Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

[absolootbs]

do you have a method of painting all 6 sides at once, or do you do 5 sides/1 side, 5 sides/1 side? if the former, whats your system? i've got a few ideas involving string, coat hangers, and the like, but i'd like to hear from others about what you've tried and how it's worked out. bonus points for pictures.

[joeybutts]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

I paint whichever side is the baffle first, then sit it on some pvc pipe....

[davepellegrene]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

If it will have feet or pads on the bottom I will put finish nails or screws in those spots to hole the cabinet up about an inch. Finish the bottom first then set it on the screws/ nails then finish the rest.
Another way is to hang them through the driver mounting holes so the baffle is horizontal. This will help flow the finish out flatter on the baffle.
Removable backs I have ran long screws into the holes to mount the backs with then set it on them. It's the only one I have a pic of.

Dave

[Brent_S]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

Somewhat similar to David's method. I finish the bottom first, usually not to the same degree as the top/sides due to lack of visibility. I made a paint cart from a Harbor Freight mover's dolly and drove a number of deck screws though it. Depending on one's level of OCD and impatience, you can place the bottom side, while still wet, onto the screws and go about the business of finishing the other faces. Then, roll it out of the way to dry if your paint booth happens to also be a garage. :-) For multiple cabinet projects, it would be beneficial to make a "drying station" by taking the scrap wood of your choice and driving some screws through it as well. Obviously, this method could also be used to make a painting stand, but I liked the wheeled cart to help me get the best lighting for each face.

-Brent

[williamrschneider]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

This is where a removable back or baffle has an advantage ;)

When I paint boxes in my garage, I first run some thin steel wire through the driver mounting holes to provide a way to hang them in the air to access the back.

I paint the baffle and sides first with the cabinets resting on the points of some painter's triangles. Because the lighting in my garage is sub-optimal, I also built a painter's "lazy susan" that clamps into my portable work table so I can angle them for good light.



After painting the front and sides, I lift them by the wire loops and hang them up high on some hooks suspended from the ceiling of my garage. That allows me to get underneath to paint the back side. It's not fun painting upside down though, so maybe some of the other approaches might work better for you.

p.s. DAVE! What IS that gorgeous cabinet? Drool!!!

[Wolf]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

I usually don't completely finish the bottoms. If it won't be seen, and it's going to get all bumped up and such, why waste your time and have to redo it? I set them on a small stand, and only the middle is usually totally unfinised, with the edges pretty well-done.

Just get a sticky-back Foamie in your favorite shade, apply it, and be happy you saved yourself some work.

Later,
Wolf

[mzisserson]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

I usually don't completely finish the bottoms. If it won't be seen, and it's going to get all bumped up and such, why waste your time and have to redo it? I set them on a small stand, and only the middle is usually totally unfinised, with the edges pretty well-done.

Just get a sticky-back Foamie in your favorite shade, apply it, and be happy you saved yourself some work.

Later,
Wolf

amen to that. I will use the textured black vinyl as well. Holds up and looks neat . I have used a lazy Susan before, got they are cheap enough at a discount store. Lift like suggested, spin and paint.

[PassingInterest]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

I made some paint stands for some boxes that I made, which allowed me to spray all sides at once.

In the first photo, you can see 2 blocks, which were used to mount the box to the stand.
Both blocks go inside the box through the crossover cup hole.
The pine block has a slightly smaller hole in the center, just the right size for me to thread a short piece of Black Pipe into.
The second block has a feed-through hole for the black pipe, and a screw in each of the 4 corners.
The 4 screws had the point ground down flat.
The first block rests against the MidRange Chamber inside the box.
The second block sits over the first block, and the 4 screws are tightened, spreading the two blocks apart, putting pressure against the rear wall of the box.
The black pipe is threaded into the inner block and the pipe is mounted into the paint stand as shown in the second photo.

[absolootbs]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

I made some paint stands for some boxes that I made, which allowed me to spray all sides at once.

In the first photo, you can see 2 blocks, which were used to mount the box to the stand.
Both blocks go inside the box through the crossover cup hole.
The pine block has a slightly smaller hole in the center, just the right size for me to thread a short piece of Black Pipe into.
The second block has a feed-through hole for the black pipe, and a screw in each of the 4 corners.
The 4 screws had the point ground down flat.
The first block rests against the MidRange Chamber inside the box.
The second block sits over the first block, and the 4 screws are tightened, spreading the two blocks apart, putting pressure against the rear wall of the box.
The black pipe is threaded into the inner block and the pipe is mounted into the paint stand as shown in the second photo.

oohh weee, ain't that some fancy stuff . very nice.

for those of you who've said "i finish the [insert_certain_side_here] first then sit it on [pvc/screws/triangles/some other contraption] and finish the rest", does this procedure get repeated for each coat of sealant, then each coat of primer, then each coat of paint? or do you go start to finish on the [insert_certain_side_here], then sit it on your preferred lifting device and go start to finish on the rest? if the latter, how do you deal with overspray, etc. on the sides you're not currently working on?

with the current project in question here, it seems that every possibility is shot down by something. no removable back or baffles, which eliminates all options that revolve around either of those two things. also, it means that the crossovers and lining are already installed, which means i need to tape off driver holes so i don't shoot paint inside the cabinets, which eliminates running strings/wires through the holes. also, every single edge has some degree of roundover on it. while that might help with the typical problems painting 90* edges, it makes it hard to paint one surface without progressing right into another. just not worrying about the bottoms looking as good as the rest of the sides is the most viable and makes the most sense, but i'm anal retentive to the point of borderline ocd, and i just don't know that i could handle something like that. i realize that it's my own fault: through my design and my personality, i'm making things hard on myself. but... well... thats me.

[bmaupin]

Re: Painting all sides of a box at once - whats your method?

Paint the back and then do this: