Covering a cab with vinyl instead of painting - good idea?

[nitz]

Working on refurbing my beater cab and was thinking of a vinyl covering instead of painting. Has anyone here done this? Would love to see pics and get advice on what exactly to buy and how to do it.

I realize most people paint because it's cheap and looks good, but the thing is, I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building and really have no space outside to work on it. I could handle painting it inside - it's the sanding off the old crap paint that's already on it that I don't want to do indoors. Also, I'm not too confident in my painting skills and am afraid it might end up looking crummy.

I've seen cabs around with (what I think is) printed vinyl side art and they look good to me. I know Game On Grafix does this (not sure it's vinyl but judging by others comments, it's high quality anyway), and I do plan on ordering a marquee and bezel from them when I'm ready, but it understandbly is pretty expensive to get enough art printed to cover both sides and the kickplate of a cab.

I would be happy with just a solid color covering of some sort and then possibly put some small side art over that. There's a place locally that sells vinyl covering in all colors and in sizes plenty big enough and at reasonable prices, but it looks like it's more for upholstry - it seems kinda thick to try to cover a cab with it. The stuff I've seen in the wild is so thin it looks like it could be painted on if it wasn't so detailed. That's the kind of material I want!

Soooo, short story long I'm just wondering if anyone has tried this and how it's turned out and what kind of vinyl or other covering I should be looking for. Thanks!

[wweumina]

You are still going to have to sand back first.  Most vinyl coverings will still show imperfections on the underneath surface. It does look very good though.  One word of advice when applying is to apply diagonally.  Makes it a lot easier to avoid bubbles.

[jpresto]

I think i'm about to attempt the same. UAII cabinet. Going in an office so decided not to go the art route but wanted to spruce it up a bit. Lining the two top sides with vinyl fabric, possibly control panel as well. This is the distributor: http://www.unitedfabrics.com/do/productList?categoryId=3&p=39 Some great vinyls - one i'm going with is a square metallic pattern, tons of vintage patterns.

It's 54" wide, cab panels are exactly that. Should be thick enough that excess t-molding will cover it perfectly.

Not sure about process yet. Will try some sort of spray glue. May attempt to trim with razor or router. Plan on testing in next week or two on a sample. Will share my findings.

[Marsupial]

why don't you use laminate?

[wonderalex]

Personally I think it's a great idea - pricey (painting is cheaper) - but visually impressive.

I'll be doing precisely what you're asking next week on my bartop and later on my full-sided cab - but I'm not using vinyl, rather I'm printing my graphics onto a plastic material (I forget the name in English - but it's not vinyl) that will be laminated with a ploy-carbonate semi-gloss finish.

My bartop is made of melamine so the surface needs nothing more than a good cleaning before the application (I'll post pictures when it's done).

My full-sized cab is another matter -  it's in rough shape with many nicks and bumps from rough handling.

For a permanent application the printer recommended that I patch & sand the surface to remove any deep nicks, big bumps and loose paint before application - making sure that the surface is very clean (no dust) and even as possible. For best results he recommended I use a primer - but only if I had to do a lot of sanding or hit bare wood. So applying the full decal (or vinyl in your case) won't be much easier than painting.

I'm likely going to forgo the primer and just go with some minor patching, a light sanding and a deep clean before application. I can handle the mess of sanding - due to poor ventilation spray painting must be kept to a bare minimum so if I prime it will be with a roller.

My guess is that you could get away with similar, removing the loose paint with a wire brush or good scraper - use a painter's drop cloth or an old table cloth to catch the flakes. Then clean the surface before applying the vinyl. To be safe I'd ask GameOnGraphics about the adhesive backing they use and what they recommend. 

Be seeing you,

WonderAlex

[jholman76]

one word.... LAMINATE!

it may be more expensive, but it turns the "did you BUILD this?" questions into "Where did you BUY this??"

plus if you get counter-top grade, it doubles as a nice scratch-resistant surface!

joe

[nitz]

You are still going to have to sand back first.  Most vinyl coverings will still show imperfections on the underneath surface. It does look very good though.  One word of advice when applying is to apply diagonally.  Makes it a lot easier to avoid bubbles.

