DIY stand: paint or not to paint

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NismoStyle

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Jul 17, 2010
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Long story short. I built a stand for my 75 gallon and tried to cut costs by using plywood(knew it wouldn't be as nice as oak or birch but had a hard time finding 1/2inch 4x8 sheets). So now I have finished my stand with the exception of the doors. I wanted it black, the wife wanted it stained. So I stained it, haven't poly'ed it yet, and I think it turned out terrible. (see pic).

So now, I believe I'm going to paint it black. Unsure of semi-gloss or gloss finish. My wife says black stands look cheap.

Also, I'm using black substrate and black painted back ground. So I'm wondering if its going to be too much black.

What would you do? Tear down and try it again or go with black. Semi-gloss or gloss?

Pic for reference
Pre and post-stain


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uploadfromtaptalk1331824179436.jpg uploadfromtaptalk1331824243542.jpg
 
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fermentedhiker

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Nov 11, 2011
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I'd consider painting the plywood a satin black and leaving the wood trim stained with poly. That would make it look less like a generic pressboard black stand and the contrast between the richness of the stain and the black might be quite attractive.
 

TL1000RSquid

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Apr 6, 2011
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Plywood is tricky to stain and have it look good, I used cabinet grade on my last stand build and came out good. I'd go Satin Black, a dark cherry stain may of come out better on that wood too.
 

Fozzybear

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Mar 16, 2011
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yeah I only do cabinet grade ply for staining...that being said...satin with the poly trim would be sick sick sick
 

steffish

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Apr 18, 2006
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How many coats of stain did you give it? My 1st reaction is that it needs more coats but that could just be the way the plywood is taking it in. I painted my DIY, ply-covered stand with white semi-gloss kitchen/bath paint. Kinda blends into the wall & makes the tank stand out.
 

stephcps

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Jun 2, 2009
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I'm gonna vote for painting black as well. I have a tank with black stand and hood, black background, but I went with white sand. However, I do not think the black would have been too much.
 

GraphicGr8s

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Nov 29, 2010
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I'd paint that stand too. Looks like you just cut the openings out of a solid sheet. Grain is in the wrong direction on the stiles and the sides.

If you want a super smooth finish go over the wood with a filler. Even Bondo will work. Then sans it to 220. After you get the first coat of paint down sand that to level the finish.
 
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platytudes

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Nov 4, 2006
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If your wife doesn't like black, maybe paint it cherry colored? Or whatever matches the room, as was suggested. You could also go with a fun color like dark blue or green, but that can be tricky to incorporate into the room. It helps if there is artwork or furniture or something in your color scheme to pull it together.

I do think that black stand, black background, and black sand will look so drab...but I do think stands should be black (or metal) personally, so I would change the substrate or background before the color of the stand. I am just not that into black background and black sand tanks, they have never appealed to me.

And yeah, definitely paint it, plywood must not be meant to be stained because that does look horrible, lol. Beautiful stand though! Workmanship looks great :y220e:

One thing I've always wanted to try is painting a wooden stand with stone spray paint. It's amazing stuff - you hardly need any skill to use it since it seems to cover so well and evenly with just a couple of quick coats! I don't know how well it would work, but maybe black granite would look nice :)
 
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