Wood choice for black entertainment center

[Nathan Yeager]

I haven't been able to find a credenza type entertainment center to hold my components so I am going to build my own. This unit will be plywood construction with hardwood faces and trim. To match the decor of the room I will want it black. I would rather not even see any of the grain, so I plan to paint it. Most of my woodworking experience has been basic furniture making using all hardwoods (mostly cherry & maple).

Question 1 - What type of hardwood would you suggest for the faces and trim? As I plan on painting it, I want something functional, not beautiful & expensive. The unit will be holding 200-300 pounds of equipment, and though I don't plan on the hardwood being responsible for much of that load I don't want to tear through the pieces as I move the equipment around.

Question 2 - What method would you use to produce a durable glossy finish on the black painted top?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
-Nathan

[Chuck Saunders]

MDF would be my first choice. After that youwould bee looking at a close grain wood like maple. MDF comes very smooth, hard and durable and paints very well. I also can take fine detail.

[Frank Hagan]

I've used poplar for painted cabinets before. It has smooth, even grain that takes primer and paint very well, although it is not as hard as something like maple. Its very nice to work with. It is a softer hardwood, probably between soft pine and oak in terms of hardness. You might look at some at your hardwood store to see if it would work for you.

[Peter Quinn]

I would go with C-2 cabinet grade maple for the carcass and poplar or soft maple for the solid stock. MDF is weak, heavy, and a bit nasty to work with. It can barely hold its own weight over any span let alone hold your stereo equipment without sagging, and when you mention moving it I think OUCH!.

I'm no expert at gloss finishes let along gloss black, but I think a pigmented lacquer and a serious rub down towards the final coats is a step in the right direction.

[Matt Meiser]

I'm with Peter--go with birch or maple ply for strength and sag resistance. You can use poplar for face frames, etc. You can always prime and sand a few times to eliminate any grain that shows through.

Tinted Target USL would give a black gloss finish.

[David DeCristoforo]

The wood species will not be too much of an issue. Obviously you will not want to use an open pored wood. That pretty much dictates maple or poplar. (Yes you could use MDF under paint but I am not going to be the one to suggest it! I hate the stuff!!) What is going to be important is how you prep the surfaces before you paint. Black, regardless of the level of "sheen" you want, is the most difficult "color" to deal with because it will show every little variation in the surface. So if you want "the best" paint job, use a "feather fill" primer like this:

http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=70

Used in conjunction with a "guide coat",

http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=205

this stuff can be "wet sanded" to create a perfectly smooth surface. Once you get to this point, you will be able to get a good looking paint job without much difficulty.

[Jamie Buxton]

As David noted, getting a glossy painted surface on wood is an involved process. Also, in my experience, glossy surfaces are difficult to live with. They show fingerprints and dings and little scratches. When I paint furniture, I use a satin sheen.

[Larry Edgerton]

I do quite a few cabinets in black unfortunately, and I always use Poplar and lacquer. I use Magnalac black primer followed by a clearcoat. Study up on lacquer before you tackle a large project.

Tip: I always leave the back out of the cabinet when using lacquer so the overspray can blow right on through. Then attach the finished back or like I often do, use a natural wood T&G back. My favorite over black lacquer is cherry.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

The first thing that came to mind was using paint grade birch, the choice for painted cabinets. However, you're doing a piece that will be the focus of a great deal of attention and will hopefully last for years, so to save a few bucks and have something that would require a great deal of work to achieve the look you want wouldn't be the best thing to do. For solid wood components maple or poplar should work well.

[Carroll Courtney]

I have made afew paint grade cabinets for my house and made kitchen cabinets for pay.I have always use poplar and never had bad experience with it.HD has it in dim.size so all you have to do is cut it to length,drill pocket holes put it togeather.For paint,I went to my local SW and purchase some primer tinted dark(lacquer) and gloss black lacquer.For best results apply several coats of primer,sanding between coats then couple coats of gloss lacquer.It will dry fast in a couple of minutes here in Houston.It will be as slick as glass.Post some pics of your project---Carroll

[Nathan Yeager]

Great, thanks for the tips!

[Dick Strauss]

MDO panels with poplar frames if you are going to paint it...

[Richard Wolf]

Here is my technique for making black chairs. Use maple for construction, Stain with india ink, buy the quart size in art supply stores. It takes two coats, the first looks like a mistake, but the second evens things out and leaves a black finish. Cover coat with any clear finish, water base ploy or, I like clear lacquer.

Richard

[Vic Damone]

Beside the wood and finish there are a few things to conceder when designing one of these.

If any of your components have remote control, glass or screen door faces will allow the infer-red to pass without opening the doors.

The bottom of the cabinet, shelves, and the back, should all have generous openings for ventilation.

The back should be easy to remove and have cutouts for cabling. At least two other adequate ports at the rear bottom of the cabinet to route the speaker cabling and power cords (which should be kept separate). Current Home Theater systems have seven speakers and one or two subwoofers. You may also be running cable from one side of the cabinet to the other in which case you'll need an internal pathway.

Wheels are highly recommended.


You might want to go to a Best Buy / Magnolia Hi-Fi and take a close look at products from BDI. Their Marina model has everything I mentioned above and comes in either black or white glass finish, fully assembled. The door hinges are either slow closing or gas assist.

[Mike Heidrick]

Any pictures of some of these solutions.

[Joe Jensen]

I've done both MDF painted black, and red oak painted black. Unless you REALLY want a smooth MDF type surface, I strongly recommend the open pored wood approach. The grain will telegraph through and it looks nice. Think about why contractors do a knock down finish on walls, it hides imperfections.

When I have done MDF smooth style, it involves many coats and sanding and flattening between coats. Having done this many times, I HATE the black dust from sanding black paint.

I'd do red oak plywood and red oak trim. Fill any construction imperfections, and paint with semi gloss black. Once happy, top coat with clear.