Ok, this is probably pretty noobish, but is sanding just to avoid imperfections showing, or is there another reason, like I won't get the vinyl to stick as well? The surface actually is pretty smooth, the paint job of what's already on there is ok, it's just that the color is probably about my least favorite color for an arcade cab - dark grey. Could I maybe just sand the odd little rough patches and be ok? I really want to avoid serious sanding if I can help it! If I had my own outside space to do it in, I'd happily have at 'er, but I don't and I really don't wanna drag my cab downstairs and try to do this in the alley with folks gawking at me, and then have to drag it upstairs again. Sanding or scraping more than a very small amount indoors isn't really an option to me as I don't feel comfortable about putting a bunch of fine paint/wood dust into the air for my wife and I to breathe in. If I figure I absolutely have to sand, I guess I'll bite the bullet and just get it outside somehow and do it, but I'm looking for a way to avoid it.

I think i'm about to attempt the same. UAII cabinet. Going in an office so decided not to go the art route but wanted to spruce it up a bit. Lining the two top sides with vinyl fabric, possibly control panel as well. This is the distributor: http://www.unitedfabrics.com/do/productList?categoryId=3&p=39 Some great vinyls - one i'm going with is a square metallic pattern, tons of vintage patterns.

It's 54" wide, cab panels are exactly that. Should be thick enough that excess t-molding will cover it perfectly.

Not sure about process yet. Will try some sort of spray glue. May attempt to trim with razor or router. Plan on testing in next week or two on a sample. Will share my findings.

Would love to see how this works out!

As for laminate, I've thought about that and it probably would look awesome, but I've seen this mentioned on a few threads here before and everyone says it's really expensive. I don't want to cheap out on my refurbing (cheaping out and cutting corners on some stuff is part of the reason I need the refurb in the first place ), but at the same time, I don't have tons of money right now so don't really want to spend a ton on this if I can help it.

I'll be doing precisely what you're asking next week on my bartop and later on my full-sided cab - but I'm not using vinyl, rather I'm printing my graphics onto a plastic material (I forget the name in English - but it's not vinyl) that will be laminated with a ploy-carbonate semi-gloss finish.

I'm intrigued! Would like to see what that's all about and how it turns out!

Thanks for the replies guys, it's helpful!

[javeryh]

Ok, this is probably pretty noobish, but is sanding just to avoid imperfections showing, or is there another reason, like I won't get the vinyl to stick as well? The surface actually is pretty smooth, the paint job of what's already on there is ok, it's just that the color is probably about my least favorite color for an arcade cab - dark grey. Could I maybe just sand the odd little rough patches and be ok?

Vinyl is VERY thin. - almost any imperfection will show through.  I sand brand new MDF before applying it and that stuff is smooth to start.  Laminate is more expensive but if you are going to have this cab for many years I think the difference in price is worth it over the long run.  Either way, I can't imaging building a cab and not having to sand.   

[jpresto]

The pattern/effect is hard to see onscreen, but I don't think I can find something like that as a laminate. Also, there are going to be textures people can achieve with vinyl fabric, like a faux leather - not my bag but could work.

It's going to be terribly fragile but going in an office with all vintage furniture, the vinyl should retro it up a bit (or more than usual, i suppose)

Is laminate that expensive? This stuff is costing about $120 for 3 yards.

[nitz]

Vinyl is VERY thin. - almost any imperfection will show through.  I sand brand new MDF before applying it and that stuff is smooth to start.  Laminate is more expensive but if you are going to have this cab for many years I think the difference in price is worth it over the long run.  Either way, I can't imaging building a cab and not having to sand.   

Alrighty then. I'm not going to make the mistake of not listening to more experienced folks, doing it my own way and then having to tear it up and start over because it looks like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- and wasting effort and $$$.

I think I'm gonna check out my local fabric shop this week and see what they've got. Is there a particular type of vinyl I'm looking for? I was toying with this idea over a year ago and had a look there, but seem to recall that all the vinyl they had was much thicker than what I would want as I already mentioned. But I didn't look that hard (they've got a ton of stuff to look through), so I'll see what I can find.

