Gonna be starting my first build but have a q..

[darkomen64]

Ok I've been ding research and such for building a cabnet for the lat.. oh.. 3 years =P I'm finally getting around to making it =) already got all my joysticks and buttons got a coin door (over under style) got my i-pac  ect..

I'm kinda following Arcade Paradise 3 plans like the look and its got the same size TV and i have so should be very little modification to the plans.. altho I'm thinking about using a 2x4 frame for the TV to sit on.. anyways

the building material I'm thinking about using is 3/4 partial board.. i tried to do a search about it but came up with really no answers.. i know some of the cons.. HEAVY and doesn't cut quite as smooth as MDF.. anyone know any more? the reason I'm thinking about using it is  because i work at a particle board factory so i can get it usually for free this is gonna be a budget build as much as possible I'm not gonna cut TO many corners but if weight is the bigest factor in MDF vs partial board then I'll go with the partial board.

Thoughts and suggestions are welcome =)

[HaRuMaN]

How are you going to finish your cabinet?  Laminate or paint?  If paint is the answer, I would think you would want MDF.

[javeryh]

yeah, depends on the finish.  Laminate on particle board should work great but I wouldn't want to paint it.   

[darkomen64]

was acutaly planning on painting it.. only down side i can really think of is it taking 4-5 coats to look good..a guy at work suggested wallpapering the hole thing then painting the wallpaper.. would stop it from soaking up all the paint.. if i were to so that i would paint it then lightly same all the seams then repainting it.. if i can talk my wife into it and can find some cash for it i thought about making it outta decent plywood and just staining it a dark color so it would match the ferniture in the house.. as it is right now its gonna spent 90% of its time in the garage and only be brought into the house when we have my friends over for a evening (RARE)

[javeryh]

wallpapering the hole thing then painting the wallpaper..

That's a new one.   

My advice would be to build it as nice as possible or as nice as you can afford to.  In the long run you will be much happier.  Plus if you get it looking nice enough maybe the wife will allow it in the house instead of in the garage!   

[shmokes]

I recommend against stained wood.  I think most of those look kind of awful.  The wood does about as much to make them look like a nice piece of furniture as heels and fishnets do to make a transvestite look like a woman.

Also, don't do the wallpaper thing.  That's going to be cheesy.  You won't manage to hide the seams.

How much does three sheets of MDF cost these days, anyway?  Is it really enough to be considering something bizarre like wallpapering, then painting over the wallpaper?  And if building out of a nice plywood and staining is even a remote option, I have a hard time believing that MDF could be a major cost-factor.

[sstorkel]

I recommend against stained wood.  I think most of those look kind of awful.  The wood does about as much to make them look like a nice piece of furniture as heels and fishnets do to make a transvestite look like a woman

I guess you haven't seen Knievel's work?

[HaRuMaN]

^^ To each his own, but I'm with shmokes here.  I don't like it, even if it is expertly executed like Knievel's cab.

[shmokes]

Actually, I have.  And while I think that is one of the nicer examples of wood-grain cabinets, I'm actually not a very big fan.  It's just not my cup of tea.  The workmanship is very impressive, though.  Great fit and finish.

[darkomen64]

yeah i'm HOPING the guy was only joking about the wallpaper.. i'm also not really crazy about the wood grain look... what i want is a authentic look.. so painted back.. and as for laminating it wouldnt it cost about the same to just buy MDF and paint it vs just buying the laminate and supplys?

.. i think since i already have 2 sheets of partical board i'll just cut oen of the sides outta that then usew that as a pattern for MDF.. altho it will probably delay my project probly 2-4 weeks doing this $50 every 2 weeks make for slow going

[HaRuMaN]

Why not use the particle board for the parts that will never see the light of day?  Perhaps the back of the cabinet, bottom (base), etc?

[shmokes]

Laminate looks a lot better than paint, though, nine times out of ten.  None of this painting, sanding, painting, frustration, sanding, painting, frustration, sanding, painting business.  You just put it on and the finish is perfect, and a lot more durable than paint.  Check prices.  Black will be in-stock at Home Depot and pretty cheap.  It gets a little more expensive if you have to special order another color.  Keep in mind you'll need a bucket of contact cement, too, which will run you another $14 or something.  And you need a rolling pin or a j-roller.  And a throw-away paint brush for applying the contact cement.  You likely already have the supplies you need for painting in terms of brushes and paint pans, etc.

[darkomen64]

well as it turns out i'm gonna try and use partical board... but theres a catch.. while at work today we were running something called box wax... all particle board has wax in it but this box wax is only used for one of our customers, the main differences in it vs other particle board is it has a higher wax count but also the wax is better at blocking moisture and such.. its used for making boxes for fruits and such so its able to not absorb near as much... so today i brought home a small piece (2ft square) and will try painting it and see how it goes.. if it works well i got 3 sheets of 5x8 at work waiting for me.. its also industrial quality.. alot denser then the stuff you pickup at the store =)

wish me luck =)

[HaRuMaN]

I bet if it blocks moisture it will block paint, too.

[shmokes]

I like that.  Because of HarumaN's avatar it actually looks like he's congratulating you for finding a solution to your problem.   

[darkomen64]

well i put 2 coats of paint on it and its drying i'll let it dry for a day then take a putty knife to it to see how well the paint bonded to the wood and see how well the paint covered.. i used a roller so they were kinda think coats =)

[HaRuMaN]

I like that.  Because of HarumaN's avatar it actually looks like he's congratulating you for finding a solution to your problem.   

lol....