Wood veneer on....a kegerator?

[jlb307]

Looking for input/opinions from those much smarter than I.
I have an old Kenmore kegerator that the wife hates the look of. Big black metal box, with the ugly laminate mdf top.
The top should be easy enough, as I was thinking reuse the old top and once properly prepped put some wood veneer on it and then stain it.
So in my quest to pretty up the rest of it some, and a little out of the box thinking, I came up with the idea of covering the door with veneer as well, and stain it to match the top.

Has anybody given something like this a try?
Looking for some tips and inspiration!

 

[bracconiere]

there's always this! i've used it before, forget on what.

https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Fur...ocphy=1013487&hvtargid=pla-643657714752&psc=1

 

[day_trippr]

If the kegerator in question does not use the cabinet skin as a radiator for an underlying condenser loop - thus either has an external grid-style tubing condenser in the back, or uses an under-cabinet radiator-style condenser (typically fan-driven) - you can coat the thing with concrete with no operational concerns

But if it relies on the cabinet skin to get rid of heat, things aren't quite so cut and dried, as raising the thermal resistance to room air by a significant factor will put strain on the system causing it to run longer.

So, perhaps an 1/8" veneer would not be that significant, but I suspect 3/4" planking would be bad...

Cheers!

 

[Devlinboy]

If the kegerator in question does not use the cabinet skin as a radiator for an underlying condenser loop - thus either has an external grid-style tubing condenser in the back, or uses an under-cabinet radiator-style condenser (typically fan-driven) - you can coat the thing with concrete with no operational concerns

But if it relies on the cabinet skin to get rid of heat, things aren't quite so cut and dried, as raising the thermal resistance to room air by a significant factor will put strain on the system causing it to run longer.

So, perhaps an 1/8" veneer would not be that significant, but I suspect 3/4" planking would be bad...

Cheers!

I never thought of this. I bought a hot point 7.1 chest freezer and was going to cover it with tongue and groove pickwick pine. Sounds like I need to do more research.

 

[DamnRedhead]

I never thought of this. I bought a hot point 7.1 chest freezer and was going to cover it with tongue and groove pickwick pine. Sounds like I need to do more research.

I'm getting ready to build a keezer this weekend / next week myself - here's my current plan. I'm going to leave about a 2 inch air gap on the front of keezer, then about 6 inches on the right-hand side (where the compressor is) to place the co2 tank, and some extra space on the other side for a cabinet. Then I ordered a small 12V thermostat off Amazon and I'm going to use that to control some 50mm 12V DC fans to circulate air around the exterior and through the compressor area.

Overengineered? Maybe. Is my compressor burning up? Well, hopefully not. (2-pack of thermostats is $10 and I'm using one for the draught tower to keep foaming down, and to help keep the fans from running all the time, thus reducing condensation) I'm finishing my sketchup design this morning and I'll post a new thread soliciting feedback.

 

[Devlinboy]

I'm getting ready to build a keezer this weekend / next week myself - here's my current plan. I'm going to leave about a 2 inch air gap on the front of keezer, then about 6 inches on the right-hand side (where the compressor is) to place the co2 tank, and some extra space on the other side for a cabinet. Then I ordered a small 12V thermostat off Amazon and I'm going to use that to control some 50mm 12V DC fans to circulate air around the exterior and through the compressor area.

Overengineered? Maybe. Is my compressor burning up? Well, hopefully not. (2-pack of thermostats is $10 and I'm using one for the draught tower to keep foaming down, and to help keep the fans from running all the time, thus reducing condensation) I'm finishing my sketchup design this morning and I'll post a new thread soliciting feedback.

The fan and thermostat is a good idea for the cabinet. I’m debating furring out the pine cladding with a few 1x2’s. I’m not sure i can increase the width of my keezer much more and still keep the aesthetic I was looking for. I have a fan for the inside of keezer. Are you saying that if I run that 24/7 I will add condensation? Just want to see if that is the case. Maybe I will have to add a thermo if so.

 

[DamnRedhead]

I don’t know about condensation for sure but that’s based on some feedback I got on This thread.