Help with painting frame

[lepaul37]

I just restained my new(to me) 200gallon tank stand. I want to change the color of the tank frame to  match the stand. What can I use to paint it? I don't think its made of wood. Looks like its some kind of plastic. Any advice is appreciated.

[CichlidFan]

Re: Help with painting frame

Contact Paper????

[lepaul37]

Re: Help with painting frame

Cichlidfan, How durable will contact paper be?

[CichlidFan]

Re: Help with painting frame

I think your concerns are regarding how it would hold up to the dampness around the water, correct? Most of the high quality contact paper on the market these days has some sort of film on them or made with some plastics in them, that make them fairly water proof. Buy a small roll of something that looks close to matching the color of your stand, and try putting it to the test, run a little water over it and see if indeed it can be used on your tank. If so, then all you need to do is apply the paper slowly and correctly, making sure to cut the edges just right and form them around 90 degree corners, it would most likely be a suitable application and would closely match the texture and appearance of the stand.

This would not be a simple procedure by any means, but if done correctly, I believe it could be a very nice way to duplicate the stand itself, providing your contact paper is a close match of course. If you are quite comfortable working with your hands and are detail oriented, it should only take about an hour or so to do a fairly nice job. An exacto knife and some patience are all that I can see would be needed, be sure to clean the entire surface of the frame first. Once you have the paper in place, take a small amount of silicone and seal the corners and any edge you think may be exposed to moisture.
The last thing I would do, is to take a clean cloth, and apply some furniture polish to the contact paper; it may help act as a sealer on the contact paper, but also try the furniture polish on a scrap piece of contact paper first to see what reaction it has.

Good Luck

[CichlidFan]

Re: Help with painting frame

I bought some contact paper at home depot a couple of weeks ago, and will be doing the same thing, but I'm using it to accent my stand, and not the tank itself.

If I get started on this project soon, I'll let you know for sure if indeed the contact paper is waterproof and would work on the tank frame or not.

CF

[lepaul37]

Re: Help with painting frame

CF let me know how it goes

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Help with painting frame

I used cheap enamel spray paint from walmart and masking tape. (masking tape is easier to remove than scraping off the excess paint).
Went on easy and looks good, but when scratched, the old plastic showes through.   So keep a can handy to touch up the scratches.

[SOULJAA]

Re: Help with painting frame

I did the exact same thing as Phish...walnut color spray paint and tape.

[lepaul37]

Re: Help with painting frame

Thanks for the input. I will give it a shot.