[zenfishbike]

The reality of my calendar vs. the weather here at 7500' suggest that I may not be able to apply finishes to my yet unbuilt NX-Otica's and OB dual H-frame subs before temps drop this fall. I don't want to wait for spring to enjoy these so thinking about building and using them unfinished through the winter. Considering veneering the outside of the subs and side panels of the Otica's, painting everything else. I should be able to veneer the Otica side panels before the build leaving just paint left to do on those. The subs would be completely unfinished until spring/summer. Please let me know about the pitfalls of this approach and/or suggestions to help me navigate it. Thanks in advance!

[Chewbacca]

Hi Zenfishbike!

So the main concern I'd have with veneering the sides of Oticas without finishing the inside, is moisture absorption and desorption.

For instance. You take a 4'x8' sheet of raw MDF. You apply veneer to one side. That side will absorb less moisture than the raw side. So if you have more moisture in the air than the sub-straight (MDF), it will absorb more in the raw side, causing it to swell, and turning it into a banana. It will go the opposite direction if you're in a dry environment where the moisture will desorb, causing it to pull, creating a banana in the opposite direction. That's why you will always see some sort of backer that matches the absorption properties of the veneer/laminate/vinyl on the unseen side of, say a countertop.

UNLESS you have enough bracing to counteract the pull of the sub-straight, or it's a small enough area that this won't really matter.

But, for the Oticas... The bottom of the side panels would be fine. They're adequately braced to prevent any pull. The top sides? Can't say for sure honestly. I don't see the side that's scalloped out pulling at all; it's only a few inches wide. But I'd (personally) have a slight worry for the "full" side top corner pulling one side or the other over time. But, this may not really matter, and the pull may be so minimal you don't even notice it.

I'd personally run them 100% raw until you are able to fully finish them in an adequate timeframe.

But then again, everyone that I've seen that has veneered them doesn't balance the panel with a backer. It's all painted on the insides. So, are any truly balanced? No. But the paint CERTAINLY helps. Just not an industry standard with cabinetry.

So does it matter? Probably not... but it would probably keep me up a bit at night

[mlundy57]

I built out my LGK 1.0 desktop monitors when they were still raw MDF, just to see what they sounded like. They stayed that way for 3 years because I didn't want to take them out of the system long enough for finishing. Just saying ......

[Chewbacca]

I built out my LGK 1.0 desktop monitors when they were still raw MDF, just to see what they sounded like. They stayed that way for 3 years because I didn't want to take them out of the system long enough for finishing. Just saying ......

I may have misinterpreted the OP's original intent. If there going to stay 100% raw - I see no issues... unless you spill water on them or something, since they're not sealed.

If you JUST veneer one side of the Oticas, before or after assembly, without paint or some sort of sealer on the other side of the veneer, you may have an issue with moisture and panels deflecting.

Just my .02

[Chewbacca]

Also - IF you do veneer before assembly, THIS is where you will have the main issues. Do NOT leave the veneered board unassembled (with no backer on it) even overnight... I've seen full 4x8' sheets (one side veneer, other side raw) bow 4"+ overnight... It's amazing what moisture can do, and how powerful it can be to an unbalanced board.

Then again, I live in Wisconsin, where the humidity can easily change from 45% to 90% in a matter of hours - so with everything YMMV.

[zenfishbike]

I may have misinterpreted the OP's original intent. If there going to stay 100% raw - I see no issues... unless you spill water on them or something, since they're not sealed.

If you JUST veneer one side of the Oticas, before or after assembly, without paint or some sort of sealer on the other side of the veneer, you may have an issue with moisture and panels deflecting.

Just my .02

Thanks Chebacca, you interpreted my intent correctly in that I thought I should veneer the Otica side panels before assembly but your points are very well taken and I reckon I could veneer them after so long as the base isn't glued in place. That actually is a better approach so that I'm dealing with veneer all at once with the subs too.