
Thats the only reason I can think of, unless you want to open the back door and show off the innards of your cabinet, if thats the case, priming or painting inside might look more appealing.

[HaRuMaN]

Ive read somewhere (cant find it now) where MDF emits a chemical over time.
Priming the MDF supposedly seals it, keeping moisture out and the chemical in.
Thats the only reason I can think of, unless you want to open the back door and show off the innards of your cabinet, if thats the case, priming or painting inside might look more appealing.

That chemical is formaldehyde.

[eccs19]

I guess one con would be that you need to strip the guts of the cab out to prime it.   

[DaOld Man]

Ive read somewhere (cant find it now) where MDF emits a chemical over time.
Priming the MDF supposedly seals it, keeping moisture out and the chemical in.
Thats the only reason I can think of, unless you want to open the back door and show off the innards of your cabinet, if thats the case, priming or painting inside might look more appealing.

That chemical is formaldehyde.

Yeah thats it.. pretty nasty stuff for living creatures..

[csa3d]

On new cabs, it is more of a "completeness" factor.

On old cabinets, it is done if the cabinet is extra skanky. It locks the skank in so your cabinet won't smell like rat pee once it is restored.

lol.. I wouldn't have minded if my cabinet came with extra "skank"... it was the mildew and smoke smells I didn't care for.  I primed my insides to seal in any bad ju-ju personally.

-csa

[saint]

I primed the inside of mine to prevent moisture problems - not necessarily ambient moisture, but spilled drinks, etc. (I have kids)

[Namco]

One of my most loving memories is playing a brand spanking new Street Fighter 2 cab. There was a wonderful smell like  that of pine, beezwax, vinyl, and hot new circuit board mixed together. I'll never forget it.

On my current cab, once I vacuum out the dust, rat droppings, and dead caps from the floor of the cab, I'll be lucky if I can still smell rotting plywood 

[SavannahLion]

Just a thought. Wouldn't the outgassing of formaldehyde potentially cause the sealing coat of paint to bubble?

Just how much formaldehyde is released over the years? Considering the vast number of particle-board furniture in people's homes, I would imagine that the ppm is too low to be of concern.

It's WAAAAY easier to find a dropped part inside a painted cabinet.  Maybe it's just my color blindness, but I'm basically having to look with my fingertips if I drop anything in the bottom of an old brownish cabinet.  Even with black, everything stands out against it.

I have the same problem. I found that it's not necessarily the color I have problems with, it's the uniformity and texture of that color. The brown insides of a cabinet isn't uniform in color. Neither is the old ugly brown 70's carpet I grew up with or the new laminate flooring I put in in my new home. I've lost thousands of parts there. But the single gray of new concrete or the solid black of a painted inside makes it easy to find things.

[GAtekwriter]

All,

Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions - I think I'm going to prime part of my cab insides, but the monitor weighs close to 100 pounds so that thing is staying in there

Jim