The old TV finally bit the dust and now have to put a new TV in. After reading all of the posts and trying to figure out what to do I have found where a 24" Vizio TV will almost fit inside the cabinet. I am going to have to cut a inside support by 1/16-1/8" inch to get it to fit flush. The border of the TV will be behind the cabinet front. The one part I have not figured out yet is do I raise up TV and put a spacer on the bottom and top or just put one on the top? Also does anyone know what kind of wood is used and how it is finished so I can match what is there for the spacers?
The standard interior wood for your 1997 U295 is walnut. Walnut comes in a wide range of shades and the finishing processes can and usually do change the color some. The feel and level of shine that FT achieved on their woodwork is quite nice and appears to be a closely guarded secret. I get very close by sanding the wood to 220 grit, putting on three thin layers of clear gloss oil based wipe on poly with three-four hours between coats and no sanding, let it cure over night, sand carefully with 320 paper, then two or three coats of a satin wipe on poly (I like MinWax) same timing, no sanding. Let that cure overnight. Then adjust the shine level to your liking with 0000 steel wool ot the equivalent 3M scotchbite pad (they come in different colors for different abrasive levels). A light coat of wax is always nice. Bees wax is a soft wax that has a nice look to it. Some of the very hard waxes are too shiney. Minwax makes a liquid satin wax in a dark color that works very well.
Getting the color just right is the magic part. I will frequently make several sample pieces with different blends of stain to get the color I want and finish them all to see the finished look before making a final choice.
Watco makes a catalysed wipe on oil finish that you can blend for different colors. You wipe it on, wait for a short while, wipe on some more, wait, wipe it dry, wait overnight. During then second (and maybe third) applications I use 600 grit wet or dry paper on the second wipe to work it in with the grain. Wait then wipe dry. This gets an incredibly smooth low gloss finish. If you want a waterproof finish or a harder finish (desk or table top) wait at least 72 hrs and do the wipe on poly thing.
Getting a great match to color and luster is not a quick thing. It is worth tking the time and some trial end error to get it right.
My guess is that FT used proprietary stain and a sprayed on catalyzed lacquer finish. Not something many of us can do.
If anyone else has succeeded at a great wood finish or stain match I hope you will share it.
Roger
Good advise from Roger. I used semi-gloss Deft on oak and it takes close examination to see any difference. Not sure what it would be like on walnut. Deft is a lacquer type finish and dries rapidly. I didn't use any stain on the oak.
Barry has my TV remodel on his website. 1996 U270 Front and Rear TV Replacement (http://www.beamalarm.com/Documents/32_inch_front_tv_replacement_1996_u270_.html)
Edit: Just read what I did on Barry's website. I didn't use Deft. I did use Deft on the drop leaf table with cabinet that I made later, so both finishes worked for me.
Jerry, Just read about your TV project. I do not know if I have the equipment and talent to do a job like you did. What is a pull saw?
With the smaller TV it looks I can do this without doing a major cabinet rebuild and only adding one piece of trim.
Not Jerry but it is a saw that only cuts when you pull towards you. Has very fine teeth.
Jack,
I do not know if they still make them, but a 4:3 shaped LCD TV would fit that space a lot better than the newer widescreen TV's. I have one in our breakfast room and it would certainly look like a bigger picture. It is several years old, so I do not know if they are made any more.
Good luck with your project!
Trent