Carpet Finish

[wespaul]

Hello all.

I just finished my T39. I did the horn throat and braces with a spray can of duplicolor bedliner, and man was that easy! I liked the looks of the carpeted cabs people had posted pictures of, so I went against prevailing opinion and carpeted the rest of it. I discovered what I actually liked the looks of was carpet installed by the talented folks in this forum. I ordered the carpet from PE that did not have the stiff backing, thinking it would be easier to work with. Mistake, at least for first-timer me!

The problem was that the neat technique I had read about where you overlap seams and razor through both layers does not work well when the carpet is stretching as you make the cut. I think a stable backing to the carpet would help tremendously when cutting in seams. I also didn't really like the fact that the carpet didn't seem to offer much for the contact adhesive to grab. It will probably be alright, but the carpet will readily part with the fibers the contact adhesive is actually stuck to and come off, at least in small sections.

I camouflaged mistakes by using a small paint brush and painting any little areas where bare wood was peeking through. I'm ashamed to post any pictures, I just wanted to point out my difficulties to anyone who might be entering the fray for the first time.

[DAVID_L_PERRY]

Use of a new sharp blade and pressure is essential here.....
It does work, but can be a little tricky...you are not on your own in cockup land.....

I also spray both the carpet and the cab...

One option is to pre-paint below the join using a similar colour paint to the carpet, prior to fitting the carpet obviously. But you have to be careful to make sure the adhesive will not react with the paint.

Doing my last Omni15 I ended up doing the dance of the sticky feet.....one foot caught on the sprayed up carpet the other trying to dislodge the same, and both hands holding the sprayed up omni 15 in the air trying not to fall over.....

Dave

[Tim A]

Hello all.

The problem was that the neat technique I had read about where you overlap seams and razor through both layers does not work well when the carpet is stretching as you make the cut.

The carpet should be glued in place with only an inch on each side of the seam left loose, then you overlap and cut. That way there's no stretching when the seam is glued.

There's a definite learning curve involved with applying carpet to a cabinet. Your next one will be better.

Also, pain the areas where your seams will be and let it dry. Then if you get a sloppy seam it's not noticable. Here's a Wedgehorn I did in carpet, prepped for application.

[DJ Mark]

I carpet all my road cases and I think they look really well and can take a beating and still look good.

If you plan to carpet in the future, I would suggest the backed carpet but keep in mind it wont stretch much and is harder to cut. If carpeting is done well it looks really good, but the downside is some much gets stuck to it like hair and anything you set it on.

[Harley]

....Here's a Wedgehorn I did in carpet, prepped for application....[/img]

I did exactly what you did on the joints with the paint but the colour of the glue still showed through.

What I now do on any joint that may show through is I have a piece of tin with a narrow slit in it and I spray the joint with a matt black spray can using the tin as a mask - short burst and I tell you that really work a treat!

[AntonZ]

Doing my last Omni15 I ended up doing the dance of the sticky feet.....one foot caught on the sprayed up carpet the other trying to dislodge the same, and both hands holding the sprayed up omni 15 in the air trying not to fall over.....

We have all learned so much from your well documented builds, would you mind shooting your next carpet job on video for our amusem--- eeeehrm education?

[James R]

Hello all.

The problem was that the neat technique I had read about where you overlap seams and razor through both layers does not work well when the carpet is stretching as you make the cut.

The carpet should be glued in place with only an inch on each side of the seam left loose, then you overlap and cut. That way there's no stretching when the seam is glued.

There's a definite learning curve involved with applying carpet to a cabinet. Your next one will be better.

Also, pain the areas where your seams will be and let it dry. Then if you get a sloppy seam it's not noticable. Here's a Wedgehorn I did in carpet, prepped for application.

I have a question here, does the carpet in the horn area effect the output at all deaden the sound? just wondering

Jim

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I have a question here, does the carpet in the horn area effect the output at all deaden the sound?

No.

[wespaul]

Thanks all for the tip on pre-painting behind the seam. Like a friend observed, "You're gonna beat the hell out of it as a gigging rig anyway, so why worry about perfection?" He's got a point, but I still hope to do better next time. David Perry's recent Omni 15 tallboy pictures serve as an inspiration and goal for the future builds.