Spaceship command center!

[Mike D Campos]

Hey guys,
I've built a cabinet for a company. It's a live action escape room business.

This cabinet will contain several screens and interactive electronic control systems

There are many seams and exposed plywood edges.

The owner would like the whole thing to look like one solid piece and is keen on using bondo all purpose or similar putty on entire surface.

This is for two reasons.
1) Hide seams
2) Durability.

Being that these rooms see a lot of traffic and abuse,
Alot of their older props are really showing wear and they'd like to increase lifespan.

So the question is if I were to cover these srams and edges with all purpose putty,
Is it flexible enough not to crack with heavy use AND

Would skim coating the entire cabinet do anything to increase durability and prevent little dents and scratches.

Also, props for building cabinet with all these angles are appreciated

[Adam Herman]

cover the whole thing in Formica.

also, yes wrong forum.

I think bondo would crack if it was skim coated. it will work for filling edges though.

[Jamie Buxton]

"Putty", in my understanding, never hardens. Bondo hardens. Wood filler hardens. But putty, no.

[Jamie Buxton]

Since you have the whole thing built, formica may be difficult. You might consider glassing it, like a boat. You cover the surface with fiberglass cloth and resin.

[Peter Kelly]

As above, laminate the entire thing with vertical grade Formica or Wilsonart.

[Randy Viellenave]

Also, props for building cabinet with all these angles are appreciated

Not sure what you should do, but nice job on all those compound angles.

[Wayne Lomman]

What did you glue it with? If you used epoxy or resorcinol, you can go ahead and bog it and it will be fine. If not, fibreglass the joints, skim coat to blend it in and then finish it. Laminate will work as well without the fibreglassing but it depends what you want it to look like. Cheers

[Martin Wasner]

Not related, but I just did one of these room games last weekend. It was pretty fun, and we didn't escape. Turns out we accidentally did the hardest one of the games which didn't help for a first timer

[Mike Heidrick]

if you have never fiberglassed anything before this should not be the first time doing it lol.

[Mark Canada]

Cover it all in thin gauge sheet metal. Rivet it all together and it will look awesomely retro?

[Peter Christensen]

You could take it to a place that sprays pickup truck boxes with urethane rubber. The bed liner will bridge any seams that might move and is not going to show any marks short of someone carving into it with knives.

[cody michael]

Cover it all in thin gauge sheet metal. Rivet it all together and it will look awesomely retro?

That would be awesome

[Martin Wasner]

if you have never fiberglassed anything before this should not be the first time doing it lol.


Glassing it with a good layer of gelcoat would work really well though. Scratches could be polished out for a long time before the gelcoat is done.

[Justin Ludwig]

Cover it all in thin gauge sheet metal. Rivet it all together and it will look awesomely retro?
Boom! I was going to offer the same advice. Sheet metal can make it look wicked. Plus you’ll learn some new tricks. Don’t be scared, just get after it and learn your way through it. YOUTUBE!

[John McClanahan]

Here's what someone else did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6zseFi070E

Just for grins.

[Pat Barry]

I wouldn't want metal - that would be out of place. I would go with the fiberglass idea. That way you would have a clean surface, clean corners, no place for dirt and grime to collect. It would be easy cleanup as well and they can paint it any color they wish.

[Charles Lent]

I design and build exhibits for NC Science Museums. We are using a product called "Starboard". It's a plastic sheet material that machines much like hardwood, has the color all the way through it, and is available in many colors, thicknesses and sheet sizes, and the colors do not fade. You don't need "edging" for a good appearance. nor do you need to put any kind of finish on it, but it is expensive when compared to cabinet birch plywood. However, since it doesn't require any finish and edging, considerable time and money is saved here. This material is available now from many sources, but here is an Amazon link for price comparison https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=starboard+plastic&tag=googhydr-20&index=industrial&hvadid=176346605487&hvpos=1t3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5992475509321687282&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009922&hvtargid=aud-395862694963:kwd-4213403986&ref=pd_sl_95y9myam3r_e

Gluing requires the use of special glues. Normal glue doesn't work at all, and this Starboard plastic resists most chemicals and Sunlight. It is stronger in many ways than cabinet plywood, but for most work we have been using the same thicknesses of the Starboard that would have been used if building from birch cabinet plywood. Impact driven wood screws drive and hold well in this material.

Charley

[Myk Rian]

Perhaps design it using the Star Trek Enterprise bridge for ideas.

379204

379205

[Dave Sabo]

That would be awesome


Til a customer cuts himself on the one errant rivet or undressed edge you forgot.