Weekend project is about done. need to choose a finish

cayman isl

cayman isl

Member
I threw this tank stand together over the weekend and now need to decide whether to paint or stain.
The wife wants a medium oak stain to bring out the wood grain...
I would like a bright white semi-gloss
What do you guys think?
 
cayman isl

cayman isl

Member

Originally posted by Salty Cheese
I voted for the stain. You want the tank to be the focal point, not the stand.JMO
Thanks Salty, that's an interesting point. So in essence you are saying the white would look better and people would be ooooing and awwwwing over the stand instead of the tank!
Dude, thanks for your opinion, that's what I wanted, no way I could possibly be offended if I got what I asked for!:)
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
:notsure: So in essence are you saying the stain will make the stand "less interesting" and no one will want to look at it...??
I would think the intricate grain pattern would draw the eye more than a solid color...:thinking:
And once they "zone in" on the wood filler they'll miss the tank compleatly... :D
 
cayman isl

cayman isl

Member

Originally posted by Squidd
:notsure: So in essence are you saying the stain will make the stand "less interesting" and no one will want to look at it...??
I would think the intricate grain pattern would draw the eye more than a solid color...:thinking:
And once they "zone in" on the wood filler they'll miss the tank compleatly... :D
It's the "off color" wood filler that has me leaning towards the white..... besides, I think this stand looks pretty good for a guy in a garage with a miter saw and a hammer. I wouldn't mind if people took a minute from the tank to check out the rest of the setup...
Thanks again...
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
I think the overall project came out well as well...especially for a garage job...(that's supposed to be a compliment)
But you do have "mixed woods" as well as the filler issue to deal with and neither lend themselves well to a "natural stain" which would "highlight" these differences...
On the other hand...:thinking: ...You can "Paint" OVER stain, so if you want...stain it first and see how it comes out...If it doesn't please you, you can always go over stain with an oil based paint...
 
thedude

thedude

Member
I think the stain would attract more attention to the whole package which is good IMO. I also like more "natural" looking stands because tanks are so natural (you know..fish, corals and stuff)...so I think they go well together (by natural I mean that you can see the wood grain, etc.)

You can "Paint" OVER stain, so if you want...stain it first and see how it comes out...If it doesn't please you, you can always go over stain with an oil based paint...
I agree completely.
Just my 2 cents, great job on the stand BTW, I really wich I knew how to build something like that...maybe someday :thinking:......
 
guitarded

guitarded

New Member
i would have to agree with squid. i think a the stain is much more eye catching than a solid color. but hey, that's just me.
truthfully, i wouldn't worry about whether it would draw attention or not. i think people will look at your display as a "whole" package and let's face it, the tank's beauty and movement can hold its own!
 
dory36

dory36

Member
Let me tell you what happened to us! My husband made a stand a few weeks ago and picked out a beautiful stain that matched the other furniture in our house. However, when we started to stain it, the stain was darker in some areas (almost black) and lighter in others (almost gray). This was quite puzzling since the wood came from the same stack at the same store. Anyway, we ended up buying some white semi-gloss paint and it looks just fine. I'm actually glad that we went with white because we spilled some water on the inside of our tank (that we left stained) and it made this really ugly water mark. With the semi-gloss, water spills wipe right up and leaves no trace. My vote is for the white!
 
guitarded

guitarded

New Member
great point dory! we were all focused on how it looked that we kind of overlooked the maintenance issues. form follows function!
 
cayman isl

cayman isl

Member
Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. After staining a test piece I just wasn't happy with the results so went with the white.
Thanks again for your input:
 
cayman isl

cayman isl

Member
Thanks Guys...
The materials for this stand cost me about $130.00. I took pictures of the assembly sequence and will post them later if anyone wants to give it a go. I enoy building my own stuff, so to me this was a great project..
C-ya
 
thedude

thedude

Member
looks great Cayman, I voted for stain but in retrospect im glad you went with white...looks totally pro. I would appreciate those assembly pics, i know they would definately come in handy some day :thinking: :D
 
cayman isl

cayman isl

Member
Yep, putting the hood together now....
Next step is to convince the wife I need a new 90 gallon tank to put it all together!:yes:
I'll get those pictures organized and post them so you can see the different steps..
Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top