[LesterSleepsIn]

Has anyone tried to change the finished veneer color of their speakers? How difficult would it be to change the veneer color on speakers finished in blonde maple, changing it to a dark glossy brown? Is this something easily done or best left to professionals?

I have viewed several helpful Youtube videos; this one was the most helpful:

https://youtu.be/TUdoexcLP2c

Has anyone tried this at home?

Cheers,
Lester

[Wayner]

You should remove the old finish, either chemically or physically (sanding) to get down to bare wood, then the world is your oyster......

[LesterSleepsIn]

You should remove the old finish, either chemically or physically (sanding) to get down to bare wood, then the world is your oyster......

Well, I'm already happy as a clam so I'm guessing it's just a lateral move to the oyster environment.

Is there much risk in sanding? Would using chemicals be the safer bet?

Thanks, Wayner.

[S Clark]

According to Joe Woodworker .com most modern veneers are around .027" thick.   Be careful sanding or you'll blow right through the outer layer and have a mess.  Luckily there are some real pro's with wood at AC.  Hopefully one will see this and chime it.
My distinctly unexpert opinion is that that I'd try to strip it chemically. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

I see a lot of bad happening here.
Not to be rude, but if you're asking questions like these, then (in my opinion) you've already disqualified yourself and admitted it's not a good idea.
If these are a couple hundred dollar set of speakers and you're willing to gamble with the appearance, then GO FOR IT!. There's no better way to learn how to do something that digging right in.
If these are a pair of Salks, Vapors, Decwares, etc ...etc... then I'd say you're about to "repaint your Ferrari" and screw it up. You'll never recreate the quality you already have.

Worst case .... you can always spray paint them if you mess up the veneer. Just saying...

[S Clark]

Now what you might do is attach entirely new veneer on top of the old.  Then you are truly starting fresh.  But Bob ISL is right.  If these are speakers that have value due to their appearance, I'd look for a different project to get some experience. 

[LesterSleepsIn]

Thanks all.

These are bookshelf size, specifically the VSA VR1s. They cost me $400 on the used market, so not a fortune.

I am thinking about experimenting with another pair first, old KLH bookshelves in monkey coffin enclosures. After that, if I screw-up the VR1s I could spray paint or try reveneering. If I screw that up, then I could have them professionally reveneered and write the mistakes off as experience gained.

(Please note: I said 'if I screw-up, not 'when I screw up' but I truly appreciate your words of caution.)

Cheers,
Lester

[Bob in St. Louis]

Before, during and after photos are worth extra points. 

[LesterSleepsIn]

Before, during and after photos are worth extra points. 

Will do ... though it just occured to me that perhaps I should start with the spray painting and then work my way in from there.

[Rusty Jefferson]

The finishes being demonstrated in the video are specifically designed to be used on bare wood/veneer.  You'd have to strip the old finish, and your ability to do that will depend on what the factory finish is.  If it's an oil finish, you can probably strip it if you're careful.  If it's a urethane or converting finish, probably not.  I looked at a photo of 1 and can't tell.  The baffle does appear to be solid wood (?) making it easier to strip than the veneer.

[Wayner]

I have personally restored dozens of speakers, Altec Lansing, JBL, AR, Dynaco and recently even Empire speakers. If you examine the veneer, it will reveal to you its secrets, especially if there is damage somewhere. Sanding is the last resort, although a moderate amount can be done to relieve scratches, the usual flower pot ring (on the top of many speakers) and things of that nature. But, as mentioned by others the veneer thickness varies from speaker to speaker brand. Some are over 1/32" thick, while others not so much.

Otherwise, step one is do the  chemical treatment, which also can be brutal on the wood surfaces, leaving them bleached beyond repair (if it blisters the veneer).

The first step is determining what kind of finish you have to deal with. Is it just a tong oil on wood, is there a lacquer over the stain, is it a painted finish? Then you should also try to determine what kind of wood is at the base. Is it walnut, oak, maple, cherry or other exotic types. Another consideration is if there is damage to the wood base that needs to be repaired.

Anytime you attempt to change a finish on any speaker, you run the risk of damage, and maybe even to the drivers mounted in the cabinet. I always remove the speakers, but depending on how they may be mounted or sealed can result in damage to the cabinet during removal. In fact, I remove everything from the cabinet (including the stuffing if it has any).

Good luck, ask questions and show pictures before you march forward would be my suggestion.

[WGH]

These ... VSA VR1s.

I once owned the VR2's so the finish is probably similar, smooth, simi-gloss and tough. Definitely not a tung oil finsih like early JBL and other speakers.

The VR1, VR2, VR4JR at that time were manufactured in China and built to a certain price point. I would guess the veneer is very thin making sanding more risky than usual, corners and edges can be as thin as a brief forgotten dream. The satin finish could be a catalyzed urethane which would require the strongest Strypeeze made with the wonderful MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) that dissolves everything and gets you real high (but not in the good way) so use it outdoors.

Hopefully the Strypeeze doesn't soften the glue holding the veneer to the MDF, you never know with products made in China.

I suggest learning to love them the way they are, you would be better off spending your money on NoRez and your time installing it in the VR1's. Like I said, they were built to a price point.
http://gr-research.com/norez24x27sheet.aspx

[Bob in St. Louis]

......corners and edges can be as thin as a brief forgotten dream.

I suggest learning to love them the way they are......

WGH is very wise when it comes to wood finishes. Very wise.
These two snippets resonate with me, but I found the first one particularly humorous. 

[S Clark]

Yep, when I mentioned some of the "pro's" at AC, WGH is one of those guys I was hoping would chime in. 

[Peter J]

There is an alternative to stripping and refinishing, but the results will be different...perhaps what you're looking for. Is there a figure of some kind on the maple as it is? Birdseye, fiddle back, etc. If that's not a concern, and you have the ability to spray, you could do what's called toning. Think of it as somewhere between stain+clear and paint. What you're doing is adding dye or pigment to a clear finish to shift color the direction you want to go. Typically followed by a finish coat of clear.   

 As someone pointed out, the video you linked to is new, raw wood. Stripping and refinishing will yield somewhat different results. You can't ever get the surface quite the same as new without more abrading than veneer will allow.

I'm attaching a photo of LGKs I did just this on as a result of a mistake. Note the color in the driver recess which was raw MDF. That'll give you and idea what the toner color density was. I should also mention that this was done with solvent based finish.

 I wouldn't discourage you from giving it a go, but know that it's not the shallow end of finishing pool.