The great thing about thrift stores is that you can score insane deals on clothes, gear and decor. A lamp for 99¢? I'm on it. A set of speakers for $7? Done. But the finds you bring home from the flea market usually need a little TLC. Like this project, where a gritty speaker grill was transformed into a work of art with just double-sided tape and fabric.
The folks at ModCloth (yes, the online store) show us how it's done, making over a bargain pair of old speakers into something brand new for their space.
All it takes to kick off this trasformation is removing the front panel and old fabric from the speakers. Tape (or staple, or glue) your new fabric around the old frames, like you're re-upholstering a bar stool. Replace the panel and voila! New speakers!
Want to try this at home? Pick out a great fabric (try to find a textile about the same weight as the fabric that previously covered your speakers) and get to work! ModCloth has documented the whole DIY project in photos from start to finish, so you should have no trouble following along in your own DIY adventures. Check out the full post here.
(Images: ModCloth Blog)
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Cute!
Does the fabric muffle the sound? (I didn't read the write up so maybe the answer is there)
It shouldn't. Most speakers are covered with a fabric grillcloth. Even my PA has a metal grill cover with hundreds of small holes.
My suggestion would be to stick with a very light weight flimsy fabric that you can almost see through. Heavy dense fabric Will affect sound quality though most people would never know the difference. Also, I'd recommend using a staple gun as apposed to tape. Speakers vibrate and I'm not sure how long tape would work under those conditions.
Speaker grillcloth is acoustically transparent. Ordinary fabric will absorb high frequencies. Honestly though, if you're willing to listen to $7.00 thrift store speakers, you're probably not going to notice or mind the high frequency loss, so what's the harm in having it look cute? Find a fabric you can easily breathe through, and that won't sag over time.
esz, whats wrong with thrift store speakers? I found a pair of very large mid century style sony floor speakers for 5.00 that sound better than some expensive speakers i was going to buy.
now if the speakers are mini system castoffs then there werent any highs to begin with.