Adding a semigloss seal to speaker cabinet?

HTguru1982

Just wondering if it's a good idea to add a semigloss seal to a pair of my RT7's. I don't want to sand everything down and start from scratch but just add a touch of shine to the preexisting wood grain finish. It's sad but I've tried anything like this so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Poolgod69

I am guessing you have the black?

HTguru1982

Yes, they are black. And there's a typo in my original post. Meant to say that I've NEVER tried anything like this. :redface:

zane77

There was a thread not to long ago where a member rubbed out his cherry RTi's and they came out like mirrors. Do a search, they talked about how they accomplished this. Or give F1nut a pm he is a great woodworker and maybe he has some ideas

Poolgod69

I guess you could look into Cory Super High Gloss Piano and Furniture Polish.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cory-Super-High-Gloss-Piano-and-Furniture-Polish-4-oz-/110645983279?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c303b82f#ht_500wt_1081

http://www.corycare.com/furniture-wood-care-products.html

F1nut

If you don't know what you're doing, don't even try it and no, furniture polish is not the answer either.

Poolgod69

I guess pledge will do just fine...lol

westmassguy

F1nut wrote: »

If you don't know what you're doing, don't even try it and no, furniture polish is not the answer either.

^^^^
This
Not sure what type of finish Polk put on those, but if it's anything like Melamine, I doubt any coating will stick to it.

zingo

The only gloss finish that looks decent is sanding down the entire speaker and spraying multiple coats of paint, clear, hand buff, etc.

specd_out

the rtia's have a flat clear applied to them to seal them. Thats how I was able to polish mine out. Since on these speakers the clear they use is very similar to automotive clear, you can use automotive compounds and equipment to get a high gloss finish. http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?142429-Piano-Gloss-Cherry-RTiA5-s

HTguru1982

Thanks for the help and suggestions. I may go ahead with zingo's suggestion of sanding down the cabinet and starting from scratch. I have a friend at work who's going to help. He has experience with this kind of stuff. Will probably give it a go next weekend. I'll be sure to take pics. Hopefully it turns out well. :cheesygrin:

F1nut

Do NOT sand down the existing finish and start again. To increase the sheen all you need to do is polish the current finish with the proper polishing compounds. Specd_out had the proper materials and knowledge, you don't. The compounds are not cheap, the pads are not cheap and neither is a good buffing/polishing machine. It would be much cheaper to take your speakers to a refinishing shop and have them do the polishing.

HTguru1982

Hmmm, thought it would be a fun project and give me something new to try. If it really is more daunting that I'm anticipating, I guess I won't bother.

specd_out

like f1 said dont sand it down. The veener is so very thin. too much in one area and you will have to reveneer the entire speaker.

You can get a semi gloss shine by hand, using various polishes and compounds. Unless you are extremely familiar with high speed buffers or orbital polishers I would just do it by hand.

If you want PM me, I will give you some help. You can practice on the bottom of the speaker too see if you like the look before you start doing everything else

j1mmy

I've recently used Formby's Tung oil finish. I used the low gloss and it came out very glossy IMO. It actually came out more glossy than I wanted and I had a hard time taking the shine back out! They also have high gloss which would even offer higher gloss yet. It goes on with a lint free cloth and is a very hard finish when dry. Make sure your wood is smooth, sand with like 400 grit sandpaper if you want or need to, and apply. I was impressed with the gloss and hardness of the finish. I've been a woodworker for 30 years. Not a pro but experienced.

rooftop59

HTguru1982 wrote: »

Hmmm, thought it would be a fun project and give me something new to try. If it really is more daunting that I'm anticipating, I guess I won't bother.

Nobody reads anymore. There is a HuGE difference between the rt7s and the newer rtis, the rt7s had the vinyl laminate. Whole different animal. I had a subwoofer a few months back with the same finish. It had some nice scratches and discoloration. I lightly sanded it, painted in with plastic spray paint (something like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Krylon-Black-Gloss-Fusion-Spray-Paint-15-oz/24101152), and used a clear spray sealer. Looked a LOT better. Not perfect, because that would require removing the laminate. But it looked a lot better. If your rt7s have scratches or discoloration you could try this. But it won't be a real glossy finish, so if they look fine I would probably leave them alone.