Pedalboard velcro help

[Tweaker]

I know...the subject of this thread sounds pathetic..."geez, this guy can't even figure out how to use velcro?"

Here's what I'm dealing with. I built a pedalboard out of some old cedar I had on the side of the house. One side of the cedar board was smooth, the other side is very grainy. The smooth side didn't look as good, so I put the grainy side up on the pieces that the pedals sit on (thus, the pieces of wood the velcro needs to adhere to).

Well, I bought some velcro and applied it. Pulled right off. Should have seen that coming, the wood wasn't even close to being smooth. Flipped the boards over, sanded them down so they looked cleaner, and they're a bit smoother, but I'm still concerned about applying velcro.

I've been experimenting with gluing sheet metal to other scrap pieces of wood I have lying around, in hopes that the sheet metal would provide a good surface for the velcro to stick to. Unfortunately, I haven't found a glue that bonds the metal effectively to the wood.

So here's the question...do you guys have any suggestions as to prepping the surface of the wood so that velcro can be applied? I've considered applying a couple coats of polyurethane, but again, I fear the grain might still affect the adhesion of the velcro. I could always use screws to attach the sheet metal, but finding small screws with flush heads is a bit difficult. (I've only got 2 inch screws in the garage, hah)

 

[Rich]

Since you're going to cover up the wood by putting velcro and pedals all over the top of it, does it matter what the wood looks like? That is my advice.

 

[Tweaker]

Haha, well no, the wood appearance doesn't matter so much...I should have mentioned, the "dirty" part of the wood was mold I'm pretty sure...I definitely didn't want that sealed underneath glue or poly or something.

I just can't get the velcro to stick!

 

[Rich]

Disclaimer: I am NO craftsman.

I would think that you should use the side without the mold/damage and sand it to be as smooth as you can possibly get it. Then, clean the heck out of it. Adhesive needs a clean surface and as much surface area as you can possibly provide for it to stick - the more level/smooth area there is, the more area of the velcro that will stick to it.

I am certain that someone else here will have MUCH better advice than I have, but that's all I've got.

 

[Tweaker]

Sorry, I reread my initial post and wasn't very clear. I cleaned and sanded the moldy side, mold is all gone now and it is smooth.

I just don't want to waste more velcro if it won't stick. It *might* stick, but I'm sure you can understand my hesitation. If I can figure out how to get the surface perfectly smooth (even after sanding, there is still some long grain that is sticking up...can't get it flat!!) that would be ideal, whether that be finishing the wood or putting something over the top of the wood.

I guess an alternative would be to just replace the slats with a different wood

 

[snaredrum]

could you score the wood surface where the velcro will go?

 

[VictorB]

 

[Tweaker]

could you score the wood surface where the velcro will go?

Score? As in like scoring something before you snap it? As my lawyer, I request a definition of the word score

Also, I've had rotten luck with super glue and any kind of wood

 

[snaredrum]

put thin scratches in it with wood, so the glue bonds into the holes.


i know this would ruin the finish but it'll be under velcro so meh

 

[Tweaker]

Oh, yeah I tried that with the test run...the gorilla glue bonds really well to the wood, but the sheet metal peels right off. Very strange.

 

[dickjonesify]

It should stick fine if you are completely smooth, flat AND dust free! Flatten it with a coarse grit, work up to 220 or 320. Then blow the dust off and thoroughly clean it with a tack cloth and/or Naptha.

 

[dickjonesify]

How big a piece of wood? How's it going together?
Design pics please there could be several ways to go about it.

 

[Tweaker]

Hmm...time to rework the cedar tomorrow, it seems. It'd probably stick right now, I just want to make sure it sticks cuz blowing money on velcro more than once is just lame

 

[Tweaker]

Pic of board:



This is with the rough side up...smooth side is up now. Length is about 20". Goal of the step-board was to eliminate footsies with the controls

 

[dickjonesify]

Easy solution: staple gun in places out of site. Maybe even wrap the Velcro just long enough to reach around back and staple there.

 

[Tweaker]

I can't believe I didn't think of that...

 

[dickjonesify]

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

Easy solution: staple gun in places out of site. Maybe even wrap the Velcro just long enough to reach around back and staple there.

My first thought!! Or you could go with some upholstery tacks, if you want to make it look a little funky.

 

[GitFiddle]

Easy solution: staple gun in places out of site. Maybe even wrap the Velcro just long enough to reach around back and staple there.

That was my first thought. Stretch your velcro tight and lap over the edges and just staple the crap out of it. Its not like the pedals are going to jump up and run off anywhere.

Fwiw, I always put my loops on the pedals and hooks on the board.

 

[Tweaker]

I always get confused as to which side is hook and which side is loop...I have the soft side on the board and the rough side on the pedals