Remove the glare from a shelf.

July 19, 2007 8:31 AM

I need to coat the bottom of a wood shelf with a material that absorbs as much light as possible.

The shelf is about 10 inches above a TV and I get a lot of light reflected off of it. My first thought was flat black paint, but there must be something better out there.

posted by Mr_Zero to home & garden (11 comments total)

Black photo cloth
posted by caddis at 8:38 AM on July 19, 2007

Black felt will work better than black paint. :)

You might consider just tacking on a 3-4 inch "awning" on the front of the shelf, extending down into the air space. That should block the reflections, no?
posted by TomMelee at 8:42 AM on July 19, 2007

I'm sure the above will work fine, but I've heard that specifically black velvet is like a sexy singularity for any use in photography.
posted by cowbellemoo at 9:23 AM on July 19, 2007

A can of flat black spraypaint is likely the cheapest/most effective solution here (especially if you can remove the shelf to paint it outdoors/in a well ventilated area).

Grab some fine sandpaper/steel wool to scuff up the existing finish to help the paint stick (flat black spraypaint tends to stick to anything though)
posted by davey_darling at 9:34 AM on July 19, 2007

Thousands of razor blades on edge.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:12 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Seconding black felt. The uneven texture reflects almost nothing, and it's really cheap. Plus, you can then walk into an arts and crafts store and ask the employees, "So where can I get felt around here?"
posted by Greg Nog at 10:13 AM on July 19, 2007

Black felt is easier than spray paint because you can fasten it with spray adhesive. The adhesive can be sprayed on the felt outside so you don't even have to move your TV.
posted by Mitheral at 10:40 AM on July 19, 2007

Black velvet would be the most black. Be aware, though, that any fabric solution (velvet, felt, crepe) will acquire lint.
posted by amtho at 1:39 PM on July 19, 2007

Black velvet will have the added bonus of cutting down sound reflection just a little bit too. A box around the TV might tend to pick up sound and reflect it back out-of-phase from the speakers, which is bad. You might notice just a little bit more "bright" sound as a result.

(anyone else have Black Velvet stuck in their head now?)
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 2:51 PM on July 19, 2007

I was gonna say soot, but I like razor blades better.
posted by eritain at 3:52 PM on July 19, 2007

Even better, you can get felt that has a peel-off backing, no spray adhesive required!
posted by indienial at 9:49 PM on July 19, 2007