[doteater]

I just put complete vinyl sideart on my cab last week so I can answer a few of your questions. Like the others said vinyl is thin and it will show any imperfections under it. Bondo any rough spots, sand the whole thing, paint(just use primer) and fine sand again with 400 grit. I used a set of plastic bondo scrapers to squeege the vinyl on, however my artwork still had the protective layer on it so it didn't scratch. Here's a couple links that helped me. I ordered my from this old game.

http://www.thisoldgame.com/
http://www.coinopspace.com/profiles/blogs/vinyling-a-cab-101part-1
http://www.coinopspace.com/profiles/blogs/vinyling-a-cab-101-part-2

[nitz]

SWEEEEEEEET!! That is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping someone would reply with! And after seeing that, I DEFINITELY want to go with vinyl now! Will document it when I get to it and post my experience and some pics!

[Marsupial]

I just repainted my cab - had laminate but in grey, I wanted black.

If I'd have to redo it, I'd go for black laminate.

Wait - I know why I didn't do that in the first place, I couldn't find laminate. Anyway, I wasted about 50$ in paint, and will want to add *something* on it when time comes...

So, it boils down to: if you have to choose between paint and laminate, go laminate.

[opt2not]

Laminate isn't that expensive. I bought a full sheet of Formica laminate for about $60 at Home Depot a year-and-a-bit ago. That's pretty much the same price of primer and paint right there, minus a ton of work. I guess it depends on how big your cabinet is and how much surface area you need to cover.

That stuff is super tough, and you don't have to worry about prepping your surface too much in regards to sanding/priming/etc.  Just clean the surface off, apply the contact cement to both surfaces, let dry for 15 mins, then press them together. Trim with your router and you've got a pro-looking, highly durable surface that'll last you way longer than vinyl. ESPECIALLY if you have little rug-rats running around bumping into things.

I would recommend Laminate over Vinyl any day.

[jholman76]

Laminate isn't that expensive. I bought a full sheet of Formica laminate for about $60 at Home Depot a year-and-a-bit ago.

I tried a local HD to me here about 2 months ago and they said they didnt sell much for sheets any more besides stone patterns (granite, marble, etc). I had to actually go to a countertop business and get it from them.

joe

[Marsupial]

I had to actually go to a countertop business and get it from them.

joe

Ah!

that's the trick!

Well, there's always a next time...

[BamBam]

I used a black laminate for my cab and do not regret it at all.  It looks like the day I installed (7 years ago).

[helpmebuild]

I used black vinyl from This Old Game also and it turned out pretty good. It looks awesome except for a small area just below the CP that ended up looking like a vein as I applied it on and squished two air bubbles together. Be cautious of how much of a one time application vinyl is.

There are no second chances so be sure to order enough that if you mess up you have some extra. I would suggest enough to cover each side twice as a precaution. I ended up doing that and was happy I did as the first application was a nightmare and learning experience that made the second application that much easier. It will cost ya a few extra bucks but its better than applying it bad first and waiting another 2-3 weeks for another shipment of it and paying shipping again.

[deepblue]

I used Faux Stainless Steel Formica - looks and feels great. I bought mine in 4x8 sheets at Home Depot, but countertop places might give you better variety. See my project thread for pics, etc.

[nitz]

Laminate isn't that expensive. I bought a full sheet of Formica laminate for about $60 at Home Depot a year-and-a-bit ago. That's pretty much the same price of primer and paint right there, minus a ton of work. I guess it depends on how big your cabinet is and how much surface area you need to cover.

That stuff is super tough, and you don't have to worry about prepping your surface too much in regards to sanding/priming/etc.  Just clean the surface off, apply the contact cement to both surfaces, let dry for 15 mins, then press them together. Trim with your router and you've got a pro-looking, highly durable surface that'll last you way longer than vinyl. ESPECIALLY if you have little rug-rats running around bumping into things.

I would recommend Laminate over Vinyl any day.

And one sheet was enough to cover your whole cab? I was under the impression that it came in 8' x 4' sheets like wood in which case you'd need at least 2, maybe 3 sheets to cover a cab. But if you can buy $60 of laminate for your whole cab, then yeah, that's really not that expensive. Had a look at the Home Depot website (the Canadian one, I'm in Canada btw!) and a search for laminate turned up nothing of interest. If I had to go to a countertop store, I'm thinking I wouldn't find the color I want - Donkey Kong cab blue. And if I had to paint it, then I almost may as well just paint the cab.

