IUnknown

Jeff,
Do you know what type of wood they use for the ADA stands? Any ideas what type of paint and finish they have.

jsenske

Honestly I really do not know what the wood is. I can ask. As for the finish, it is very unique and I suspect that adds to the cost quite a bit. I will ask ADA what's the deal with those two points.

hoppycalif

Almost all such furniture is made from MDF and finished with a sprayed lacquer finish. MDF is far more stable than wood, is harder surfaced, has a flatter, smoother surface, and is much easier to get a mirror finish on. Sprayed lacquer is the best finish for avoiding any flaws, to achieve a mirror finish, and to minimize the cost of application. So, my bet is on that combination for ADA stands.

ianiwane

A friend said they are actually made out of a furniture grade veneer (sort of like plywood). He is in construction and said that veneer is typically a lot stronger than mdf (veneer does not flex as much). He was going by pictures that another friend took at the ADA headquarters in Japan.

jsenske

yes-- these stands do not have any sort of "standard" finish to them. It is a finish unlike any I have ever seen-- especially on aquarium furniture. There is no stand on the market currently that has this finish.

thatguy

heres a pic of the inside of an ADA stand, which was at the ADA headquarters in japan, image was taken from this thread at PT:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ge...ight=ada+japan

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thatguy

if you look at the pics in this link, you can see a stand with a similar color/finish to the ADA stand.

http://www.e-aquaria.com/aquaforest.html

taking a stab at it, id guess the ADA stands are painted in a single stage paint, which can be mixed in almost any solid color.

John P.

Yep, looks like a veneer to me.

dennis

Sure, but MDF is veneered all the time As a furniture/cabinetmeker, I woudl guess the stand is MDF. Vereered ply may be a bit stronger but it is almost never flat, its more costly and a much bigger PITA to work and finish, especially considering the color finished edges of the ADA stands.

Man, hype/shmype. Now we really are sarting to worry to much about the lure of Amano. If its ADA is obviously made well enough you don't need to worry about your aquarium falling down. Aside from that, MDF, Ply, Veneer or paint grade, its all the same. The outside is the color you see in photos and the inside is apparently veneered. Neither is really a selling point nor a drawback or an indication of quality.

If the outside looks appealing to you, buy it.

(BTW, thats not a slam ar Greg or anyone else, promise)

thatguy

yeah, but it seems odd to build it out of mdf, finish the outside with paint, then go and veneer the inside as well. why not just paint the inside to match the outside?

on the other hand, why use ply veneer to end up finishing it in a solid color and having to smooth and fill the grain? only to leave the inside unpainted (but more than likely sealed)?

it would be most effective and effecient to just use mdf and then finish it with paint in and out.


Edit* forgot to add, the only thing i could think of, is the design of the stand. if you look at the photo, they have no visual front vertical support. it appears to rely on the front face to prevent deflection in the top piece. as thin as that front face is, it can and will flex if made out of mdf. I bent it myself to show Marc that fact when we built the stand.
ply veneer is going to be stronger and resist vertical flexing.
but then again, placing a thicker stronger piece of support behind (and not visible from the front or in that pic) that front face would create more support if you were to just use mdf.
id like to see a real ada stand in person to look at it.