Replacement of grille cloth on credenza

[johnwilla]

My credenza's grille cloth was unsalvageable, so I found some silk that is a little more copper-colored than the original, but pretty similar. I have removed the grille from the machine, the original cloth from the grille (salvaged the splines that hold it in) but still have some questions. I wonder if forum members who have replaced credenza grille cloth can help?

1. Is the cloth glued to the frame in any way? I don't see residue of glue on my frame, but it might have been shellacked or something like that to hold the cloth to the frame. If it was glued, what did you use?
2. How did you make sure that the fabric was ABSOLUTELY UNWRINKLED when attaching it? I seem not to be able to make the splines hold the fabric tightly enough to remove all wrinkles from the face.

Checking the forum, I believe I was fortunate in having no difficulty removing the grille from the cabinet, and the wood finish is in great condition. Hope the new cloth will look good also.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[phonolamplighter]

Hope sharing this little bit of personal experience will help.
If the grill cloth is held in place with small wooden slats/moulding, no glue is needed.
The trick that works for me is to use the blue or green paper painters tape to hold the fabric taute around the edges. Place the slats onto the fabric and secure temporarily by lightly tacking the nail. You want to be able to easily make adjustments of the fabric under the slat.
Do the top edge, then the bottom edge, then stretch side to side. When you have the fabric seated to your liking, drive home the nails using the same rotation and keeping an eye on the fabric.It can be just as easy to have the fabric too tight.
Trim the excess fabric around the edges and remove the tape.
Satisfaction should quickly follow!

[johnwilla]

Thanks for the tips. I had not thought of that tape and the green leaves no residue.
Cheers!

[Marty Bufalini]

John, I've been looking for some material to cover my grille. May I ask where you got yours?

[johnwilla]

I went through the sources for grille cloth for radios, none of which had the right kind of stuff--all generally too heavy and highly patterned for my taste. I bought some linen on Etsy which was pretty nice looking but seemed too thick. I ended up with some silk with different colored warp and weft threads intended for dresses, which is coppery rather than gold but seems okay. I got it from a place called Fashion Fabrics Club of America, and I got a yard for about 28.00.

http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com

[Marty Bufalini]

Thanks!!! We have a place called JoAnn Fabrics around here. Maybe I'll check it out.