Duratex...To spray or to roll. That is the question

[mdiehl]

Hi everyone! I'm about 50% complete on a set of 4 titan 48's, and my attention is now turning to finishing the product. I'm curious to hear opinions on whether people prefer to spray or roll Duratex, and specifically any of you who may have applied it one method and then wished you would have applied it differently.

Thanks so much to everyone for your continued help and thoughts!

[LelandCrooks]

I much prefer spray. But having said that, the learning curve to get exactly what you want with spray is much steeper than roll on. Spray can give a wider range of texture, very quickly.

[Tom O'Shea]

And (if you're hamhanded like me) way too much texture far too quickly.

But once you get it figured out you're golden and your cabs are blackened.

[DJPhatman]

I have done both. For a DIY who is doing only a couple cabs at a time, it's not worth the time to spray. Rolling DuraTex is very easy, simple to do and cost effective, with very good results. Anton can vouch for the roll-on texture, as he owns my Wedgehorn 8.

[RENDOG]

Since you have four of them and probably want to do all at the same time, then spraying will be easier/faster after you learn the technique.

However, the roll-on method was very easy with no learning curve and didn't take long to do a Titan 39 with 2 coats. It was hot outside which really helped (enclosure was in the path of sun and you could feel it getting hot).

I purchased the roller from Leland at speakerhardware.com and I believe that is essential in order to get the desired texture.

[Philip Kelley]

I just finished rolling a second coat on my pair of Jack 10s, my first experience with Duratex. What I've learned so far:

Don't bother with a standard primer. Duratex bonds well to bare wood and fills quickly. I primed and then Duratex'd some sub assemblies and got a certain amount of crackle effect in the Duratex. Maybe it was too thick, but I'm thinking that the primer was a waste of time, at best. I've seen others on this board suggesting thinning the first coat of Duratex with distilled H2O- I'd worry a bit about that. Flat black housepaint as a base coat seems like it would be a reasonable alternative.

I did my first coat with a generic foam roller and it went on nice and thin but left a wimpier texture than I wanted. My second coat went on with a short nap roller and built up a thick finish with a rugged, manly texture more to my liking.

I found that the Duratex starts to tack up quickly once rolled out, even working in cool, damp conditions. I really would not expect that working in high temps or direct sun would be good. Housepainters always avoid working in direct sun if they can, the paint always works best if you can maintain an extended open time. Working quickly, covering an area throughly, and then not going back over drying sections was the ticket. Once the paint starts to gel, the texture got messier, and paint would tend to lift off in patches.

Have fun.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I really would not expect that working in high temps or direct sun would be good.

It actually likes it. The only caveat is if you lay it on too thick with a sprayer it will crack. Duratex cures best with heat. Doing it in the sun you can lay on three coats with a sprayer with only a half hour to 45 minutes cure time between coats. The issue with paint in the sun is that it will skim before the solvents evaporate, trapping them beneath the coating, then when they do evaporate the gas results in blisters. DuraTex seems not to be bothered by that.

[Philip Kelley]

I suppose you should know way better than me. Meb'be I'll quiet down a bit.