No doubt laminate will be more durable than vinyl, but, meh, I could probably live with something a little less durable as this is not going to be in a commercial environment, and even if it did get nicked up a bit, that makes it more authentic looking right?

I used black vinyl from This Old Game also and it turned out pretty good. It looks awesome except for a small area just below the CP that ended up looking like a vein as I applied it on and squished two air bubbles together. Be cautious of how much of a one time application vinyl is.

There are no second chances so be sure to order enough that if you mess up you have some extra. I would suggest enough to cover each side twice as a precaution. I ended up doing that and was happy I did as the first application was a nightmare and learning experience that made the second application that much easier. It will cost ya a few extra bucks but its better than applying it bad first and waiting another 2-3 weeks for another shipment of it and paying shipping again.

Do you mind telling me how much it cost to cover your whole cab, not including the extra? I had a look on their site and I find the price really confusing - for the DK Blue kit it says something like $45 36 inches 3.5 mil. Since it's a kit, that makes it sound like it should be enough to cover a whole DK cab, but what's the 36 inches and the 3.5 mil stuff then?

And that Formica does look nice deepblue. But after seeing those pics of how authentic that DK blue vinyl looks, I'm having a hard time being swayed in any other direction!

[deepblue]

And that Formica does look nice deepblue. But after seeing those pics of how authentic that DK blue vinyl looks, I'm having a hard time being swayed in any other direction!

Hey, go for what you like...I am almost 2.5 years into building my cabinet, and I've spent a small fortune on it. Given all the time and effort, make it how you want it!

[nitz]

Yeah, I hear that! I picked up my cab in October 2008, so I'm approaching the 2 year mark already. And I've put more money into it than I thought I would!

It was basically a destroyed Robotron - having never seen a Robotron (hey, gimmie a break, I'm only 28 and there aren't a lot of arcades around here!) I actually thought it was a generic jamma cab for a long time until I saw some pics on here of someone with a Robotron that looked very similar to my cab. Put 2 and 2 together, sanded a little bit of the paint off mine, and yep, Robotron art underneath. For those of you worried that I'm maming a classic, don't. This thing had been completely painted over in grey, had a lot of damage done to the wood near the bottom, control panel was pretty wrecked, and none of the original robotron parts or art aside from what was painted over and the mangled CP were present. I don't like the idea of maming classics either, but I figure at this point, a restore makes little sense when basically the only thing left of the original cab is the shell and even that's not in great shape.

Anyway, I've picked away at it for almost 2 years, but life just keeps getting in the way! I actually did have it running for a few months last fall, but then decided that I didn't like my control panel, didn't like the way the monitor was mounted, and hated the paint job. So I basically tore it up and am refurbing it the way I really want it now. My goal is to have it done in a couple months or so, but you know how that goes!

[helpmebuild]

Well just looking at my invoice in my inbox, it looks like I paid about $80.00 USD for all of mine (I ordered the 36" Matt Black) and I ordered about 25' of it and that was more than enough. Id say just half that price if you don't want to order double or any extra. I also live in Canada and that was shipped (but in USD) so it was more than fair to get the desired look in mho.

[opt2not]

And one sheet was enough to cover your whole cab? I was under the impression that it came in 8' x 4' sheets like wood in which case you'd need at least 2, maybe 3 sheets to cover a cab. But if you can buy $60 of laminate for your whole cab, then yeah, that's really not that expensive.

Yeah, if memory serves, I believe it took 2 sheets to cover my cab.  Sides, Top, Kick, and CP front (the top was covered with plexi).
A small price to pay for a pro-look and commercial durability IMO.  But hey, I don't wanna tell you how to spend your money.
If I do a non-painted cabinet again, I'd totally go with laminate.

Had a look at the Home Depot website (the Canadian one, I'm in Canada btw!) and a search for laminate turned up nothing of interest.

I don't believe you'll find it on their website. Home Depot only stocks it store by store, it really depends. I've been told that they get local suppliers to fill their stock, and the chances of a certain store stocking it is completely random.

