Gasket tape on rear panel or on the braces?

[miked]

I'll be finishing my OTops in the coming week and it will be time to put the rear panel on (hopefully for good). I plan on two rows of gasket tape, one row inside the fastener line, the other outside. Is there a best or preferred location for the tape? E.G. on the cover or on the braces? Thanks.

[Bruce Weldy]

Put it on the carcass. It will stay cleaner than on the cover that will get laid down, etc.

[DJPhatman]

Put it on the carcass. It will stay cleaner than on the cover that will get laid down, etc.

+1 Just wait (I know, it's killing you because you want to hear them!) until you apply a finish to them. No sense putting gasket on, just to get Duratex on it, or have to pull them back off.

[miked]

Got it. Thanks guys. After posting this thread last night, I had to order more gasket tape from PE. The stuff I have on hand looks OK to me, but it's very old. Probably had it ten years. It's been in a plastic bag and the adhesive LOOKS OK, but I don't trust it. It's been in garages from Texas to Nebraska and back, been in storage units, been in cold/hot/cold again...would hate to have come all this way (and still further to go before done!) only to have the tape not adhere. Money well-spent IMO. I got the 3/8" wide stuff vs. the 1/2" wide. Being that the plan is to put two rows of tape, one inside the fastener "circle" the other outside, I figured the 3/8" stuff would have a better overall fit.

BTW: I was planning on finishing the rear covers and the cabs separately. Reason is that I'll be using silver trim washers around the normal, silver screws that will secure the back panel. While not as snazzy as black hardware, nobody will see them back there, it was cheaper than buying 100 black 1 1/2" washer head screws online and it will look kind of snazzy.

Along those lines, should I NOT get black spray paint on the rear panel braces or will the gasket tape stick to a painted surface OK? Thanks again.

[DJPhatman]

Are you using normal paint? If so, bite the bullet, and order some Duratex. It will give your cabinets a professional, finished look that is very durable and protective. Get it from Leland, along with a 3 or 4 inch wide roller. The outcome will be so much better than regular paint.

Yes, paint the rear panel mounts, and the back of the rear panel. To be honest, I would paint the entire cabinet inside and out with Duratex if you plan to use your cabinets outside. This water-proofs the wood. I tend to overkill.

[miked]

Yup, already got a gallon of Duratex and the little rollers. I should've been clearer. I meant to say "Should I spray paint the black PRIMER on the rear panel mounts/braces." I will be spraying the whole cab, inside and out, flat black first before Duratexing. Both to help seal the wood and possibly conserve some Duratex. I want to try and get 4 OTops and 2 T48s out of this gallon. I probably have a 50-50% shot at that, I would think. I know how far a gallon goes.

I can't see painting the inside of the cabinet with Duratex. I understand the whole "seal the wood" part, but Duratexing and then putting mattress pad over that? Just seems a waste of expensive Duratex to me. But thank you for the idea.

[Grant Bunter]

You only need to paint what you can see looking through the ports.
I didn't even bother doing that with my WH8's and no one at all has yet come up to me and said "I can see the inside of the cab"...