black paint

ddavila06

Members
hey everyone! so last week i made a very simple canopy for my friend's 55 and he wanted it painted black. im wondering what kind of paint is best and will not peel off with the tanks' humidity? i have always stained and poly'd the things i make...open to suggestions please, thanks :D
 

JasonC

Members
I would imagine that as long as the canopy is well sanded, that a black semigloss latex should be fine.

If you are more comfortable with stain and poly, They make black stain... that or a dark color may look really cool.
 

Jeff721

Members
Oil-pased paints will be your best bets. Are you talking about the inside of the canopy? If so, consider the lights: they will reflect best with a gloss white color, whereas a flat black will absorb them the most.
 

Siklid

Members
My opinion....I would use a spray paint. It is faster, but requires a little bit of skill with the paint. If put on too thick, it will run and be noticeable. The paint should also be water resistant. Home Depot and Lowes carry all sorts of different spray paints that will do the job.

Get a scrap piece of wood and test your ability and see what it looks like. It is not very difficult but is it better to make a mistake (go to school) on a piece of scrap.
 

ddavila06

Members
Pics?
How high did you make it?
I'm about to do mine and not sure about that.

i bought the 10 inch tall premium 1x10 x10 wood at home depot. it was like 22 bucks or something, the wood will cover the trim of the aquarium. will snap a pic or two later.
this is very simple, just around, no top cover.

i have not done very good job w spray paint before, but tried on glass only (i paint black the back of all my tanks :p

so oil based is best.. as if i was painting a bathroom? makes sense, to be able to put up with humidity. and yes, i was thinking of the inside. i guess i could paint the outside black and let the inside be with just poly layers for humidity protection...
 

verbal

CCA Members
If you had 2x4s or cheap plywood, I would probably use spray paint. Then cover with polyurethane for water resistance.

Since you used decent lumber, you don't want to cheap out on the stain/paint. The inside should definitely be done to handle moisture and probably reflect light well.
 

JasonC

Members
i'm not exactly convinced that enamel/oil based paint is going to be the best route... latex semigloss is regularly used in high humidity areas with no problem and as long as the surface is prepped well... sanded to give it tooth... the paint ain't going nowhere. besides... enamel paint is a royal pain in the tuccus to clean up.

Would agree though.. if this is for inside of the hood, I would go with white.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
I used latex semi-gloss black to paint my home made canopy for my 180. I haven't had any issues with the paint peeling. The only issues I have are due to me being impatient and not taking my time to paint the canopy. The semi-gloss paint makes any imperfections stand out, especially paint runs on the edges of the canopy.
 

blkmjk

Members
I used black epoxy spray paint on mine worked great. I used black latex to plan the backs of my tanks though.

Drew
 

ddavila06

Members
ha! i just purchased any black paint..i figured we will see how it goes and the home depot isnt really anywhere near me unless i drive 30 mins to any direction!
i wonder though, layer of polyethylene once its dry on top of the paint or not????
 
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