If you are in the Vancouver area, the Home Depot near Main and Terminal definitely has it.

[wonderalex]

Finally - it's done. My bar-top has been covered with the printed vinyl laminate and well - I think it looks great.

The vinyl was MPI3000 with a durable laminate called Floorguard.

The application was actually quite easy, just patience, a straight-edge ruler and a very sharp knife.  My only caveat is to make sure when you order the material, insist on a long-lasting, permanent adhesive. I used a long lasting re-positionable (semi-permanent) adhesive because I was worried about messing up, now I worry about someone pulling it off  

Anyways - the end result speaks for its self, doing this on a full-sized cabinet will cost more than a good quality laminate, but less messy and no need for power tools (router).   It cost me roughly $100.00 CAD to cover my entire cabinet  (a 48in x 48in sheet) and had I not printed extras and used less white space I could have gotten down to $80.00 CAD by printing on a smaller sheet.

A full-sized cab, like my Williams cab that I'm converting to MAME, would cost roughly $250.00 CAD if I print just the CP and the side panels (from top to bottom) - a kick-plate would add another $30.00 CAD - shy of $300.00 CAD (including taxes). A bit too pricey for me to cover an entire full-sized cab.

Cost wise - you're still better off with paint or laminate - but for apartment dwellers, those without power-tools or those who want full graphics this application will do fine, just be prepared to pay for the convenience.

Be seeing you,

WonderAlex


(edit: I forgot to mention - applying the vinyl laminate took less than 2 hours, and I took my time. - WA)

[nitz]

Hey, thanks for sharing! That looks awesome!

I've got the Donkey Kong Blue vinyl kit ordered from thisoldgame. Once that arrives and I find time to work on it, I'll be posting some pics as well!

[wonderalex]

You're welcome - I forgot about the vinyl kits from thisoldgame - they're an excellent option if you're looking for a solid colour. 

Post it when you've got it done.

I wonder if you can a decal over that?

Be seeing you,

WonderAlex

[deepblue]

Looks great. Where did you get it printed / get your artwork? Curious what the exact treatment/product is called.

[wonderalex]

I had it printed at Mirazed (http://www.mirazed.com/) a local print shop that specializes in large format printing (billboards, floor graphics, window graphics, trade show booths, et cetera) here in Montreal.

The vinyl material is MPI3000, the lamination is called Floorguard - and the printing, good question I think he told me that he printed my graphics on an Epson printer - I forget the model.  UV resistant ink, I think the laminate protects against UV as well.   The adhesive is the same stuff they use when doing floor graphics. It can take a pounding without peeling, but it's not permanent.  I regret that - I should have gone with the permanent.

Be seing you,

WonderAlex

[deepblue]

Nice. How did you go about designing it - just Photoshop and then sent the image to them with desired dimensions?

I'll have to find a place here in the Toronto area for my upcoming bartop project.

[wonderalex]

The design was simple enough.

I started by getting accurate dimensions of the parts of the cabinet - especially the side-panels that are never a rectangle. Then I waited four months for an inspiration to hit me. 

Technically speaking - you could design the graphics in Photoshop or Illustrator.  If you're using the vector artwork library I recommend that you use Illustrator this way you don't have to worry about pixel resolutions.

For Photoshop - speak with whomever you hire to print your art - they'll explain precisely what resolutions, sized and colour format to use to get the best result from the printer they're going to use.

Be seeing you,

WonderAlex

[jennifer]

    Painting  is  cheap? 
           Not If you do it correctly, it"s a investment.

[wonderalex]

    Painting  is  cheap? 
           Not If you do it correctly, it"s a investment.

Granted, elbow grease can get expensive. 

It depends how you want your cab to look like in the end, your detail tolerance and the amount of money, time & sweat (and tears) you're willing to give to the particular cab to achieve that "look".

Just look at the project thread - some cabs are just stunning to look at.

WonderAlex

[Marsupial]

    Painting  is  cheap? 
           Not If you do it correctly, it"s a investment.

even if you do it correctly, its not cheap - but who said that investing on a cab was cheap?

It takes quite a bit of paint to do the whole cab.

[jennifer]

A sheet of vinyl over the original art - constitutes no shame. It will protect it and perserve it for future restorations.